Let’s look at the overlooked lever that sets us apart. I think it comes as no surprise to you and me that there is so much power in simplicity. And as we live in a world that's jam-packed with marketing and sales messages, this simplicity idea can work for us by doing less, but doing it really well.

Why Simplicity Wins in a Noisy World

I'd like to share with you an idea that really has the potential to lift our positioning, simplify our messages, and when we apply it, can significantly increase our income.

Introducing the One Problem Strategy

Here's what this is all about. It's all about the one problem strategy.

The idea is straightforward. Rather than trying to solve everything for everyone, we solve one meaningful problem for a specific someone. One pressing issue. One persistent pain.

Becoming Known for One Thing

And when we do it right, clients start referring to us as the person who can help with that problem.

You and I both know consultants, coaches, accountants, small business owners — people like me and you — often wear too many hats. And the temptation is to list every service we offer, every solution.

Why Doing Everything Makes Us Memorable for Nothing

But here's the rub. When we try to cover everything, we become memorable for nothing.

Focusing on a single pain point changes this completely. It sharpens our positioning. It makes our marketing feel more precise. And it helps us turn confused prospects into confident buyers.

Why This Approach Works

Because they immediately see that we get it. And more than that, that we can actually help them — and their connections.

The Question That Changes Everything

So let’s look at how we can put this to work.

I’ve found the way to do this is to ask myself a question — and I’m suggesting you do the same.

What’s the main problem I solve for my clients?

Sometimes I’ll go one step further:

What’s the biggest client problem I solve?

(That’s probably a topic for another day.)

Stop Leading With Services — Start Leading With Pain

We often don’t think about this first. Instead of thinking about problems, we think about the names or titles of our services, tools, or systems.

What if we focused instead on leading our marketing messages with the pain we resolve?

Finding the Real Pain Your Clients Care About

And how do we find that pain?

The best place is to look at the successes our past and current clients have had because of what we’ve done for them.

Ask yourself:

• What were they struggling with before they came to me?

• What did they say after I’d done the work?

• What result did they value most?

Urgent Problems vs. Minor Inconveniences

Then we go a level deeper.

Was the issue urgent — or just an inconvenience?

The most powerful problems to solve are the ones that keep clients up at night. The ones they’re frustrated by. The ones they’ll happily pay to have resolved.

Aligning the Problem With What You Do Best

Now when we combine that insight with what we do well, and what we love doing, and we find that despite its difficulty, it feels easy because it’s who we are, then we’re aiming our marketing in exactly the right place.

The Simple Formula That Clarifies Everything

It’s a simple formula:

Audience + Problem + Desired Result

For example:

I help business consultants who struggle to get enough qualified leads into the top of their marketing funnel, and I help them create an on-off tap that brings who they want, when they want.

That clearly says:

• Who it’s for

• What the problem is

• What result they get

How This Links to Your Strapline

This is very similar to the formula I use when creating straplines — for clients and for myself.

A strapline can:

• Say who we are

• Say what we do

• Say the results our clients get

• Or combine all three

Exactly the same structure.

Building Your Offer Around One Problem

My suggestion is that we build our entire offer around one problem, one step at a time.

That doesn’t mean we can’t solve other problems. But we focus on one first. Once the marketing is working, we can move on to the next.

Designing Offers That Reflect Outcomes

We can:

• Rename our offers to reflect outcomes

• Create a results roadmap — three, four, or five clear steps

• Create urgency by explaining what clients lose by waiting

Why Loss Creates Action

When people understand what they might lose — and continue to lose — it becomes easier to take action.

After all:

• Away motivation triggers action

• Towards motivation sustains it

We’re not adding pressure. We’re adding clarity.

Clarity Removes Resistance

As you’ve heard me say many times before, from Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath — resistance is created through a lack of clarity.

The Hidden Content Advantage of One Problem

There’s also a huge bonus when we focus on one problem: content becomes easy.

Avoid-these-mistakes content
Checklists
Quick fixes
Client stories

All tied back to the same core issue.

Examples of Problem-Focused Content

• “The 10 fixes to increase qualified leads you can do today”

• A client story: how someone went from no leads to a self-controlled marketing tap

• Bite-sized tips

• Myth busting

• Lessons learned

Each piece reinforces our positioning.

Creating a Clear Message Sequence

We define the problem in simple language.
We share our process.
We add stories and testimonials.
We invite people to take the next logical step.

Naming Your Offer for Maximum Impact

Every system, process, or product needs a strong title — one that names the issue and promises transformation.

I use a simple three-part formula:
Person + Problem + Promise

For example:

Consultants Stop the Leak
How consultants lose clients — and how to fix it.

The Benefits of the One Problem Strategy

The benefits are powerful:

• People pay more because we’re specialists

• Trust is built faster

• Referrals become easy

“You should speak to Peter about writing your business book — that’s exactly what he does.”

Confidence Converts

All of this works not because we add more, but because we focus more.

Clarity creates confidence.
Confidence converts.

And when clients trust us, something interesting happens — they become more confident in themselves.

A virtuous circle.

One Audience. One Problem. One Outcome.

Solve one problem better than anyone else, and you don’t need to chase business.

With the right marketing, business comes to you.

I wish you every success in all your adventures in life, and I hope there are many to be had.

 

Peter

Peter Thomson

‘The UK’s Most Prolific Business Development Author’  

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