Pain – Sales in the Startup

One of the main focuses so far in Sales in the Startup was the idea of pain, specifically how it can impact the sale. Sales is often justified in the idea of making the customer’s life easier by satisfying a need or want, and those requirements can often come from a source of pain. One idea of mine that pops up is the idea of computers. As a hobby during COVID, I started building a computer as a hobby to pass time while in lockdown, a hobby that I was interested in and was very good at. Nowadays, I had the idea of starting a side gig where I would build, replace, or fix computers from customers in my area. It’s still just a side hobby, but a lot of the customers I get are older people with a distaste towards how computers can easily break or slow down over the course of its lifespan. This can stem from a number of problems such as too many programs running, or worse, faulty components. The Geek Squad down the street are notoriously known for charging extortion-type rates to fix the computer, adding to the pain that these customers already have. So my thought is, what if I take my talent of fixing computers to the business world, and maybe help these people not get COMPLETELY ripped off. Focusing on this area of pain has been fruitful for my business, because I don’t come off as a corporate entity like so many of the big tech repair shops that my customers are accustomed to. I tell them exactly what I’m doing up front with a set fee, and there’s complete transparency in what I do, which automatically helps ease that pain, tying into our discussion just days ago. Alleviating pain is a focus in our discussion in Sales in the Startup, and I’m glad I can tie it into what I do at home!