Posted by I recently attended a keynote speech by Kevin Harrington. It was a presentation designed to inspire business owners and entrepreneurs. I found his speech inspiring, and my biggest take-away from his presentation is that I need to answer the following question for my business: What problem do you solve?
This is a key question that every business needs to answer. This question can also apply to job seekers who are trying to convince a potential employer to hire them. If you can identify a potential client’s (or employer’s) problem, and then clearly explain how you can provide a solution to that problem, you will stand out as a better candidate than someone who cannot answer the question of what problem do you solve. In the job seeker case, this is a great answer to the question of “Why should I hire you”? When you can answer that question by showing how you can solve a problem for your potential employer, it increases your chances of being hired.
Take my company as an example: Kalculated Decisions. I offer software development solutions to my clients. They hire me to develop software for them. The biggest problem that I solve for my current client is to troubleshoot issues in their current software, to identify the causes of those issues, and to then fix those issues and release new versions of their software so that they can then pass on that software to their own clients. If someone was to ask: “What problem doe Kalculated Decisions solve?”, my answer would be that Kalculated Decisions provides software maintenance and troubleshooting so that you can have defect free software that meets the needs of your clients.
Once you have identified the problem you solve, it is important to show your potential clients how you can solve that problem for them. However, you shouldn’t start by offering your solution to your clients. Instead, you should start by learning from what their problem is, and only then to share how you can solve it. As author Stephen Covey says: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
When you approach a potential client, or a potential employer, start by learning what problem they are trying to solve. Take the example of applying for a new job. Your potential employer has a need to hire someone, and that person will be hired so solve a problem that company is facing. Instead of starting with a list of your skills and accomplishments, start by asking questions to learn what problem the company is hiring you to solve.
Let them do the talking and think carefully how you can solve their problem. Ask questions to help you better understand their problem. Once you clearly understand the problem you would be hired to solve, then you can explain how you can solve that problem. This is when you can share examples of your past accomplishments that show how you solved that problem for other people, and it is also when you can explain how you can leverage your skills to solve their problem.
Another example of where I can ask “What problem do you solve?” is in response to this blog article. In other words, what problem did I want to solve by writing this article?
The reason I wrote this article is that I want to inspire business owners, entrepreneurs, and job seekers with the message that they can market themselves better by answering the question “What problem do you solve?”. When you can clearly answer this question and articulate the problem that you solve, you will have a much better answer that appeals to potential clients or employers when it comes time for them to decide if they want to work with you. I also want my readers to understand the importance of first learning what a potential client’s problem is, and only then sharing how they can solve that problem.
I am not an expert at answering this question for my own company. It takes time and careful thought to properly answer this question. I urge you to take the time to sit down and think through the answer to the question “What problem do you solve?” It will give you a powerful message to share with your potential employer or your potential clients. It can also be a source of marketing ideas to help you advertise what problem you solve.
When you advertise the problem that you solve, and show how you solve it, people that are looking for solutions to that problem will be more likely to do business with you. If you cannot articulate what problem you solve, then potential clients won’t understand why they should work with you and they will be less likely to do business with you.
My challenge to you is to clearly answer the question “What problem do you solve” and to seek first to understand your potential client’s problem, and to only then show them how you can solve the problems they are facing.