8. Marketing Drives Results With A Focus On Problems

Marketers used to espouse the features and benefits of offerings. However, B2B customers have learned to ignore features/benefits. In fact, your ideal client may not even realize that they could benefit from your product or service. Top performing companies focus on the problems you solve, and the anticipated results you deliver.

I have run thousands of CEOs and executives through an exercise on how they make and approve decisions. When approving purchasing decisions, executives consistently ask "What problem does this solve for us?" "Why do we need it?" and "What is the likely outcome or result if we make the investment?"

Put another way, the client might not care about your solution if they don’t realize the problem you solve for them. Companies like E Group  and Catapult New Business have seen explosive growth by focusing sharply on the challenges they help their clients overcome instead of focusing on the products and services they offer. This shifts the focus where it should be - to the customer.

Expect to see companies shift their marketing messages to the problems they solve instead of their features. Measure and be accountable for success to outpace your competition.  

Altman, I. (2018). The Top 10 Business Trends That Will Drive Success In 2018. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianaltman/2017/12/05/the-top-business-trends-that-will-drive-success-in-2018/#3038465701ad