Be the Problem, Not the Solution

👉 At the root of every customer's purchasing decision is the need to solve a problem.  Invest in the problem space.

Marketers and Product Managers both face the same challenge in their traditional roles.  The business relies on them to get inside the head of their ideal customer and produce a product and accompanying messaging that is irresistible.  But that's not often what happens.

Founders are incredibly special and talented people.  Their businesses often start as a brilliant idea to supply a product or service within a space where they have a particular expertise, or perhaps they emerge from personally observing or experiencing friction and inefficiency in a particular activity.  Excitement builds around the idea, and soon-after work begins building the solution to the problem they observed.  

In this classic Harvard Business Review article, the authors correctly point out that "we buy from a company because it delivers quality products, great value, or a compelling brand." 

• • Quality Products
  • Great Value
  • Compelling Brand

But each of these reasons to purchase are directly related to the one thing that the customer is truly trying to do:  Solve a problem.  For example, take the simple decision to buy a cold can of CocaCola on a hot summer day.  We don't choose to purchase that drink because it tastes good, is priced well, or because we saw an advertisement for it.  We want it because we are thirsty.   

We learn a new language with Duolingo because we seek intellectual fulfillment and upward mobility that unlocks opportunities and makes us happier.

We purchase household items from online marketplaces such as Amazon because we don't have enough time to visit all the brick and mortar shops needed to find the same range of products.

We buy an annual subscription to Gaia GPS because we believe it might encourage us to lose a few extra pounds by going outside and safely hiking backcountry trails more often.   

The key to finding your next customer is all about focusing on the problem, not the solution. When we start to focus on the user's needs and define the problems they are trying to solve, we intelligently empower our business with the specialized knowledge that is strategically needed to create a competitive advantage over our rivals.   When we build personas and user stories with this knowledge, we create actionable insights that can be applied everywhere.   

It is this knowledge that helps overcome any original founder's bias and find solutions that might not have otherwise emerged. Plus, it avoids getting stuck in the trap of optimizing for local maxima, and  instead focuses on finding product/market fit and what's waiting beyond.  Working in the problem space first, and then proceeding to the solution space second, drastically reduces the likelihood of launching a failed product and helps find product/market fit faster. 

Tools of the Problem & Solution Spaces

As always, using frameworks and tools when working in the problem and solution spaces is a highly effective way to do product management and marketing better.  Additionally, choosing to work with an experienced coach to guide your team through these project phases pays huge dividends in the form of risk mitigation and accelerated learning that saves time and resources over the whole product lifecycle.  

So, as you embark on your next marketing campaign or product management task, always remember to ask yourself: what problem are you trying to solve for my customer?  By keeping the focus on the user and the problem, you'll be well on your way to selling amazing products that delight your users for all the right reasons.