We think of children as having a lot to learn. So it might surprise you that forgetting some of what you know and thinking like a 6-year-old can be the key to helping you get more customers.
What do I mean by this? When someone asks what you do, how do you answer? Do you give them a long technical description of your job or do you answer from the perspective of a 6-year-old?
Whether you’re a business owner or an employee, your skills and talents are used to solve problems for other people.
It’s easy to think describing the problems you solve needs to be grandiose and complex. Maybe you want to use lots of words and fancy acronyms to show how capable you are.
But that can backfire. You can get so far into the details that you lose people. They can tell you’re smart and qualified, but they can’t tell if you can solve their problem.
It’s not that they aren’t smart enough to understand what you’re saying – they just don’t have time to take it in. That’s where the wisdom of a 6-year-old becomes the key to helping you get more customers.
If you want help getting more customers, you need to step back and look at how you describe what you do. Your description should be simple and easy to understand. How would a 6-year-old describe the work you do?
Since your goal as a business is to solve problems for people, the first problem you need to solve is easily explaining what you do so you can quickly get to the part where you start helping them. This is the key to helping you get more customers.
Here are a few examples of how a 6-year-old might describe some businesses:
- Optometrist – Helps you see better.
- Auto Dealership – Helps you reach your destination on your own.
- Financial Advisor – Helps you feel secure about your future.
- Travel Agent – Helps you find a place to relax and have fun.
Don’t get me wrong – these are all complex roles. There are lots of technical details that go into being successful in any of these professions. This isn’t about “dumbing down” what you do.
It’s about making it simple for others to understand what you do. And some would say no one does this better and gets straight to the point, better than a 6-year-old.
Here’s why it matters to potential customers:
If you can explain your work as a 6-year-old would, then you create a great starting point. Potential customers will have an easier time discerning if you can help them or not. Once you’ve caught someone’s attention, then you can tell them how you’re uniquely positioned to solve their problems. This is when you set yourself apart from your competition.
Too often people make the mistake of trying to combine telling people what they do and how they differ from their competition in the same sentence. Break it up. Let people know what problems you solve first. If they’re interested, then tell them why you’re different. This is valuing both their time and yours and is the key to helping you get more customers.
Getting to the core of what you do is also important for your team. Simple statements become points of alignment. The work every employee in your company does is aligned with the overarching problem you solve. These types of statements seem simple but they help your team see their work in a clearer light.
It helps them see the difference they make in the business and makes them better and more motivated at doing their jobs, which is crucial to helping you get more customers.
What is the simplest way to describe the problems you solve for others? And how might simplifying things be the key to finding more customers?