The Advanced Avatar: Pain Points in Their Words, Not Yours

Better questions create better lives.

A plumber looks under a sink and sees a broken supply hose. The homeowner does not see a supply hose. She sees water running inside her cabinet and a growing feeling that this is about to get expensive. Same sink, same moment, two completely different problems. The plumber who advertises “supply line repair” is talking to himself. The one who says “water under your sink? We stop it, quickly and permanently” is talking to her.

This is the advanced avatar. You have built the person. Now you learn to hear the problem the way they say it.

The problem behind the problem

In this stage you figure out what problems your avatar has, as they relate to your product or service. Some are deep and some are shallow. What matters is that the customer has a specific problem they can name, or, just as often, a problem they cannot quite name and only feel.

That second case is where most owners go wrong. When a customer cannot identify the root cause, they describe the symptom. Sometimes the problem they will type into a search box is the symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. Your job is to find the words that describe how the problem shows up in their life, not how it shows up in your training.

Here is the distinction to hold on to: your description is a diagnosis; their description is an experience. Marketing that leads with a diagnosis makes the customer feel like they need to already be an expert to hire you. Marketing that leads with the experience makes them feel found.

Four examples from our guide

Look at how far apart the two versions sit.

The professional’s problem: there is a leaking sink that needs to be fixed due to a broken hose. The avatar’s version: “I have water running in my cabinet under my sink and need help stopping it.”

The professional’s problem: the marriage is ending for reasons that could be fixed. The avatar’s version: “My marriage is falling apart, and I pray to God it can be saved.”

The professional’s problem: they need a gift for someone who does not need anything. The avatar’s version: “I want to give a personal gift to someone I care about that they will actually appreciate.”

The professional’s problem: they have foot pain when they walk even for short periods. The avatar’s version: “My shoes hurt my feet and I don’t know why.”

Notice the emotion in the customer’s version that is missing from the professional’s. Prayer. Care. Confusion. Nobody searches for “orthotic fitting” at eleven at night. They search for why their feet hurt. Sometimes this section of your avatar is one specific problem. Sometimes it is a handful of differently worded problems, each of which needs a slightly differently worded solution.

Now write the solution in the same language

Once you have the problem in their words, structure your solution around how they experience it, not around your process. Using the same four:

Water running under the sink becomes: “We fix leaks in your house, quickly and permanently.”

A marriage falling apart becomes: “Marriage counseling for couples who want to save their marriage, through a faith-based approach that brings people back together.”

A gift for someone who has everything becomes: “Personalized gifts people will value. The perfect gift for the person who has everything.”

Shoes that hurt for no reason becomes: “If your feet hurt even on short walks, come in for a custom orthotics fitting.”

The solution should do more than sell the fix. Ideally it appeals enough that the customer wants to buy it, wants to come back, and wants to tell someone they know. That is the standard. If your solution statement only describes what you do, it is a job description, not a brand promise.

Watch for a trap here. Look at the marriage example: faith-based. That word is only right if the avatar is religious. If your avatar is spiritual but not religious, that same offer will push them away. The solution has to match the person you built in the last lesson, not just the problem.

Keep listening

This part of your avatar will expand and change as the business grows, and the raw material comes from your customers’ mouths. Every time you close a job, ask two questions: “What was going on that made you call?” and “Why did you pick us?” Then write down their exact words, not your summary of them. That wording is how they phrase the problem, and it is how you fine-tune the message for the solution.

I see this constantly with contractors: the customer says “I just wanted someone who would actually show up,” and the contractor writes “reliability” on the website. Reliability is the diagnosis. “We actually show up” is the experience. Use the second one.

Write it their way

Take your avatar and write down three problems they have that your business solves. Write each one twice: once the way you would describe it to a colleague, once the way they would say it to a friend. Then write a one-sentence solution under each in their language. Put the best one on your homepage this week. Once you know it works, put it on the truck.

Two or three hours if you do it from memory, and it is free. It gets far better if you spend part of that time on the phone with three past customers asking why they called. Their answers will hand you your copy.