The 30-30-30 Method (for more business)

A few weeks ago, I Tweeted about something I call the “30-30-30 Method” for building a better business.

People loved the simplicity and flexibility of it. So I figure you might like to learn this too.

So what is the 30-30-30 Method?

It’s a simple framework to make sure you’re always working 3 specific levers that will move any solopreneur’s business onward and upward.

Let’s break them down.

Lever #1: Spend 30 minutes a week talking to your ideal customers about their problems.

Customer conversations are the biggest opportunity for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. And most business owners miss this gold mine altogether.  

It’s so easy to create content, products, and services based on what we think customers want instead of what they actually want. And that’s a recipe for a struggling business.

Instead of working on something you think your customers will want, spend (at least) 30 minutes a week talking to them and learning about the problems they’re facing. Those problems form the foundation for your products and services.

If you don't know how to ask your customers questions, try this.

Listen for a Level 1 (L1) problem, which is usually just a surface-level problem without much depth.

L1 Problem: Surface Level Pain (this is what you get from most customers)

Example: “Facebook Ads aren’t working for my business anymore.”

You can start your level 1 inquiry with questions like:

• Tell me more.
• Why has that become a challenge?
• Tell me about an example.

Diving into a level 1 complaint will lead to more valuable information.

Deeper levels of the problem.

L2: Historical Pain (try to figure out what they’ve done to solve)

• What have you done in the past to try to solve that?
• How did those things work?
• Why do you think they didn’t work?
  

L3: Financial Pain (What is the problem costing them?)

• If I can make this problem go away, how would that impact the health of your business?
  

L4: Personal Pain (Why do they personally care?)

• And finding a solution for all of this...How high of a priority is this for you?
• Why so high?

Lever #2: Spend 30 minutes a day figuring out how to solve the problems your target customers tell you about.

If you can get answers to the questions above, you have a treasure trove of information to work with.

You now have a special opportunity to figure out how to solve the problem. But more importantly, you have the monetary and personal drivers behind the solution.

Those are 100x more important!

People will walk toward a solution but run away from pain.

And guess what? Financial and personal pain are two of the biggest drivers of change.

Lever #3: Spend 30 minutes a day writing content about the problems your target customers tell you about.

With the pain points in mind, write content that speaks to other people who have the exact same problem (and likely the same pain).

Use a content operating system to draft up a pillar piece of content (such as a newsletter) and then quickly apply 5-7 different lenses to turn that into smaller, relevant social media posts. This system will help you create both attention and deeper trust with your target customer.

Leverage the power of platforms like LinkedIn and create and share meaningful content.

But instead of focusing on the surface-level problems, make sure to underscore the monetary and personal pain you learned about. This will help attract other prospects who are in the same boat.

Content like that resonates because the prospective customer feels like you know their pain inside and out.

Why?

Because you ran the 30-30-30 Method.

And started talking to customers.

That’s all for today.

See you next week.