Jasmine Star (00:00:01) - Do you ever feel like your industry is too saturated and it's difficult to stand out? Hey, then you're in the right place. Welcome to the Jasmine Star Show, where we have mindset shifts around business and growth. And let's go for scaling. Here's the thing. That question is very normal. I hear you. I totally get it. The online space can be what's the word? Noisy. But what if I told you that? I don't think that the problem is industry saturation. I think that business owners aren't sure how to identify or fill the gaps that their dream customers are facing. Oh, me fighting words. In this episode I'm diving into a four part framework that will help you identify the gaps in your industry so you can stand out amongst your competitors and attract dream customers. Okay, Before we dive into each step, let me give you an overview of the four part framework for identifying unmet customer needs in your industry. These are gaps that you're going to fill. This is the juicy part.

Jasmine Star (00:01:06) - And then we're going to talk about ways to effectively market that solution, that gap you've filled. That's what we're going to market. Okay. Step one is to redefine the needs of your ideal client. Step two is to figure out the needs that aren't being met. Step three is to revise your offer and fulfill that unmet need. And step four is to test and refine your offer. Okay. So first, we must redefine the needs of your ideal client. And we do this on three different levels. I want you to think of your ideal client's problem like an onion. And we're simply going to peel back the layers of that onion to get to the deepest core problem that they're facing. The center of the onion. That's what we're focusing on. So this is really important because we make buying decisions on an emotional level, which is like that innermost part of the Onion. Now, before we get too far into these layers of our ideal clients problems, let's go over each one. The outer layer of the onion is a surface level problem beneath the surface layer.

Jasmine Star (00:02:02) - Problem is the underlying problem, and the deepest layer is the core problem. Okay, so now let's get into each one. The surface level problem is usually pretty visible or obvious to your dream. Customers like solving these problems addresses most of the obvious pain points. Okay, so for example, if your ideal client is a postpartum mom, her surface level problem might be dealing with post-pregnancy body changes, like maybe she's gained weight or she has hair loss or skin issues. An example of how a postpartum coach could solve this surface level problem would be I'm going to provide remedies, products, routines to help her start looking like her pre-pregnancy self. The surface level problem is what we see on the outside or the thing that's like really obvious. The underlying problem is hidden or a deeper issue causing the obvious problem and we need to find and fix that to make things better. Now this matters because if we only fix the outside obvious problems without addressing the underlying issue, the problem might come back or it's going to get worse in the future.

Jasmine Star (00:03:03) - So we're going to pause here. There is no doubt that if you are a postpartum coach, a business coach, a life coach, a fitness coach, it doesn't matter if you're an accountant or a dentist. I get it. You like what you do, but you're not in the business of liking what you do as much as you are in the business of getting a result. Long standing results will figure out the outer, the inner and the center most problems. That's we're gonna get results. So let's continue the example with our postpartum coach. Can you guess what that client you know this postpartum coach like what that underlying problem is. Remember her surface level problem was her outward appearance. We can guess that, like, her underlying problem might be that her physical changes are affecting her self-esteem on the inside. An example of how a postpartum coach could solve this underlying issue problem. Maybe she can offer personalized coaching sessions that focus on self acceptance to help her handle these changes. So the surface level problem was not liking how she looks.

Jasmine Star (00:04:04) - The underlying problem was her self esteem. Now let's get to the deepest part of that onion, that center point, that core problem. The core problem is related to psychological or emotional needs. Now, like we're going to time out. This is where the real gangsters dwell. It is easy for us to start a business around something we love, right? However, getting to the real core of it is where the strongest entrepreneurs will dwell because it is the most often neglected, because it's the hardest thing we have to identify. So we just don't. You go here and I promise you you are going to stand out from the rest of your market. Now, these emotional needs, they're not really easy to spot as the first two layers, but it's so important to understand this level because we need to understand the desires and motivations of our clients. Now you can make the biggest impact when you understand the core problem. And then remember, hey, people buy out of emotion. So if you speak to their deepest emotion, they're going to be a heck of a lot more ready to invest.

Jasmine Star (00:05:01) - So let's keep going with our postpartum mom example. Okay. Now, at the core, it's not just how she looks and it's not just about her self-esteem, but there's something else that might be at play when it comes. Comes to finding gaps in the market. The best entrepreneurs test their ideas and begin to listen carefully to how people are responding. So if I were a postpartum coach, I would start my deep dive by asking if maybe she might be looking for ways to reconnect to her personal identity, maybe reconnect to her personal interests outside of being a mom. An example of the postpartum coach like solving this problem, like this kind of core problem could be ways to provide, you know, a way to reconnect with interest outside of motherhood, helping her rebuild her sense of identity. This coach could also help her talk to her family and support system to communicate well her needs for reclaiming her identity and how her family could support her along the way. Now, I can tell you that as a CEO, we have spent years digging into the core problem for social curator users.

Jasmine Star (00:06:00) - The surface level problem for ideal client is what they need help creating and planning their social media strategy for their business. That is the outermost right. The thing that's most obvious, the underlying problem, is that most business owners feel overwhelmed and frustrated and a lot of times they don't know what to do next. The core problem, which let me remind you, this is psychological or emotional nature, is that our ideal client secretly battles the belief that their business, they don't think it actually grow as big as they want, and they struggle with the belief that they don't have what it takes to succeed. Now, they're not admitting this on the outside, but we must speak to that innermost emotions so they feel truly understood as a client. Now that we've identified these problems, we now know how our product, our service, has met an unmet gap in the market. Now Social Creator, we're not just like a social media planning app. We're not just an education hub to help business owners with their marketing strategy.

Jasmine Star (00:06:53) - We're the place where business owners change into next level entrepreneurs because their belief system changed from the inside out. Okay, so I know that there was a lot of information, but in today's market, it is so important to know who you serve and how you solve each layer of their problems. After we define the needs of our ideal client, it's time to figure out which needs are not being met. Now let's use a slightly different example, right? Say an owner of a small virtual assistant agency. Let's say his name is Brian. He offers administrative services to busy entrepreneurs. He has already done step one redefining the needs of his ideal client. Realizing the core problem is that business owners are still feeling exhausted because the tasks that only they can do are the most energy draining. Now Brian is ready to conduct market research to figure out how he can improve his offer and fill this need. Essentially, Brian is going to see if he can do the task that entrepreneurs say only they can do. So to do this, Brian joined a Reddit group where entrepreneurs hang out and they talk about their businesses.

Jasmine Star (00:07:54) - He searched the words virtual assistant in the search bar, reminder search bars and groups. Oh man, they work so well on platforms like Reddit and Facebook. They're goldmine. So Brian found conversations that came specifically that focus really specifically on working with virtual assistants. By doing this, he discovered repeated complaints about the lack of Vas who understand the demands of their specific industries. Ding, ding, ding. He found the gap. Now he just needs to solve it. How can a VA understand the demand of specific industries? That's the question he needs to answer. So Brian is now ready to move on to the next step, which is revising his offer. And by creating an industry specific offer, Brian thinks it will make his ideal client think, How could I choose anybody else when this VA is tailor made for me? Now we've gone over step one, which is identifying your ideal clients needs in step two, which is conducting your market research. Now it's time for step three Creating the offer to fill the unfulfilled need.

Jasmine Star (00:08:51) - Here are three simple steps to creating your new offer. First, develop components of the offer. This means deciding exactly what you're providing to customers, including features, exclusive content tools, and any other elements that are going to make up your product or service. Now let's go back to Brian, continuing with Brian, our VA agency owner. The components to make up the basic packages would be number one, external communications. Replying to messages, emails and inquiries in place of the business owner. Okay. Number two, calendar management, scheduling appointments, meetings and events for the business owner. And number three, bookkeeping invoicing clients, tracking payments and managing expenses and financial records while providing the business owner with a weekly or monthly summary. One thing to note you'll want to organize the components in a clear way so customers easily understand the benefits of what you're offering. Now we have a method that we use called the FBI method that we talked about in episode 356 three Sales Strategies to increase Revenue. The FBI method helps you easily show the benefits of your product or service.

Jasmine Star (00:09:51) - Now I'm going to link it in the show notes. Listen to it, because it was really worth it. Like these benefits are going to drive sales. Once you have the components of your offer in place, you can move on to the next step, which is to decide the price of your offer. Now, there are several ways that you can do this. You can decide the price based on the cost involved development, the pricing of similar offerings in the market, or your ideal clients willingness to pay. Let's break down Brian's price of the basic package. Let's say for the first component of his offer, the external communication, which was replying to messages, emails and inquiries. He charged, let's say $300 a month. Okay. So for the second component of his offer, calendar management, which included scheduling appointments, meetings and events, he charged $200 a month. Now, for the third component of Brian's offer, bookkeeping, which included invoicing clients, tracking payments and managing expenses and those financial records.

Jasmine Star (00:10:41) - He charged $300 a month by breaking up the features and giving them their own value. He's able to accurately price his offer and easily remove or add features to make a higher or lower ticket package. Now, Brian has these three components valued at combined, so we're doing the math $800. He can charge it as is or he can make a bundle and market it for a discounted rate, let's say 747, for example. Okay. He's like, oh, we're showing that there's a bargain when you bundle. Now, something that I want you to remember is that you have to be profitable to scale, like breaking even. It's not going to cut it in your business. So after you price your offer, it's time for you to look what? It's my profitability and it's time to create like content and resources and tools that are part of your offer. Now, this might be creating educational materials or generating templates or guides. Maybe you're recording tutorials or courses or creating any resources that directly address the gap and helps them get results.

Jasmine Star (00:11:38) - So time out here we're talking about Brian, right. Brian who is the owner of a virtual assistant agency. Okay. He's saying the gap in the market is that he needs Vas that are industry specific so that they understand they're not just scheduling a meeting, they're scheduling a meeting for local accountants. Now, what do accountants want? What do they need? How do they speak that is going to be driving that value. Now, a couple things that Brian would need to have created and have in place for his offer is o a new onboarding system to help him or one of his vas o learn client expectations, their voice, their preferences and how to handle their inboxes. He could also create contracts and agreements for his new clients. It would also be beneficial for him to have some kind of like evergreen modules or guides that his clients can watch and refer back to once they're onboarded. This way, all of him and his clients are on the same page about working with his Vas and his Vas hours and scopes and any other necessary information for that industry.

Jasmine Star (00:12:33) - Okay, So we have talked about creating components or features, determining the price, creating the resources for our new offer, Right? We've done some work, y'all. I mean, let's just have a moment. I know I throw a lot of information out there, but in order for you to remove the thought that, Oh, my industry is so saturated, I'll never stick out, I'm going to invite you to the next level challenge, which is to say, regardless of the industry, regardless of the size, I'm going to find the gap. And once I find that gap, oh, this right here, that's going to set me apart. So now let's move on to step number four, which is executing and refining your offer. Now, this process ensures that your offer is meeting your customer's core problems and expectations, because remember, everybody else is handling the surface. You're at the core. Let's say that the Vas, who work for Brian's agency include a previous nurse, hairstylists, financial advisor and a photographer to execute.

Jasmine Star (00:13:25) - He has a spot on his website where he is offering specialty services. Remember his new offer that fills that unmet need for health care professionals, beauty industry professionals, financial coaches and experts and photographers. Okay, so Brian's going to test this now. Brian is gathering feedback through, checking in with his clients and email surveys. He's also taking into consideration the success rate of the referrals and the retention from the new offer. Now, now it's time. Like Brian's like, let's upload this. He's taking feedback that he received and then he's going to start identifying the common themes. Remember, this is a new offer, right? So he has to identify how am I going to make this better? He learned that a common complaint was that there was still unlearning that needed to take place in order to adapt to the new client's brand and the methods and the way of doing things. He could take this feedback and make the client onboarding process to include more brand specific information, and you could also have like a mid-month check in for a chance to connect with any issues before that first month is over.

Jasmine Star (00:14:21) - What is he doing? He's going in. Drilling down industry specific needs to reflect the brand. Brian is sticking out from his competition but caring the most and making changes. Now, there are three things that I want you to remember here. Number one, give yourself a timeline with metrics in 30, 60 or 90 days, you want your client to achieve X, Y, and Z for results. For Brian, this could be streamlining the bookkeeping process by day 30, resolving 80 to 90% of the client complaints unassisted by day 60 and fully managing the calendar by day 90. Okay. Number two, ask for feedback and ask specific questions. If you want specific answers like Brian might ask his clients, How do you feel having a VA who is knowledgeable in your industry? You know, and perhaps is it more beneficial than the one who isn't? Or how could we improve the experience with this new offer with the. V. Number three Use facts, not assumptions or feelings to make decisions. Now, here's the thing I really want to tap on.

Jasmine Star (00:15:19) - Like hearing feedback can feel vulnerable and it could feel very uncomfortable. But this is one of the best gifts when it comes to growth and improvement. An example here could be Brian could use the results of his goal of resolving 80 to 90% of his client complaints unassisted by day. 60. Right. That was his goal. And he could find out which kind of complaints were the most challenging for the VA. Like, how could they not answer them and what could he do to improve moving forward? Maybe he could provide customer service training for his Vas or have mock situations where they practice handling those types of complaints. Okay, so now let's get into how to market your solution for the gap in the industry. Now this is where the magic is. So let's pause here. What I see a lot of people do is complain, Oh, they're marketing isn't working. People aren't paying attention on social media. How do they stick out? Well, if everybody is saying the same thing, aka marketing to the core, sorry, not marketing to the core, but marketing to the surface, you're gonna have a hard time sticking out.

Jasmine Star (00:16:18) - Now what we want to do is have the core be addressed. We're going to go into the gap in the industry. So what can we do to start here? Tip number one is having a clear value proposition. Highlight how your offer addresses the specific gaps and unmet needs of your clients and that competitors they're not addressing. It's the solution. You need to be shouting the loudest and focusing on your marketing efforts. I'm gonna say that again for the people in the back market, the solution market, the results market, that aspiration that somebody wants. So Brian could have his value proposition. You maybe have like a statement that says Our service specializes in matching business owners with Vas who have a deep understanding of their industry. We carefully categorize our Vas based on previous trades, skills and backgrounds, ensuring a tailored and industry specific approach to meet your business needs. With us, you'll find the perfect VA who speaks your industry's language and can help your business thrive. Dang Now you might be thinking if I'm loud about what makes me different from my competitors, aren't my competitors going to start filling that same gap? Well, okay.

Jasmine Star (00:17:17) - The short answer is yes. You might have a lot of copycats, but remember, being a pioneer means staying one step ahead and continuously raising the bar in a way that your copycats. Well, they're going to find it really challenging to match. I mean, so just think of Apple and no offense to Android or any other brands, but Apple is definitely a pioneer in the smartphone space and they don't hold back. Oh, just in case somebody copies us. We're not going to release new things. No. So what's your main takeaway? Act like Apple and ignore the androids. Tip number two is honing in on your messaging. Create messaging that is really resonating with your ideal client and highlights the problem solving capabilities, your product or service shares. And then want to talk about how it simplifies or it improves their lives. Now use language they use. If you're speaking to photographers, talk about aperture or shutter speed or focal points, know what I'm saying? Like show that you understand them. Dive deep into the vocabulary and expressions that your clients are using in their everyday language.

Jasmine Star (00:18:12) - When you use their language, you create an instant connection showing, Hey, you really understand their needs and their deepest desires. Remember Brian did his market research in Reddit groups to find his ideal clients needs? He saw the words and phrases. They were used like burnout and hopeless and tired. He can now use these words in his messaging to describe the before. You know, like before I had a VA, before I had an industry specific VA. This is how I was feeling. And now the juxtaposition of that is his messaging is they don't feel like that because they have somebody who knows them and understands them and understands their industry. And tip number three is leveraging social proof. Social proof helps build credibility and demonstrates the tangible benefits of how you fill gaps in your industry. But you're probably thinking, I just refined my offer. How the heck am I going to have testimonials or case studies or success stories, right? Like, okay, I got you. Here are a few ways that you can get social proof early on.

Jasmine Star (00:19:03) - Number one, find a quick result, know what it is, plan for it, and then market it. Okay, so here's a quick example. One of Brian's Vas took on a photography client and within the first two weeks she streamlined an on deck process that kept clients in the loop of when they would receive their galleries. Three different clients mentioned how helpful it was to be able to check on the status of their album without asking, Hey, like when am I going to get that gallery? Cool. Number two, give samples or trials, letting people try your product or service for a low or like no entry point, well, that's going to help you gain testimonials and social proof. It's still important to have a plan of like the results that you're going to get within like a certain amount of time. Like that's going to really be helpful. Okay, so let's break this down with an example. Let's say Brian found the Reddit users who are frustrated and then he reached out to them for a two week trial of one of his VA services.

Jasmine Star (00:19:53) - If the complaint was more about previous Vas not being able to handle customer service, that would be what he would offer, like with a plan, of course, on how he would get them results and specifically how he would get them results in that two week period. Now, a third way that you can get social proof, like early on is with UGC, like user generated content. Or affiliate marketing. You can find creators like where your ideal clients are hanging out and then you could leverage their accounts and network. So I'm going to give you an example. A well-known hairstylist who is known for giving value to other hairstylist creates reels discussing how having her right hand woman is increasing her sales while giving her more time with her family. Huh? She can mention how she speaks the lingo and understands the client's needs and the services that are offered, which is rare in a virtual assistant. Woohoo! Let's go, Brian. You got this, brother. Okay, so do we see what just happened right there? Brian was able to get other people validate his business model with intention that they would be mutually benefited in the process.

Jasmine Star (00:20:52) - Okay, so we covered a lot of information in this amount of time. So let's take a little who saw for review. We went over a four part framework for identifying customers needs in your industry, aka Fill in the Gap. So what is this? Step number one is to redefine the needs of your ideal client. Step number two is to figure out which needs are not being met. Step number three is to revise your offer to fulfill an unmet need. And step number four is to execute and refine your offer as you go on. So we walk through some really effective tips to market your solution. Tip number one was having a clear value proposition, knowing that the needs and the core problems that you now feel. Tip number two was honing in on your messaging, creating compelling copy that is relatable and clearly demonstrates the core problem that you're solving. I'm gonna say that again. You solved the core problem. That's what makes you different. And tip number three was leveraging social proof, planning a way to share early on after launching the offer by creating quick results through some some sort of testing phase.

Jasmine Star (00:21:51) - But you're planning for that now. I know your time. Speaking of planning and time and all this stuff we don't have, I know it's very valuable. And the fact that you're listening to me right now means that you and I care deeply about the work that we do. My goal here is to give you ways for you to uplevel your business. If we ever get the opportunity to work together, that would be an honor. But no, me creating content is not contingent on it. What I do ask is that whatever you take today, you start doing the kindest gift that any business owner could ever give me is not a thank you. Although if that ever happened, I'd appreciate it. It's not you buying me like a drink at a bar. We are at the same conference. Although if you buy me a drink, I'll probably say thank you to the greatest gift that you could ever pay. Anybody who shared something on your journey is to actually do what they ask you to do. So this is me asking you to do the work to find the gap in the market, to meet it well, to serve, to do the work that very few people do as a way to scale and grow over time.

Jasmine Star (00:22:50) - It is an honor and a privilege. Thank you so much for listening to the Jasmine Star Show.