What problem are we trying to solve?
I’m a damn broken record when I meet with existing and prospective clients. I harp on the notion that we must get clear on the challenge before we start solving problems.
Are we trying to fix something broken? How do we know that? How would it look if we fixed it? Who can best help us improve it?
The problem statement helps a team be confident it solves the right problem.
What is a problem statement?
A problem statement is a succinct description of an issue to address or improve. It crystallizes the gap between a current state and a future state.
When teams work on a project, starting with a well-crafted problem statement, it helps everyone get on the same page with the challenge—often, using the Five Whys (who, what, where, when, and why) can be helpful too. The key to this can be identifying the problem and who can best solve the challenge at hand.
A well-drafted problem statement helps internally communicate what you are working on and gain buy-in or resources for a team. The information in a problem statement helps a team diagnose the root cause of an issue.
Don’t Start with A Solution
A common mistake is, to begin with, solutions – we need better SEO, increased outbound marketing, improved packaging, or a new website.
But jumping to tactics can make things worse because you can start solving the wrong problem.
A client from two years ago approached me with a problem. He wasn’t generating quality leads, so he blamed the poor-quality email graphics and thought he should redesign his website. He blamed Phil – the graphics guy who worked in-house.
I didn’t buy into his thesis. And Phil was doing what the boss told him to do.
Over time, I convinced him that the real problem wasn’t the graphics or Phil but the message.
He communicated features and didn’t tell prospects what problem he could help them solve.
We developed a problem statement that said, “how could we go from converting 1% of our leads to our website to 4% within six months, and who can help”
The problem statement was SMART. Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely.
By the way – we hit the goal in 4 months.
What the WiFi?
For months, I was frustrated by the lack of bandwidth in my dining room, where I am frequently on Zoom calls.
I bought an extender, but that didn’t fix the problem.
I moved the extender closer to where I work, which didn’t solve the problem.
Eventually, I called my Internet provider, and they told me I was on an old plan with a low level of bandwidth.
The technician on the phone suggested a mesh extender – I had a range problem not a signal problem. So I spent (wasted) another hour on Amazon looking at mesh extenders. I almost bought something but decided I was ill-equipped to know if this was in fact the problem.
So the service provider upgraded me to a higher level and showed me how to test my in-home speed. He said that should fix it. Guess what. It didn’t work.
Click here if you didn’t know you could easily test your WiFi bandwidth like me. That was helpful to know but still, slow WiFi.
I set up an appointment to send out a technician to the Internet provider. The techs have field experience and years of expertise in solving these types of problems. He has the equipment to check things that can’t be done remotely.
He spent an hour checking connections, testing the signal, etc.
Eventually, Ricardo said, your problem is that your router needed to get a “cold” factory reboot. He said, “I see this all the time.”
He reset it, and I now have ten times the speed – and my Zoom calls work fine.
In hindsight, I realize I was ill-equipped to diagnose the problem. I didn’t have the knowledge or tools. Yet, I wasted time and money pretending I could figure it out.
The problem statement I should have asked was who could solve my bad WiFi because of their knowledge and experience.
Instead, I was trying to solve a problem that I wasn’t ever going to solve alone. I was fixing the wrong problem because I didn’t start by defining the issue clearly.
Better Call Ricardo or Einstein
Einstein famously said that if I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 50 minutes thinking about it and 10 minutes fixing it. That’s just what Ricardo did too.
Smart guys.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
Photo by Karla Hernandez on Unsplash
