This summer I attended a golf tournament.

It’s July, noon, and nearly 100 degrees. Sweat is dripping down my face. The baseball cap I dug out of storage is soaked.

As we walk along the cart path there’s no shade in sight. We’ve been walking for literal miles, and it’ll be a long time before we’re back at the clubhouse area for refreshments.

Like so many golf courses, private residential houses line the perimeter. Families are sitting on their back deck drinking cold beers, kids are playing in the sprinkler.

And then we notice that up ahead, sweaty golf fans are congregating right at the line separating the course from someone’s backyard.

It becomes clear.

There’s a mom and her 8-year-old son standing next to a giant cooler full of bottled water. A piece of paper is taped to the front:

“Cold Water: $2”

Everyone is stopping, and everyone is paying. I hear people saying, “Smart,” as they walk away.

How to Connect with Customers

Businesses and brands have a habit of overcomplicating their marketing.

The truth is, people don’t buy when you want them to buy. They buy when they’re ready to buy. Here are 3 things to do if you want to make business easier:

• Show up where your customers already are
• Position your product as a direct solution to their problem
• Communicate in ordinary language

That mom and her son followed this plan perfectly, and probably raked in a small fortune (considering how little it costs to buy a 24-pack of store brand bottled water).

We, the customers, were thrilled.

Instead of having to find them, they found us. They gave us a direct solution to a problem we were experiencing, in the moment we were experiencing it. And their messaging couldn’t have been simpler.

Not “near freezing refreshing liquid to quench your thirst on those hot summer days when you just can’t find relief, at an unbeatable price.”

Just, “Cold water: $2.”

Remember, business is just people solving problems for people. Connect with customers by respecting them as people first.