96. More Money? More Problems
+ writing effective emails
Hey peps,
Every week, I’ll share three short, actionable insights, tools + tactics that help me sell in the Construction and Property Services space.
Enjoy!
In today’s email:
Ideal Client Profile template
How to Craft a Problem Statement
Effective Emails for Business Comms
👇🏾 Listen: Ideal content for completing your ICP template
Ideal Client Profile Template
An Ideal Client Profile (ICP) is a clear description of the type of customer who will benefit most from what your business offers.
This template helps you define who your ideal clients are, outlining their key characteristics, challenges and current solutions. A well-crafted ICP helps to focus your marketing and sales efforts effectively, align messaging, and prioritise high-potential leads.
Use this template to clarify your target audience and drive smarter business growth.
How to Craft a Problem Statement
Prospects act on problems more than benefits, and your service has no “value” unless it’s solving a problem.
Enter the Problem Statement, a concept I stole from [Cold Calling Sucks (And That’s Why It Works)]. The basic premise is this:
Show a prospect you understand their most significant problem in excruciating detail
When engaging prospects, spend 80% of your time talking about the problem (cold calls, emails, LinkedIn).
Explain the unique solution you provide to solve that problem (aka your Value Prop).
Your Problem Statement shows you understand your prospect’s challenges. Your Value Prop explains why your solution is the right choice.
To create a Problem Statement, you need:
A persona. Who is suffering from the problem? My personas include Contracts Managers, Project Directors and Heads of Procurement.
A problem. What are their most significant problems? For my personas, they include service delivery, compliance and costs.
A setting. In what setting did the problem happen? After a site visit, a health & safety inspection or a year-end spend review.
An emotion. How would they describe the feeling? Frustrated, anxious or irritated.
Here’s an example Problem Statement:
Most Contract Managers at large Housing Associations are frustrated that they have to wait at least 5 days for a bulk waste clearance to be scheduled after a site visit due to limited availability.
Let’s break this down:
Persona: Most Contract Managers at large Housing Associations
Problem: They have to wait at least 5 days for a bulk waste clearance… due to limited availability.
Setting: To be scheduled after a site visit
Emotion: Are frustrated that
Now, position your Value Prop as the solution to the problem. Make sure it’s short, clear, memorable and distilled into one sentence.
Writing Effective Emails
The best emails are clear, concise and written with a purpose in mind.
When I write an email, I know what I want to achieve. I’m either:
Sharing information
Asking for input or action
A good email requires structure:
A clear title. What’s the purpose of the email? Is it informational, for review, action required, etc? Prime the reader about the reason for the email.
Address to whom the email is to. Is there more than one decision maker who needs to take action? If so, address it accordingly.
Add headings. Break the email into subsections: Summary, Overview, and Next Steps.
Use bullet points. Avoid long paragraphs. Write bullet points under each heading instead.
Add a call to action. What action does the reader need to take? i.e., Ask a question, Next Steps, etc.
Specify a completion date. Set deadlines for responses or calls to action.
Set a reminder. Follow up on the email one day before it’s due.
Close the loop. Inform everyone on the email about the decision(s) taken with the call to action, i.e. ”We’ve decided to do XYZ, and no further action is required, etc”.
I wrote this Medium post on writing effective emails.
Read it here for a deeper dive.
Thanks for reading!
Matt @ The Growth Lab
Forwarded this email?
Subscribe here:
Thanks for subscribing to The Growth Lab.