How to Pitch the Problem (with John Dwyer)

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Tim: So much of marketing is centered around the product, why it’s great? Why you need it? Why you should work with the company? But in this part 2 of a discussion with John Dwyer from the Institute of Wow which we’ve started last week, you’ll hear why and how your marketing should focus on a problem and then present your product as the solution.

It’s a tried and true direct marketing strategy but JD breaks it down in a way that just makes sense and I think a lot of people forget about it. Now just a heads up! This is the final episode of ConversionCast as you know it. Stick around to the end of the episode to learn about the all new ConversionCast.

I’m Tim Paige, the senior conversion educator here at LeadPages and this is ConversionCast.

All right, so we have to try and follow that up in with the problem solution because I think this is something that you and I were talking about this that I think focus have the idea that this is something that they need to do but oftentimes, you’re seeing people you know on their website, saying something onlines of we are the best tool to do x,y, and z or we are the best company for x,y, and z.

And you and I both know there’s something a little bit different so talk about you know the problem and the solution.

John: Well thanks for having me, Tim. I’m happy to be here.

Tim: Absolutely.

John: Yeah Tim, look it’s ironic that we are all looking for solutions every day of the week for whatever challenge we have and yet a lot of us in business, in fact, most of us in business don’t use that technique in our marketing plan and all of these is simply identifying no matter what your product or your service is.

You’re basically providing a solution to somebody’s challenge or somebody’s problem. And I think probably the best way to explain this would be Nurofen and familiar with the headache type of business many many years ago on television, they would have just had the lady who was normally an older lady probably a senior.

And she would hold the box of tablets, the headache tablets up to the TV screen as if we could what they look like and she would go through all of the drugs that we’re in that tablet, she’d say that it’s got paracetamol and it’s got codeine, all these wonderful things which are features.

And of course, most of these are not least interested in features, we’ve got a headache, we want it gone in 15 minutes. Yeah put whatever you like in that tablets for that, I just want my headache gone.

And so they woke up to themselves some years ago and what they do now is that you’ll see a picture, let’s say I mean one that I’d show at my seminar is a picture of a lady or video of a lady probably bit 40s and she’s a school teacher.

And the little ratbag kids are driving her crazy by running around the school playground and she rubs her forehead and you can see she’s now looking too flushed and she then takes the tablet with a glass of water and of course you say that it’s Nurofen.

Within like 2 seconds, she’s much more attractive than she was like 2 seconds ago. She’s got blush, she’s got lipstick. Okay, she’s looking a million dollars and the kids – the kids are well behind so they [Indiscernible [0:02:56] kids and they never touched it.

So the point is, is that it’s a problem and they’re showing it very quickly how you know the tablet is the solution. In the corner of the screen, it’s got a little clock and that little clock’s ticking 15 minutes. Tick, tick, tick, tick, and within 15 minutes of course in that time laps moment, she’s looking a million dollars and her headache’s gone.

Now guess what Tim, not once did they mention codeine or paracetamol or any other substance of that tablet. All I did is showed you how they can fix your problem in 15 minutes.

Tim: Right, it was about focusing on the problem and that this product was the solution as suppose to saying, we’ve got this and that and the other thing and it does this and it can do that and this is why blah, blah, blah.

You just focus on here’s the scenario, here’s an everyday situation, here’s where you are now, here’s where you could be, here’s the solution to that problem.

John: You got it. And really, at the end of the day, it’s a matter of recognizing that all of us can [Indiscernible [0:03:52] as interested in the benefits. We’re not so interested in the features. And the features, once you’ve got us hooked and once we’re a brochure or all of that sort of stuff show we began to have a look at what sounds of that motor of that car.

But up until then, we wanna have a look at the benefits that driving a maserati will deliver us and that’s the main thing that we all should be concentrating on rather than the features.

Tim: And I suppose the question then is, is how the heck do you figure that out. I mean, is it just a matter of going well you know, this is a headache medicine so here’s a scenario that somebody could have a problem or is it more detailed than that?

John: No, just simple as that really. And in the game that you’re in, you’re not very well – the power or got a strong headline and I believe that when it comes to your website, which for all of us these days is a direct through first impressions.

I’m amazed at how many people waste that particular space above the fold which of course is the bottom of your computer screen, because they just have a picture of you know whatever their product or services or they have a motherhood picture that happens to be real estate agent.

How many times you see half a dozen real estate agent standing outside the shop with somebody taking a photo, right? [Laughs]

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And I – half the time they’re not even attractive which even further amuses me. And so therefore, I think why would you waste that? Why wouldn’t you have a problem solution headline? And for a real estate agent, it would be, would you like to sell your home within 11 days because we just did that.

Now, that’s a headline that gonna get my attention if I’m selling my home and I need the cash quickly. I’m gonna need for that travel agent that’s got a headline that says, you’ve got a problem, you wanna sell your home quickly. Well guess what? We just sold 1 in 11 days. How would you like us to do that to you?

Now, you don’t guaranteeing that you will do that for them but you do really. When I speak to real estate conventions, I say to them, what’s the first question that people ask you aside from you know how much can you get for your house?

And they say, well how quickly can you do it? And I said, okay well that’s a problem they wanna move it quickly to get the cash so tell me, have you ever sold a home in 2 weeks or 3 weeks? And they go, yeah we sold 1 in 11 days about a month ago.

I say, well there’s your headline. Your headline is, you wanna move your house fast? Guess what, we just sold 1 in 11 days. Come and talk to us if you want/like us to do that for you.

Tim: Yeah, that’s great. That’s great. So understanding – just having a basic sense, a basic understanding of what the biggest frustrations that your potential customers have, showing them that problem, putting front and center and offering the solution to that problem as suppose to offering a product for sale.

John: You got it. And Tim, on my website, it’s the typical wanky advertising website I guess in terms of me showing off about everything because some you know, people in my side of the brain, the right side of the brain tend to be boastful and show offs.

And I don’t know that we would make – I don’t think we’d make good accountants but my headline is, if your sales are flat line and you would like to stimulate them, then you’re at the right place.

And immediately if anyone’s under my website, chances are that they want to increase their sales and so that headline is gonna get them every time.

Tim: Perfect. And if somebody wants to check out more about what you have going on or maybe see if they can work with you, where can they find out more?

John: Thank you very Tim and that’s – it’s like at the end of the game show, isn’t it? Well, these prices were brought to you by…okay [Laughs] theinstituteofwow.com sounds a pretty easy one to remember so if anyone is interested in looking up what I do, it’s called theinstituteofwow.com.

Tim: I dig it. Thanks so much JD, I appreciate you being on the show.

John: My pleasure Tim. Thank you very much.

Tim: All right! The big day is here. I get to announce it! I’m so excited to announce that on January 16^th 2017, I know last week I said January 2^nd, it’s gonna be January 16^th, we will be launching all 13 episodes of the all new ConversionCast season 1. The new show will be in a season format similar to what you’d see on TV but we’re gonna launch it all at once like you’d get on Netflix. And we’re gonna walk you through the entire Conversion journey, from traffic to Leads to intermarketing to sales and post sale marketing.

Season 1 is gonna feature different members of the LeadPages team sharing their favorite tactics and case studies as they were laid to their part of the Conversion journey. All the episodes have already been recorded and I honestly couldn’t be more excited. We’ll still be focusing on data driven case studies and still boil down to what to do right now. So it’s still what you love but we’re gonna focus on the marketing tactics were using at LeadPages every single day so you get kind of inside view of the marketing that we’re doing that’s gotten us to over 40,000 paying customers and beyond.

Again, you’ll be able to binge on all 13 episodes of season 1 of the all new ConversionCast on January 16, 2017. Tell everyone you know, stay subscribed and we’ll see you in a few weeks.

Happy Holidays!

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