Describe your client’s situation, not just your services
A plumber once explained his work in a way that stayed with me.
“I don’t really sell plumbing,” he said. “I sell peace of mind when water is coming through the ceiling.”
He was not describing pipes. He was describing the moment someone realizes something is wrong and does not know how serious it might be.
Most businesses do the opposite. They describe what they do, while their customers are thinking about what they are dealing with.
A service is a description. A problem is an experience.
Tax preparation is a service. Sitting at a kitchen table at eleven at night, going back through forms and wondering if you missed something that could cost you later, is the experience.
Website design is a service. Looking at your own site and realizing it has not brought in a single call this month is the experience.
In those moments, people are not thinking about hiring a service provider. They are trying to get out of a situation.
Most websites start in the wrong place
Most websites focus on capabilities. They list services, explain process, and highlight experience.
All of that can be true. But it asks the reader to connect the dots.
They have to decide whether it applies to them and whether it will solve what they are dealing with.
When a message starts with the situation instead, that work disappears.
People recognize themselves faster. When they feel understood, they are more likely to stay.
Look at your homepage or your last few posts.
How many sentences describe what you do?
How many describe what your customer is dealing with?
Most businesses are heavy on the first and light on the second.
Shifting even one or two sentences can change how the message lands.
Your 10-minute task
Write one sentence that describes the situation your customer is in right before they contact you. Focus on what they are experiencing, not what they need.
Then open your homepage and find the first sentence that talks about you or your services. Rewrite it to reflect the customer’s situation instead.
Read it out loud.
If this raised questions about your own marketing, please reach out at info@hookstrategic.com. We’re glad to talk through it.
