Podcast Summary: "How Do I Market and Position My Work So That People Actually Want It? Help!"

Episode Details:

• Podcast Title: Help Wanted
• Host: Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, and Nicole Lapin, Money Expert
• Guest: Rochelle Devoe, Marketing and Positioning Expert
• Release Date: January 21, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of Help Wanted, hosts Jason Feifer and Nicole Lapin tackle a common yet challenging issue faced by entrepreneurs: effectively marketing and positioning their work to attract genuine interest and clients. The episode features Lisa Petcher Reid, an information scientist struggling to articulate her services in a marketable way, and Rochelle Devoe, a seasoned marketing expert, who provides actionable strategies to overcome these hurdles.

Presenting the Challenge

Lisa Petcher Reid's Struggle: Lisa Petcher Reid, an information scientist, reached out to the show with a problem many entrepreneurs face: despite offering valuable services, she couldn't effectively communicate her offerings to potential clients. Her expertise lies in retraining the human brain and nervous system, encompassing areas like AI training, psychology, neuroscience, and conscious parenting. However, translating this complex expertise into clear, marketable language proved difficult.

• Notable Quote:

  [03:40] Lisa Petcher Reid: "My language... doesn't connect with anyone. I started helping people for free, but I couldn't figure out how to be succinct and marketable."

Key Issues Identified:

1. Complex Language: Terms like "reparenting" and "rewiring the brain" sounded too abstract and inaccessible to her target audience.
2. Broad Scope: Lisa's solutions were broad, making it hard to define a specific niche without limiting her potential client base.
3. Marketing Disconnect: Successful ads were too specific, while her landing pages remained too general, causing a disconnect that hindered conversions.

Expert Insights on Marketing and Positioning

Introducing Rochelle Devoe: Rochelle Devoe joins the conversation as a marketing and positioning expert. She introduces the "Jobs to Be Done" (JTBD) theory, originally developed by Clayton Christensen, which centers on understanding the fundamental "job" a customer hires a product or service to perform.

• Notable Quote:

  [08:20] Rochelle Devoe: "The thing that people are actually trying to buy is a hole or something to be able to screw something with. That's the job that people are hiring the drill to do."

Applying JTBD to Lisa's Situation: Rochelle explains that while Lisa's ads might highlight specific problems (e.g., a drinking problem linked to childhood trauma), her landing pages delve into broader solutions (e.g., inner child healing). This inconsistency can confuse potential clients who don't immediately see the connection between their specific issue and Lisa's broad solution.

Identifying Your Audience and Ideal Clients

Defining the Ideal Client: Through deeper conversations, Lisa identifies her ideal clients as "cycle breakers"—parents or individuals aspiring to become parents who are determined to prevent passing down trauma to their children. This precise targeting clarifies her market segment and aligns her services with a specific, motivated audience.

• Notable Quote:

  [27:46] Lisa Petcher Reid: "It's either parents or people who want to be parents. They want to have kids, but they're afraid of passing down their trauma to kids. So it's essentially cycle breakers..."

Characteristics of Ideal Clients:

1. Willingness to Pay: These clients recognize the value of breaking harmful cycles and are ready to invest in the necessary work.
2. Clear Outcomes: They seek specific transformations, such as not passing trauma to their children, which provides a tangible goal for Lisa's services.

Refining Your Marketing Message

Functional, Social, and Emotional Outcomes: Rochelle emphasizes the importance of addressing three types of outcomes in marketing:

1. Functional Outcomes: Tangible, measurable results (e.g., better control over reactions, improved relationships).
2. Social Outcomes: How clients perceive themselves or are perceived by others (e.g., enjoying more quality time with a partner).
3. Emotional Outcomes: Internal feelings and states (e.g., inner peace, reduced stress).

• Notable Quote:

  [25:35] Rochelle Devoe: "Functional outcomes are the outcomes that you can see on paper... The social outcomes might be some of the things you're mentioning... And then the emotional one, I'm hearing a lot of that already supported in what you're offering."

Transitioning from Abstract to Concrete: By focusing on specific client transformations—like "breaking a cycle of trauma"—Lisa can create more compelling and relatable marketing messages. This clarity helps potential clients immediately understand the value and relevance of her services.

• Notable Quote:

  [28:35] Rochelle Devoe: "That’s very clear before and after. If you’re able to live up to that promise, I’m sure that’s a very, very marketable business."

Testing and Validating Your Marketing Approach

Exploratory Conversations: Rochelle advises conducting in-depth, open-ended conversations with existing or potential clients to uncover the true triggers and decision-making processes behind their need for services like Lisa's. This approach helps in understanding the precise language and motivations that resonate with the target audience.

• Notable Quote:

  [30:59] Rochelle Devoe: "What was the very first thought you had when you started thinking about this problem?... That will give you all of the problems, all of the triggers."

Fit Calls: Once a promising marketing message is crafted, "fit calls" help validate whether the new messaging effectively communicates the value proposition. These calls gauge the emotional temperature of potential clients and assess the likelihood of conversion.

• Notable Quote:

  [37:00] Rochelle Devoe: "A fit call is the one where you’re trying to understand is the thing that I have to offer, something people are willing and able to pay for."

Iterative Refinement: Through continuous dialogue and feedback, Lisa can refine her sales process and marketing content to ensure consistency and high conversion rates. Rochelle recommends creating valuable content that addresses the questions and concerns uncovered during customer research, thereby attracting the right audience into the sales funnel.

• Notable Quote:

  [40:53] Rochelle Devoe: "Create valuable content that is going to bring people into that system... when you have a repeatable equation, you can start looking at how do I build content..."

Conclusion

The episode provides a comprehensive roadmap for entrepreneurs struggling with marketing and positioning their services. By applying the "Jobs to Be Done" theory, identifying clear and specific ideal clients, and conducting targeted conversations to refine marketing messages, Lisa Petcher Reid gains clarity on how to effectively market her unique offerings. Rochelle Devoe's expert insights offer invaluable strategies that can be replicated by other entrepreneurs facing similar challenges.

Final Takeaway: Effective marketing hinges on understanding your audience's specific needs and articulating how your services fulfill those needs in a clear, relatable manner. By focusing on precise client transformations and continuously refining your approach based on real customer feedback, you can position your work in a way that genuinely attracts and resonates with your target audience.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• [03:40] Lisa Petcher Reid: "My language... doesn't connect with anyone. I started helping people for free, but I couldn't figure out how to be succinct and marketable."
• [08:20] Rochelle Devoe: "The thing that people are actually trying to buy is a hole or something to be able to screw something with. That's the job that people are hiring the drill to do."
• [25:35] Rochelle Devoe: "Functional outcomes are the outcomes that you can see on paper... The social outcomes might be some of the things you're mentioning... And then the emotional one, I'm hearing a lot of that already supported in what you're offering."
• [27:46] Lisa Petcher Reid: "It's either parents or people who want to be parents. They want to have kids, but they're afraid of passing down their trauma to kids. So it's essentially cycle breakers..."
• [28:35] Rochelle Devoe: "That’s very clear before and after. If you’re able to live up to that promise, I’m sure that’s a very, very marketable business."
• [30:59] Rochelle Devoe: "What was the very first thought you had when you started thinking about this problem?... That will give you all of the problems, all of the triggers."
• [37:00] Rochelle Devoe: "A fit call is the one where you’re trying to understand is the thing that I have to offer, something people are willing and able to pay for."
• [40:53] Rochelle Devoe: "Create valuable content that is going to bring people into that system... when you have a repeatable equation, you can start looking at how do I build content..."

This episode serves as a vital resource for entrepreneurs seeking to enhance their marketing strategies, offering clear, actionable advice backed by expert knowledge and real-world application.