Do You Have a $5 Umbrella Problem?

Do you want the $3 umbrella or the $5 umbrella?

Most people probably choose the $3 umbrella.

Now let me change the question.

Do you want the $3 umbrella…

Or the $5 umbrella with reinforced ribs that won’t flip inside out, a vented canopy that handles 40 mph winds, and a lifetime replacement guarantee?

Suddenly, the $5 umbrella sounds like a better deal.

Except there’s a problem.

We’re assuming the buyer cares about all that stuff.

What if they live in Arizona and it barely rains?

What if they lose umbrellas constantly?

What if they just need something to get from the parking lot to the office?

All those wonderful features might mean absolutely nothing.

So instead of explaining why our umbrella is better, what if we got curious?

“Tell me about the last time you used an umbrella.”

“Ever had one flip inside out?”

“What happened?”

Maybe they tell us they got soaked on the way to an important meeting and ruined a $300 jacket.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

Or maybe they say, “I use an umbrella twice a year. I just need something cheap.”

Great. Buy the $3 one.

The point?

Being different doesn’t make us valuable. Being different in a way that matters to the buyer does.

And we can’t know what matters until we understand their world.

Our job isn’t to convince someone they need a $5 umbrella.

It’s to find out whether they have a $5 umbrella problem.