The 10 Ps of Problem Based Marketing

There are ten key elements to Problem Based Marketing. These elements are essential to understand, because they are the building blocks for your marketing plan. In this session, we will review the ten elements to make sure they are clear and then perform an assessment on your current status as a problem based marketer. This assessment will help you prioritize your action plan.

The first P is for Purpose. Without purpose, you are lost. Your purpose establishes your vision for what you plan to build. It embodies the values you hold most dear. It provides focus and clarity through good times and bad. Take the time to define your purpose. It will make your efforts feel much more worthwhile. Establishing your vision and values for your business will give you a set of goals to measure everything you do.

The Problem is what you solve.  It’s magnitude defines the value you can create.  It is the hinge point for all of what comes next, becoming overriding focus of all the other marketing P’s.

Positioning helps you frame the problem statement and how you fit in. Positioning is the way in which you describe who you work with and what problem you help them with. It defines your core marketing message, your uniqueness, and the benefits your solution provides

Process is next. Your Process defines how you will market. It gives you the model for moving from having an idea about making someone a customer, through the concrete steps that you will take them through in order to turn them into a customer.

Products are your solutions. Note that I say solutions, not solution. You need to break down your offering into discrete products. You need products that don’t need your involvement beyond their development, you need a 1 hour product, you need an introductory product that is not too hard to buy, and you need are range of offerings provide complete solutions.

Packaging turns your message into an attractive story that others can hear and understand. If you’ve done the first five P’s well then this is much easier. If you’re having a hard time with packing it’s likely that you haven’t got the first five P’s nailed down right.

Promotion is all about spreading the story.  If you have a good story people will want to listen, if you don’t have an interesting story then it will take much more time, money and effort to become known.

Persuasion is the new form of selling.  It is about persuading someone that they can buy your product safely.  That you product is the one that fits best.  It will be easy if you are genuine and darn near impossible if your not.

Pricing is about taking the risk out of purchase for the customer and making sure that you get paid for the value you deliver.  That may seem like a difficult thing to accomplish, but if your solution really works then it should not be a problem, just give your customer a guarantee they can’t refuse coupled with upside for performance.

Performance is where you get to prove your stuff, and provides the foundation of credibility for everything you say, write and do.  If you perform, problem based marketing will prove to be an invaluable tool.  If you fail to perform then know amount of marketing is going to solve that problem.

These are the ten Ps of problem based marketing

• Purpose
• Problems
• Positioning
• Process
• Products
• Packaging
• Promotion
• Persuasion
• Pricing
• Performance

Together they provide the basis of marketing that simply works.