May 24, 2010
Get Visible! Grow UP! Solve Your Problem for Everyone
Liz published this at 8:15 am
When Location Becomes Solution
In the days of my dad’s saloon, everything was location, location, location. If you wanted to be noticed, you put your store at the corner of State and Main. Every car driving past, every person on the sidewalk saw you.
Big brands and entrepreneurs now find ourselves in a 24/7 world where time and space don’t limit our community as they once did. Many businesses only meet customers on their computer screens.
And location is taking on new meaning online and off.
Now the grand location might be at the top of the search engine page 1 or a huge twitter retweet list. Social Media’s new Location, Location, Location is another thing. It’s showing up on your smart phone screen.
To do that it’s really solution, solution, solution. Solution is the new location. People search for answers to the problems they have.
So it makes sense to have a problem-solving mindset.
Solve problems in your own business.
Solve problems that everyone has.
Solve problems that will still be problems when the social media tools change.
Make a habit of recognizing what’s a problem in your business and solve that problem for everyone else. It’s a strategy that works to raise visibility and grow a business because …
- Though we may think we’re the only ones who have a certain fear, problem, or issue, a conversation about almost any problem will prove that we’re not.
- The people you can reach as clients, customers, and readers are a lot like us. It’s the nature of how people connect. We gravitate toward those who have similar values and think in similar ways.
- Some of those people are looking for the same solution. If we talk to them about solving their problem, we move outside of our view of the problem and our feelings about it. Being outside of the problem brings new perspective, new ideas, and new approaches to solutions.
With a problem-solving mindset, we stay in a learning and listening attitude. Leaders who reach out to listen and learn, to find solutions and value the people who share their ideas are irresistibly attractive. The leaders grow and so do their businesses.
And when you’ve tackled one problem, look again for the problems or glitches inside that new solution, the discomfort around the new process, or the old habits that no longer work. That’s how we keep our growing businesses growing up when we reach a small hitch.
Which of your business problems can you solve for someone else?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
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Filed under Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Successful Blog | 6 Comments »
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6 Comments to “Get Visible! Grow UP! Solve Your Problem for Everyone”
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Andy @ FirstFound said
Great post Liz!
Small Business News: Forget Social Media? | Small Business Trends said
[...] Solution is the new location. Social media may get you noticed on the Internet, but being known as a person or company who solves problems will give you visibility and help you keep it, says Liz Strauss. As an exercise in problem solving, focus on solutions for problems that will still exist after social media has changed or gone. Successful And Outstanding Bloggers [...]
Edward said
Do you really think that it is viable to try to solve problems for everyone?
Dana Dwyer said
Business owners are solving problems every day. The trick is to pay attention to your successful solutions, document your process in some way and share.
You gain credibility and your community gains a solution: win-win.
ME Liz Strauss said
Hi Dana,
We all could get better at keeping track of what we do well and what problems we’ve solved. That’s a great insight on how we might internalize our strengths and make them even more valuable. The folks we serve deserve our best and that’s a great way to collect and offer it.
Small Business News: Forget Social Media? | Forum on China Goods Bay said
[...] Solution is the new location. Social media may get you noticed on the Internet, but being known as a person or company who solves problems will give you visibility and help you keep it, says Liz Strauss. As an exercise in problem solving, focus on solutions for problems that will still exist after social media has changed or gone. Successful And Outstanding Bloggers [...]