List everything customers hate about your industry, then show how you fix each one. Become the fixer.
The idea
Customers walk in with a list of what's wrong with your industry, some of it reality and some of it perception. Write that list down, then use it to find what you already do that counters the narrative. Talking about the reality of the work, and how you fix what's broken, is how you deliver your unique self. Become the fixer. Selling is storytelling.
How to do it
Make two columns, one per type of client you serve (in real estate: buyers and sellers).
In each, list everything that's wrong with your industry and its process, based on customer perception or reality.
Next to each item, write what you do that counters it.
Example
We ran this as a breakout with real estate agents: list everything wrong with real estate and the transaction, buyer side and seller side, then use the list to find what each agent does that pushes against that narrative. Say you're a contractor instead. Your list might start with "never shows up when they say."
Sources
From Zvi's coaching program
Related frameworks
Perceived vs. Actual Value: Labels like "trusted advisor" mean nothing to clients. Explain the invisible work you actually do every day, and that becomes your value.
The 5 and 5: List five things you do for each type of client that no one else does. Start with one for each and build from there.
Escape the Commodity Comparison: If clients can compare you line by line with someone cheaper, you lose the race to the bottom. Relationships make you hard to compare.
Three Channels of Uniqueness: Every exposure people have to you can show three things: your unique value, your unique voice, and the market you serve best.