Your expertise is hurting you, because you know too much.⠀

Sometimes we get super frustrated because our customers aren’t speaking the language we want them to be. They keep talking about *this* when you know what they need to be talking about is *that*.

So we build all sorts of content and tools and programs for *that* and we see nothing but tumbleweed and crickets. What the heck, man? Obviously you know what you’re doing.

Or, another common scenario… you’re building an opt-in and you create a wonderful, comprehensive downloadable that covers every particular angle. This is huge value and you’re certain everyone will be bowled over by the pages and pages of content. Except no one engages.

In business, we call this the “curse of the expert”. You know too much and you’ve either been so educated or experienced that you’re over-engineering your solution such that no one understands it.

Or you’re speaking about what should be, when your customers are over there, talking about what is.

They can’t hear you, because you’re not over there too.

Now, I’m not saying you have to “dumb it down”, but you do need to make yourself and your business accessible. Understandable. Your expertise will ultimately make you successful, once you’ve gotten their attention, but you won’t get it by trying to tell them everything at once.

Can you boil down your message to one small, key idea that you hear them talking about all the time? Can you relate what you know to what is real for them right now?

Can you take one small piece of that opt-in and make it stand on its own, solving one small problem that leads them towards your solution?

I used to talk all about business models and strategy frameworks, thinking it proved that I have all this experience and education. I mean, yes… I do. But none of it matters if I can’t solve the problem that they have.

Who the hell cares about value proposition design if they aren’t making any money? No, I need to talk to them about profit first, and lead them back into the framework that is going to solve their problems.

Tell me in the comments…

Take a look at your offers, your messaging and your content. Where can you simplify?