This is the third in a series of short inspirations to help tech-entrepreneurs weather the uncertain times and come out stronger as a consequence. 

Being sniper-focused on who you are ideally for (now) and understanding how and where you can make the most significant impact so you can position with precision are two massive steps in the right direction to grow your business in uncertain times. But everything falls flat if you’re unable to reach our ideal audience.

Our ability to grow is, possibly more than ever, dependent on hitting the right nerve. Making people stop, think, and act. 

What complicates things is: “The filter.” Just reflect on what’s happening right now. We’re heads down, aiming to deliver our best work possible to somehow avoid our nightmare doom scenarios. That’s the same for our customers. And as a consequence, more than ever before, they (as much as we) pull up massive filters to stop the noise – being sick & tired of all the overflow of ‘C-word’ posts.

So, the question is: How do you cut through the noise and break the filters?

In my book The Remarkable Effect, I’ve devoted various chapters on this topic, but in a nutshell, it’s about three things:

1) Your ability to be different – not better

Possibly the best thing to be different in this situation is to avoid the ‘C-word’ and hit straight for the top priorities on the agenda of your ideal customer. Part 1 and part 2 of this blog series lay the groundwork for this. 

2) Your ability to be crystal clear (concrete) – so nothing gets lost in translation

Hit the problem straight on. Remember, 99,9% is noise today. So, if you’re not crystal clear, you’ll add to the noise. Noise is the enemy. The more concrete you are, the higher the chance your ideal customer will think: ‘They get me.’ That creates trust, and that removes barriers. To achieve this – keep challenging your argument with the simple question: ‘To do what?’ or ‘So what?’

3) Your ability to create a sense of urgency i.e., tension

Without tension, no action. With the work done in parts 1 and 2 of this series, you’ll know what the burning topics are. But knowing it doesn’t mean your ideal customers will ‘bite.’ For that, they need to feel a sense of urgency. For that you need to create positive tension. Try this:

• Communicate the transformation i.e., the shift from ‘what is…’ to ‘what can be…’. Just see what happens if you start with ‘Imagine…’ or ‘What if…’ 
• Trigger their emotions: How do they feel? How do they want to feel? What do they believe? What do they care about? Remember: Most decisions are not taken with the head, but with the heart. Especially today.
• Make them the hero – so that means you should be the guide. Remember – it’s about them, not you. Forget about how great your company is. Aim to make your customer great.

As Bernadette Jiwa recently said: What if you’d remove the word ‘Marketing’ from your vocabulary and replace it with ‘a helpful conversation.’ If you do that, you’re already miles ahead of anybody else – doing the opposite of the norm. That’s what was always needed, but now even more.