Becoming Indispensable: Answering the Questions Google Can't

How often to you ask yourself what your goal is with your business? If it's not something you've considered recently, you might want to think about it.

Everyone's answers will vary to a certain degree and some might change over time. But one goal that will probably stay consistent is the need to fill a void: providing a service or selling a product that someone can't get anywhere else - at least not the way you accomplish it.

This has gotten increasingly difficult as technology has gotten smarter. There are so many things that we used to rely on people for that we can now just plug into our computers and some sort of algorithm will spit out a solution. This means we have to find creative solutions to become indispensable.

It's Easier Than You Think

It's possible that the answer is as simple as just being ourselves. Our very humanness is something that technology cannot replicate. Take, for example, the financial industry. Yes, there's a lot of talk about FinTech but where that falls short is taking into account the attention and personal answers I might get from talking to a person; that cannot be replicated by a computer.

It's true for many other industries as well. For example, right now I'm trying to get new window treatments for my house. Yes, I could measure all my windows and just order something, but I'd rather talk to someone, get their opinion on what would work best, and receive the personal attention of a project manager. I don't want to outsource it to something faceless. I want a human.

Becoming indispensable has everything to do with how you market yourself and what you're putting out there in the world. If you're providing one-of-a-kind service, I would imagine that you get a lot of word-of-mouth referrals - people love what you do, how you treat them, and they're excited to share that with their family and friends.

So, what you put out through your marketing needs to advertise to new people that you and only you can do what you do OR confirm to the people who've heard about you that you're exactly what they're looking for. In order to do this, you can't use whitepaper content or verbiage on your website, blog, or vlog that someone can get anywhere - it has to come from YOU, telling the reader what you think and how you can best serve them.

Here is an interesting question to ask when you're creating content that lets people know you're one-of-a-kind and indispensable:

What question can I answer for my ideal client that they can't find by asking Google?

See, if you Google something, you're likely going to get definitions. Many times you'll get an automated answer to your question.

Question: How do I retire early?

Google Answer: Well, you can do these 5 things.

What you're not getting is the human answer to the question. You're getting the answer for "how does someone possibly retire early?" not "how do I (ME) specifically retire early?"

Google can't do that because it's not meeting with you, hearing your needs, taking your goals into account, and then answering the question.

Just like me with my window treatments. I could Google "how do I get new window treatments?" and I'm sure it would pull up a website where I could plug in my measurements and something will get shipped to me. But it's not listening to how the summer sun is brutal in my family room or that I have a hard time sleeping because of the light in my bedroom. I'll have a human come over, look around, listen to my needs, and make suggestions.

That level of service is indispensable to me.

Now, I realize that it's almost impossible to create website content that's universal enough to explain what you do while also specific enough to answer someone's question about their personal needs.

But even though that seems impossible, that feeling - that HUMAN feeling - should be the goal of everything you put out into the digital world.

"I am your person."

"I provide something you can't get anywhere else."

"It's worth your time to email or call me because I'll take care of you."

By providing that level of service and assurance, you're giving people something that technology will never be able to master.

You will be indispensable.