PRBLMS
The first time I ever heard 6LACK was on his first single “PRBLMS” about breaking free from all the drama he had with his ex-girlfriend. That year 6LACK went from sleeping on the streets to a platinum single, touring with the WEEKND and 3 Grammy nominations.
Truthfully by today’s standards we should never have even heard of 6LACK. He’s introverted and he’s low-key. The reason he’s penetrated to become so successful in such a competitive industry is because he led with his problems.
By today’s standards we should never have even heard of 6LACK.
This wasn’t accidental. His label’s A&R Executive, Justice Baiden (a Romantic Archetype himself), realized they had to create a narrative to draw in their audience. They decided to craft this narrative by putting his artist’s problems front and center.
It worked so well that by the time his first single dropped, his fans were waiting with so much anticipation, they sent his single platinum.
The same strategy goes for any business. Your audience needs to know who you are by clearly understanding what problems you can help them with.
You don’t call a plumber unless there’s a problem with your sink. You don’t find a nutritionist unless you have a problem with your health. You don’t buy a new skin cream unless you have a problem with your skin.
People without problems don’t need you. They don’t need your solution.
So as a business owner we need to get into the business of understanding problems. This means understanding how your customers think about their problems, how they talk about their problems and how they go about solving their problems.
I know, we all have enough problems in our life and really aren’t trying to hear any more from our customers.
But if we take the time to reflect on their issues and begin to clearly articulate what problems we help with in ways that resonate with our customers, even if we’re introverted and low-key, people will seek you out for help.
So today take the time to listen … I mean really listen to your audience – problems, drama and all. It can mean the difference between being just another business and truly standing out from the crowd.
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