Office Space can tell you whether a startup’s marketing will succeed.

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There’s a question in it that every founder needs to know the answer to - but the majority don’t.

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“What would you say you DO here?”

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Two consultants were hired to run interviews to find out who to fire. In a particularly contentious meeting with the flustered, always-nervous Tom, the lack of clarity he provides about his duties prompts that famous question.

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It’s the question I ask every new client that I partner with.

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If they can fire off that sentence on command, wonderful. Our strategy, copy and branding is built upon that foundation and we save time.

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If their answer is rambling like Tom, we drop everything and craft that one sentence answer. 

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So….founders. Indulge me for ten seconds. Ask yourself “what do we DO here?”

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Can you immediately answer it in one sentence?

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Because if you can’t, how do you expect prospective customers to understand what you do? If you can’t articulate it yourself, there’s zero chance that they’ll do the work for you.

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Not to worry though. Here’s the simple formula that works so well (yet is missed by the majority of founders).

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“Our [product/service] helps [target market] accomplish [desirable action] in a [tangibly advantageous] way.”

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For example:

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• “Our agency helps early-stage founders build a compelling brand to go from 0-100 customers quickly”
• “We build lightweight doors for prefabricated home builders that reduce costs and weight when transporting modules to job sites.”
• “Our animal print compression socks keep diabetic patients comfortable in a stylish, mood-lifting way.”

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Being so close to their solution and knowing the intricacies of their market makes it easy for founders to forget that this is the singular question they must answer before launching and scaling.

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If you can’t answer it, no amount of marketing budgets, campaigns or swag will grow you. Your customers should know exactly what you do within a few seconds of any interaction with your company. It’s not their job to figure it out, and they know that.

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Answer it. Then tell everybody.