We got a new dishwasher the other day.
Our old one performed admirably for six and a half years. But lately, like your good-for-nothing brother-in-law, it decided it was more interested in sitting motionless in the kitchen than doing any real work.
So, after one failed fix-it attempt by our friendly appliance repairman, we decided it was best to move on.
Our new one is quite nice. Configurable racks, “whisper-quiet” washing, lots of stainless steel.
It even has – and I am not making this up – an app that goes along with it.
It’s a new world. If you need proof how much things have changed this century, picture telling your friends back in 1995 that you spent the morning, “trying to pair the new dishwasher with the phone.” I’m quite certain they would have organized an intervention on your behalf.
So I downloaded the app, gave our dishwasher a name as instructed (“Dishy McDishface”) and gained access to all sorts of initially interesting but ultimately unimportant additional options.
Things like “remote start.” You know, in case you want to fill the thing with soap and dirty dishes but wait to start it up until you land in a different time zone.
So, maybe you’re wondering, are we happy with Dishy McDishface? Very much so.
But not because of its fancy-pants add-ons. We are happy because it’s pretty darn good at doing what we bought it for: cleaning the dishes.
What Really Matters
When it comes to establishing yourself as a qualified expert, there are lots of things worth sharing in support of your wonderfulness: degrees, experience, publications, media appearances, original content, client testimonials, blah, blah, blah.
These kinds of things are certainly important – you want to give prospective clients a sense of what you know and comfort in believing you are the real deal (i.e., hiring you will not be a mistake).
But, at the end of the day (or the middle, I’m not going to tell you how to live), they are buying your ability to “clean the dishes.”
Everything else is secondary.
Nobody cares about the book you published or the beauty of your logo if you can’t solve their problem. (Nobody cares about the beauty of your logo anyway, but that’s a subject for another time.)
Marketing Starts Here
The second question I ask coaching clients – the first one being, “Where’s my check?” – is “What problem do you solve?”
It’s a simple question.
But let me tell you, asking it of your favorite solo professional invariably leads to long periods of awkward silence.
And that’s a problem.
Because while we all love and are generally pretty good at talking about ourselves, our business, our approach, and our various qualifications, prospective clients are not really paying attention until they hear you explain – simply and consistently – what your version of “clean dishes” is.
That’s what they are struggling with; that’s what prompts them to move forward and hire you.
Here’s the bottom line.
Nobody wants to hire you.
And why should they? It takes time, it costs money, it comes with a fair amount of risk.
It’s only when you communicate an ability to solve a problem they either can’t solve or don’t want to (or both), that they take that step.
So do your best to focus in on and get really, really good at talking about clean dishes.
Until then, let me know if you need your dishwasher started remotely. I’ve got the app open and ready.
Discussion Questions:
- What would you name your new dishwasher?
- Where were you living in 1995? Do you still live there?
- What problem do you solve for clients?
Share your answers below…
Well, I don’t have a new dishwasher but do have a new fridge, also a “smart” appliance. About the only useful feature of it being smart is that it will send me a message if the door is left open. Of course, it also rings an alarm on the fridge itself but I suppose you might have left the kitchen before that kicks in.
Among the useless features is the ability to change the tone of the “in person” alarm and change it to night mode… night mode means the interior light starts off dimmer than normal and ramps up over a brief time to full intensity. I guess that’s helpful if you’ve stumbled into the kitchen to get a midnight snack without turning on the room lights!
The only reason we haven’t gotten another dog is I’m afraid I’ll have to program it!
Haha — Dog programming is real but at least you don’t need an app! Common sense works wonders.
I’ve had three children but just one dog, so it never occurred to me to try common sense!
2. Seattle: W95 Tech Support, how can I help You?
3. I help get you started with email marketing. Esp environmental causes like getting rid of gas-powered leaf blowers
Tech support for windows 95 must have been fun!
What would you name your new dishwasher? I’d probably give it a normal name like “George” just so I could talk about him in public and make people raise their eyebrows who happen to overhear.
Where were you living in 1995? I was riding across the Chilean high planes desert looking for smugglers. I wasn’t trying to meet up with them for coffee or anything, just report on them for a publication.
What problem do you solve for clients? I turn complex, confusing, and techie topics into simple, clear, educational, and actionable content that your prospects connect with. This helps them to better know, like, and trust you and want to do business with you.
I bet your 1995 whereabouts led to some great stories!
Excellent point and entertainment! Thank you Steve!
1) Lavevècell – I didn’t search too far – French sound for the thing.
2) I’m not living at the same place but the lavevècell was already in its place where it is today in 1995 and still going.
3) I make French simpler to learn than English.
Those old appliances ran forever!!
What would I name my new dishwasher? Hmmm.. not sure I’d name that lol.
1995 I was living in Bloomfield CT and moved 1997
What problem do I solve for clients? Well I’ve done a newsletter for my church.I’ve never really had a client, client before, still learning how to position my self for that.
Not naming it is probaby the smartest move of all!!
lol
1. I don’t have a dishwasher — I still wash them the old fashioned way. However, I did have a standby gas generator installed and it wanted me to hook it up the Internet. I refused.
2. 1995 — Silicon Valley
3. I help clients meet their lead goals and prove it by providing a weekly conversion report (that is actually connected to the Internet, but you don’t need an app to read it).
Excellent
1) Steve. No idea why, but that was the first name that popped into my head. 😉
2) Durham, NC, then Vero Beach, FL, and no, happily not!
3) I help aviation leaders keep operations safe and successful by strengthening teams, prioritizing safety and quality in decision-making, and ensuring the right voices are heard.
I like your #3. Very clear!
I named my dishwasher “DISHWASHER.”
IN 1995, I WAS LIVING IN MY HOME AND STILL HERE.
NOT SOLVING ANYTHING YET, BUT LOOKING TO BE A COPYWRITER.
Kind of like naming your child, “child!”
Mine was simply known as a “miracle.” Read my review if you want the full story.
https://www.build.com/edgestar-6-place-setting-countertop-dishwasher-silver-dwp61es/s1172748?bvnotificationid=763a3c78-f363-11e8-8433-120d2c543aa4&bvmessagetype=REVIEW_COMMENTED&bvrecipientdomain=gmail.com#reviews
The original machine died last year, and *he* replaced it. (Different listing on that site.) But seriously. . .I don’t want “smart” stuff like that, it’s techy for the sake of being techy. I don’t want an electronic sewing machine, either–the laptop is on my desk, sewing machine on a separate table, and they don’t need to be messing around. In sewing machines as well as appliances, something digital is probably going to break and be very expensive to repair. Manual appliances do the job they were designed to do and that’s IT.
In 1995, I was learning about the new Internet for both work and school. I was a thirty-something evening college student while working a 40-hour week in an office. Busy as all get out, and I finally graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1996. WHEW! Thought I would never finish.
I only talk to one or two people I knew back then, and nobody from college, ironically. But that’s partly because I moved to Texas two years later. Wish I was still in Texas.
I solve the problem of “I don’t know what to write.” Primary clients are in the legal field, but I do some non-legal writing too.
1. I’m not clever when it comes to naming things. Our adopted dog and cats still have thei same name that was on their profile . We did get a new washing machine that has an app. I thought the “load finished” notification was helpful since I multitask, but it notified me of everyone’s load (husband and kids do their own) and so found the extra notifications annoying so I uninstalled it, lol.
2. Central Florida, moved away around 25 years ago
3. I help time-strapped entrepreneurs check off their to-do list by taking over their admin tasks and unfinished projects.
A nicely concise #3!