What Problem Does Your Online Business Solve

The title of this article is the question you must ask if you are going to be successful selling online or offline. You must be able to tell your customer what problem will be solved by them doing business with you. If you can’t anser that question then you are going to fail at marketing your business.

The only reason people buy things is to solve a problem they have. Of course they will buy food because they are hungry. They buy clothes because it is illegal to be naked in public and maybe they are modest. They buy stereos because they are bored and want to fill up their time with music.

Every purchase is made because the customer desires to rid themselves of some problem. Even luxury items solve a problem. No one needs to drive a Mercedes or a Porsche, a Ford or Chevy will get you around just as well. But buying a luxury car solves a problem, the person has a need to flaunt his or her wealth. The problem is how does the executive show his neighbors how much money he makes? The answer, buy items most people can’t afford.

If you want to be successful at selling anything you must understand what problem the product or service solves and then you need to determine a way to convince your customer you have the answer. There are two ways to approach this.

The most effective is to spot a problem, develop a solution, and then market that solution to the people with the need. If you really fulfill the wishes of the public you can’t help but be successful as long as you market that solution so people know you exist. The old saying, “make a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door,” is wrong. It should read, “'market' a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door.”

The history books are full of people who had the idea. They could solve the problem. But they didn’t understand how to let the public know of the solution. When the inventor couldn’t sell the product, he sold the idea to a marketing man who could explain the solution to his customers. The marketer was the one who understood that advertising the solution is just as important as developing the product. and he's the one who gained all the riches.

But what if you already have a product? How do you offer it as a solution? Easy, find a problem it solves. If you can’t find any problems it solves go back and ask the person who invented or developed the product why they made it. What was the drive the person felt to spur them on to creating this product? Find out what problem the person was trying to solve.

People make things to solve a problem just like they buy things to solve a problem. If the product doesn’t address the original problem then you must determine if there are any associated problems it can solve. If not, the only advice is drop what you are doing and find or develop a product that will deliver a solution. Otherwise you are wasting your time.

Oh sure, you can sell a few of anything if you are slick enough and can lie well enough, but you won’t be able to build a successful long term business. Tricking people into buying gets old really fast as they learn you don't solve their problems.