Feral cats make terrible dentists.

Hey, hello, how you doing?

Maybe it's just the two cups of coffee I've had today. Or the fact that I'm going away for the weekend to a cute hotel in the middle of the woods along the German border. But I feel good today.

And I hope you are feeling good, too.

I've spent the last few weeks talking about your customer and the problems they have. This week I'm going to talk about how you present yourself as the solution to that problem.

Your company is the guide, not the hero.

So we've already established a few things:

1. The "hero" of your company's story is your prospect/customer, not your company.

2. The hero has three types of problems: internal, external, and philosophical.

3. They can't figure out how to solve those problems by themselves.

So you might be wondering...when the hell does your company enter the story?

That's what we're here to talk about today. Enter, the guide.

Every hero needs some help along the way. Your main character, the prospect, has gotten their panties in a bunch over something. Maybe they're frustrated because they have an outdated email marketing system that won't let them segment their list easily. Maybe they feel overwhelmed trying to manage all of the metadata in their system. Maybe the bulk of their work involves filling out information in spreadsheets all day—a task that could be automated so the prospect could do something fucking interesting.

Whatever it is, it's a problem that they can't fix. And it's starting to wear them down.

That's where you come in.

You're the guide. Someone who has walked through the fire already and come out the other side. Someone who deeply understands the frustration of your prospect—and can offer some guidance on how they can get through this frustrating experience and come out looking great.

You're Dumbledore. Or Yoda. Or the support person at your cable company who doesn't make your day a fucking nightmare and who actually answers your questions.

You are the person who genuinely believes in your prospect's ability to do great things, because you've seen it before. As long as they have the right tools or knowledge, they'll reach their goals.

And you know who has the tool or knowledge that will help the prospect get where they want to go?

That's right. You.

What makes a good guide?

Your prospect is smart. If they have a problem, they need someone qualified to help them.

If their tooth aches, they're not going to book an appointment with a podiatrist. They're going to call the dentist. And they're probably going to call a reputable dentist, not go to some sketchy back-alley clinic that's overrun with feral cats.

No. They want someone qualified to help them. And even if it seems silly, they're going to apply this same logic to their search for a SaaS product.

So, you have to position yourself as someone who is qualified to help them solve their problems. That involves being two things:

1. Empathetic.

2. Authoritative.

You have to be empathetic and show your customer that you actually understand what they're going through. Did you also have a toothache, but make the mistake of going to the dentist on the wrong side of Sketchville? And did that inspire you to go to dental school? Good. Use that in your story.

You also have to be authoritative. You have to have proof that you've done this shit before, and that you're good at it. Testimonials. Case studies. Numbers. Certifications. Et cetera. If you're opening a new dental practice, you better have a certified diploma. Or risk a malpractice lawsuit.

Appeal to both sides of the brain.

There are two sides to our minds. The right side of our brain is more creative, emotive, and imaginative. And the left side is more logical, analytical, and mathematical.

Some people are naturally more right-brained, and some people are naturally more left-brained. But we all make decisions with both sides of our mind.

Positioning your brand as empathetic appeals to the right side of the brain—you say, "I know what you're going through is hard. But there is a way out."

Positioning your brand as authoritative appeals to the left side of the brain—you say, "I've convinced you that you like me. Now here's why you should trust me."

When people read your copy or your marketing, they're going to be persuaded by the empathetic side of your story. People want to work with other people they like and trust on a personal level. But they're going to use your credentials to justify that purchase.

You want to hook them with a good story, then use your credentials as the final pieces that counter objections and ease their mind.

Get the goods.

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