Why Small Business Owners Actually Fail to Connect with Customers

Why do so many entrepreneurs and business owners fail to connect with customers?

You've got a brilliant idea and a unique solution that doesn't exist in the marketplace. You're better, faster, or cheaper than the competition.

Yet, your ideal customers or clients just don't get it. And because they don't get it, they don't want it, and won't buy it.

What’s going on here?

That’s what Tijana Buric asked me on her podcast Career Alchemist, where I was recently honored to be a guest.

Here’s how I responded (edited for readability from the transcript of our conversation).

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If you want to connect with customers, stop selling solutions

Brian: "The challenge many business owners face is that they spend most of their time promoting their solutions rather than addressing the actual problem. This approach seems intuitive, but it's fundamentally flawed.

Reflecting on my days as a magician, I struggled to command the fees that more successful magicians did because I was focused on selling the magic show itself—my skills with card tricks and the entertainment value I could bring to an event. However, I soon realized that my potential clients, whether they were brides, restaurant owners, or CEOs, weren't primarily interested in the tricks themselves.

For instance, a bride is concerned with keeping her guests entertained during the cocktail hour while the bridal party is away for photos. She's looking for a way to bring two families together, to create shared experiences and memories.

Recognizing this, I shifted my approach to emphasize solving this 'cocktail hour problem' with my close-up magic, facilitating interactions and conversations among guests.

This reframing of my service as a solution to a specific problem, rather than just an entertainment option, significantly changed my business, enabling me to increase my fees substantially."

Tijana: "I remember reading that you more than quintupled your fee."

Brian: "Exactly. People are willing to invest in solutions to their problems. We make purchases, whether small like buying socks or significant like hiring a consultant, because we believe the product or service will solve a problem we're facing.

This is why it's crucial for business owners to connect with their customers by clearly identifying and articulating the problems they can solve.

In my private consulting work, I've noticed that many business owners and even sales professionals struggle during sales calls because they attempt to forge personal connections in superficial ways, like complimenting a prospect's shirt or asking about their cat.

While these gestures are well-intentioned, they miss the mark. To truly connect with a prospect, you need to quickly identify and discuss their problem.

Demonstrating a deep understanding of their challenges and articulating their thoughts better than they could themselves is the key to establishing a genuine connection in a business context."

Instead, sell the problem you solve

If you want to deeply connect with customers, get really good at articulating the problem they have, better, clearer, and more deeply than even they can.

They'll feel heard, understood, and valued - which makes them open to anything you have to say. Including your unique special solution (which, at this point, doesn't even have to be that unique or special).

The lesson is simple: Don't just understand your customers, make them feel understood.

Listen to my 30-min conversation on Career Alchemist with Tijana Buric

Episode Description: How magic skills could be used to build strong connections in the corporate world? You'll hear the answer directly from Brian Miller, a former magician turned human connection specialist, who believes everyone deserves to feel heard, understood, and valued. His TEDx talk “How to Magically Connect with Anyone” has been viewed 3.5 million times. After meeting Brian, audiences are not just inspired to join the human connection revolution - they’re ready to lead it.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• No.1. advice for CEOs to strengthen the human connection between them and their employees
• Why entrepreneurs should stop selling the solutions to their clients if they want to charge more
• How one can find the best idea for the TEDx talk