A few things worth knowing, and why they matter right now.
For the longest time, I would literally stress myself out over the fact that I wasn’t getting any sales. I’d sit there asking myself, “What am I doing wrong?” I was doing everything the “gurus” tell you to do. I was cold-calling until I was blue in the face. I was sending out emails every day. It even got to the point where I was pumping out content daily, thinking that was the magic fix. But surprise, surprise… nothing changed. My phone stayed silent, and my bank account stayed exactly the same.
Before we dive deeper into why that was happening, I want to welcome everyone and say a huge thank you for reading this newsletter. Just a small disclaimer: I’m not some high-level academic expert in a suit. I’m simply sharing my own journey and the things I’ve found helpful as I navigate this crazy entrepreneurial world. So, without further ado, let’s jump in.
Most people, when they hit a sales slump, jump straight to “marketing” or “I need more content.” But usually, the real issue is much simpler: Nobody understands who you are or why you actually matter to them.
I remember when I first started freelancing. I had just finished my first Digital Marketing course, where I learned basic web design. I was so captivated by it that I decided to dive even deeper, moving from just design to full-on web development. It was a massive challenge, but I loved the craft. I truly believed I could offer real value with this “product.”
My logic was simple: “We live in a digital world. There are thousands of small businesses that don’t have websites. If I just find them, I’ll be good to go.”
In South Africa, this is a unique challenge. So many of our local businesses run purely on WhatsApp and Facebook. They’re active, they’re making money, and they don’t see the “need” for anything else. I opened a Facebook account specifically to target these businesses. I was so confident. I reached out to a prospect, gave them my pitch, and then they hit me with a question that completely turned my world upside down:
“My business is doing good as is… why do I actually need a website?”
I went blank. Absolute silence.
I had no answer. In that moment, I realized I was trying to sell a “flashy product” that didn’t actually solve a problem for them. I was selling a “thing,” not an outcome. I was focusing all my energy on acquiring clients, but I didn’t realize that to actually land them, I needed to offer value, not just a cool-looking site.
I had to sit down and answer these three questions for myself:
- Who do I actually help?
- What specific problem do I solve?
- What is the actual outcome I create for them?
I realized that instead of a 10-page pitch, I needed to deliver all of this in just one sentence. I used this simple formula:
I help [X] do [Y] so they can [Z]
The result was my new North Star:
“I help businesses create high-performing digital platforms so they can reach more customers and turn their online presence into a 24/7 sales tool.”
Here is where everything changed. Once I started using this line, my conversations with clients flipped completely. Before, I was arguing about the price of a logo or how many pages the site had. Now, I was diving deep into their desired outcomes and their biggest pain points. When a client said, “I’m tired of answering the same questions on WhatsApp all day,” I didn’t sell them a “FAQ page.” I sold them a system that takes away their pain by automating their customer service. When they said, “I want to grow, but I don’t have time to find new leads,” I didn’t sell them a “Contact Form.” I sold them sustainable growth by building a platform that captures leads while they sleep.
Suddenly, I wasn’t a “web designer” anymore. I was a growth partner. And because I was solving their specific pains, I started landing more clients than ever before. They weren’t buying code; they were buying a solution to their stress.
Positioning is basically the sentence people say about you when you’re not in the room.
The way you position yourself determines the type of clients you attract. After that “blank stare” moment, I made it my mission to position myself as someone who delivers growth, not just a product.
And here is the biggest lesson I learned: Avoid the “cheap” trap.
Even when I was targeting small businesses, I made it a goal to ensure the value I gave didn’t come across as “budget-friendly” or “cheap.” You need to position yourself as someone who can be called on regardless of the business size.
The worst-case scenario is offering a “cheap” website to a business, only to find that a few years later, you can’t actually deliver what they need because you positioned yourself as a low-cost product. You might be cheaper than your competitors right now, but your value should never reflect that.
If you sell yourself as the “cheap option,” you’ll only attract clients who value price over results. Position yourself for the value you bring, and the pains you take away, and the sales problem usually fixes itself.
Don’t spend hours overthinking this. Take 10 minutes today to answer those three questions. Create your one-sentence positioning statement. When you change how you are positioned, you change who walks through your door.
Until next time, hope you have a blesssed day