The Secret to Success that most Entrepreneurs Overlook

When it comes to starting and running businesses, people focus on big ideas, new technology and viral marketing trends. All of this can help a business make money, but it won’t create long term success. Not unless you know the secret.

Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs don’t. It’s simple — in fact, it’s so simple that most people overlook it.

You don’t have to make that mistake though because I’m going to tell you the secret to success that most entrepreneurs overlook.

It’s solving problems.

Solving problems is the number one factor in success

50% of new businesses fail in the first five years — 50% of entrepreneurs don’t stay in business longer than that. Often they have a great idea, their marketing works well and they have the money to stay afloat for awhile. Their only fault?

Either they didn’t solve enough problems, or they didn’t solve the right ones.

Think about this — every product or service you purchase solves a problem for you. Whether it’s a quick meal, weekly physical training or a new computer, you don’t pay for it simply because it’s available. You make the purchase because it solves a problem.

No matter what product or service you have to offer, consumers only want to buy one thing — solutions to problems.

Does your product or service solve a problem?

We’ve all seen infomercials or walked through the “as seen on TV” aisle at a store and thought, “who needs this stuff?”

And while these products may not be an absolute necessity for anyone, they must solve a perceived problem — if not, nobody would buy them.

So think about your product or service. What problem does it solve?

There are lots of problems to solve

Keep in mind, we’re using the term problem loosely. Not every problem is of huge significance, but that doesn’t mean that consumers don’t want to find a solution to these small problems.

For example, people wanted to read more, but had trouble finding the time in their busy day. That’s a problem. The solution? Audiobooks.

Or think about people who want to eat less fast food, but don’t have the time to find great recipes or go shopping for the right ingredients. That’s a problem. The solution? Meal kits delivered by mail.

Even boredom is a problem. That’s why new board games, movies and smartphone apps come onto the market every day.

So don’t think that you have to solve all the world’s monumental problems — we all need solutions to small problems too, and you can become successful if you do a great job providing these solutions.

Put your solutions on display

So you’ve got a great product or service, and it solves problems. Now you just need to show potential customers what you can do for them.

A lot of businesses rely solely on advertising, and while that can help spread the word about your offerings, we’ve found that the best way to show people that you can solve problems is by solving problems.

You may have done a double take there, but it isn’t a typo — the best way to show that you’re a problem solver is by solving problems. We’ve found that the simplest way to do this is with weekly content, blog posts or even free ebooks. When you offer these, solving problems at no cost, you’ll convert readers to customers.

Not sure if you have the time to create problem-solving content for potential customers? Let Copywriter Today do it for you. Schedule a free call today, and we’ll have one of our professional writers create a free 400 word article for you, to your specifications.

Invest in your customers

Whenever we talk about solving problems for free, whether in weekly blog posts or e-books, inevitably we have people worried that they’ll lose business. “Couldn’t we charge for those solutions?” they ask.

The answer is almost always yes. Businesses could charge money for a lot of the free solutions they offer.

But it isn’t a sound investment. Think about it like this — would you rather have a customer who buys a $7 ebook from you once, or a customer who has used your free solutions and understands that you solve problems, so they invest in a $100 product or service, or a $49 monthly subscription fee?

Don’t worry about losing business when you solve problems without charging for it. You’re investing in potential customers, and when you do that, they will invest in you.

Will everyone who reads your blog or downloads your ebook become a paying customer? Of course not, but by creating and sharing your content free of charge, you will absolutely reach more people who will become loyal, paying customers.

How to find the right problems to solve

Obviously your business operates to solve certain problems in exchange for money, so you don’t want to give every solution away for free. Likewise, you don’t want to create content that solves problems completely unrelated to your business. Instead, look for opportunities related to the products and services that you offer.

An excellent example is the autoparts company 1A Auto. At the most basic level, they distribute auto parts to individuals who want to do repair jobs themselves, and make it easy to find the needed parts for a particular vehicle. However, they also post free how-to videos, explaining the steps of repairs to viewers new to working on vehicles.

Does everyone who watches one of the how-to videos buy parts from 1A Auto? Probably not. But out of those who view the videos, many will be inclined to become paying customers, partly because the business has already shown how helpful they are.

You may not sell auto parts, but undoubtedly there’s a world of opportunity to help your target customers fix something themselves or try something new. Likewise, you don’t have to buy video cameras and start shooting how-to videos. Publishing a weekly blog post with helpful advice and money-saving tips can be just as powerful when it comes to solving problems for your customers.

Don’t feel overwhelmed

Lots of entrepreneurs and business owners feel overwhelmed by the prospect of adding the task of creating content to their busy schedule. Even when they understand the value of solving problems with blog posts or ebooks, they don’t always have the time, energy or writing skills to make it happen.

That’s where we come in. At Copywriter Today, we have a skilled team of professional writers, with experience developing copy in a number of different industries. We understand that you probably have specific needs and exacting standards for any content you publish, and that’s why we want to write a free 400 word article for you, so that you can see exactly what we can do. It all starts by scheduling a free call so that you can tell us exactly what you need.

Ready to start solving problems and converting readers to customers? Schedule your call today to claim your free 400 word article from Copywriter Today.