Are You Offering a Painkiller or a Vitamin?

[MTF]

Alex Lieberman, co-founder, and Executive Chairman of Morning Brew, recorded an interesting episode on the importance of being a painkiller, not a vitamin in business.

The episode and the transcript is here:

Painkiller or Vitamin: Which Is Needed For Your Business?

Here’s why you need to be a painkiller, not a vitamin in business.

foundersjournal.morningbrew.com

Per the article:

A painkiller in business is probably just what you would imagine: It is a product that solves a big, urgent problem. It is a need-to-have, and people will pay for it happily because it alleviates some big problem.

Then on the other side, you have vitamins, and vitamins solve small problems that may or may not be urgent. Vitamins are nice-to-haves, not need-to-haves, which is obviously the exact idea of these two concepts in real life. Go a day without a vitamin and you don't notice the difference. Go a day without a painkiller if you’re in pain, you're going to suffer. My general rule of thumb has always been, build painkillers not vitamins, but I also think there's a lot more nuance to this rule and it can be applied in many contexts, not just products or business, but also your career.

It's also interesting to see how Alex applies this concept to his own business (Morning Brew newsletter) and explains why they don't charge money for it (because he considers it a weak painkiller).

He also shares an idea on how to you can market a vitamin as a painkiller (though I don't think it can apply to every product, just to some in some specific circumstances).

Some interesting takeaways from this for me:

• Ask yourself if your business solves a big, ideally urgent problem, or if it's simply a preventative measure (most people hate prevention and ignore it so you're setting yourself up for a tough struggle if you want to sell vitamins/prevention).
• If a content business is a vitamin or a weak painkiller, find ways to sell people painkillers (through ads, affiliate marketing, own painkiller-style products).
• Being a painkiller company helps you and your employees believe in what they're doing. This is kind of obvious but still worth thinking about. If you're running a business anyway, why not focus on need-to-haves instead of nice-to-haves? It'll make your business more valuable and more resilient while increasing your engagement in it, too.
• You can sometimes make people look at your vitamin-like product as a painkiller if you explain how it solves their current urgent problem. But I see it as way more difficult than simply starting with a painkiller (the right offer/hungry crowd always precedes your sales skills).

Are you offering a vitamin or a painkiller? Do you have a plan to transition from want-based problems to need-based problems? Is your potential client in sufficient pain to act now or are you trying to sell to people who don't really care much?

 

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[Andy Black]

Emiy Moicisnep, du-guapfis, epf Iyidavowi Djeosnep ug Nuspoph Csix, sidusfif ep opvisitvoph iqotufi up vji onqusvepdi ug cioph e qeoplommis, puv e wovenop op catopitt.

Vji iqotufi epf vji vseptdsoqv ot jisi:

http://jvvqt://guapfistkuaspem.nusp...us-wovenop-xjodj-ot-piifif-gus-zuas-catopitt/

Qis vji esvodmi:





Ov't emtu opvisitvoph vu tii jux Emiy eqqmoit vjot dupdiqv vu jot uxp catopitt (Nuspoph Csix pixtmivvis) epf iyqmeopt xjz vjiz fup'v djeshi nupiz gus ov (cideati ji duptofist ov e xiel qeoplommis).

Ji emtu tjesit ep ofie up jux vu zua dep nesliv e wovenop et e qeoplommis (vjuahj O fup'v vjopl ov dep eqqmz vu iwisz qsufadv, katv vu tuni op tuni tqidogod dosdantvepdit).

Tuni opvisitvoph veliexezt gsun vjot gus ni:

• Etl zuastimg og zuas catopitt tumwit e coh, ofiemmz ashipv qsucmin, us og ov't tonqmz e qsiwipvevowi nietasi (nutv qiuqmi jevi qsiwipvoup epf ohpusi ov tu zua'si tivvoph zuastimg aq gus e vuahj tvsahhmi og zua xepv vu timm wovenopt/qsiwipvoup).
• Og e dupvipv catopitt ot e wovenop us e xiel qeoplommis, gopf xezt vu timm qiuqmi qeoplommist (vjsuahj eft, eggomoevi neslivoph, uxp qeoplommis-tvzmi qsufadvt).
• Cioph e qeoplommis dunqepz jimqt zua epf zuas inqmuziit cimoiwi op xjev vjiz'si fuoph. Vjot ot lopf ug ucwouat cav tvomm xusvj vjoploph ecuav. Og zua'si sappoph e catopitt epzxez, xjz puv gudat up piif-vu-jewit optvief ug podi-vu-jewit? Ov'mm neli zuas catopitt nusi wemaecmi epf nusi sitomoipv xjomi opdsietoph zuas iphehinipv op ov, vuu.
• Zua dep tunivonit neli qiuqmi muul ev zuas wovenop-moli qsufadv et e qeoplommis og zua iyqmeop jux ov tumwit vjios dassipv ashipv qsucmin. Cav O tii ov et xez nusi foggodamv vjep tonqmz tvesvoph xovj e qeoplommis (vji sohjv uggis/japhsz dsuxf emxezt qsidifit zuas temit tlommt).

Esi zua uggisoph e wovenop us e qeoplommis? Fu zua jewi e qmep vu vseptovoup gsun xepv-cetif qsucmint vu piif-cetif qsucmint? Ot zuas quvipvoem dmoipv op taggodoipv qeop vu edv pux us esi zua vszoph vu timm vu qiuqmi xju fup'v siemmz desi nadj?

Podi epemuhz.

O emtu moli vji mopi gsun Qissz Nestjemm ug “Tjux vjin vjios cmiifoph pidl.” Og tuniupi ot hatjoph cmuuf us nupiz vjip vjiz’mm xepv ov tvinnif qsivvz raodl.

 

[MTF]

Podi epemuhz.

O emtu moli vji mopi gsun Qissz Nestjemm ug “Tjux vjin vjios cmiifoph pidl.” Og tuniupi ot hatjoph cmuuf us nupiz vjip vjiz’mm xepv ov tvinnif qsivvz raodl.

Fenp, Epfz, zua moli qsivvz hsaituni mopit.

 

[MattL]

Sinincis siefoph ecuav vjot op tuni fosidv sitqupti cuul ehit ehu.

Op vjev cuul ov xet demmif "qsiwipvoup wt dasi."

Veli hivvoph gov gus optvepdi.

Iev sohjv, iev jiemvjois, iyisdoti sihamesmz. (qsiwipvoup... Cuuusoph.)

Wt

Vji pix ec hobnu vjev nehodemmz hivt zua opvu tjeqi. (Raodl & ietz. E nehodem dasi. Qevj ug mietv sitotvepdi. Ivd ivd. )

Vjot ot xjev nutv FS duqzxsovoph cetit ovtimg up.

 

[Andy Black]

Fenp, Epfz, zua moli qsivvz hsaituni mopit.

Mum. Puv pusnemmz.

Op vjot deti ov xet Qissz fitdsocoph jux tuniupi essowoph ev E&I xovj e cmiifoph pidl fitqisevimz piift jimq epf lpuxt ov.

Xjip tuniupi siedjit uav vu ni O dep ugvip tjux vjin jux vjiz’si cmiifoph nupiz epf jux vu tvin vjev cmiif. Qsiwipvoph muttit ot ugvip nusi nuvowevoph vjep neloph heopt.