Sell by Educating: The Problem-Solution Script
Anchor a buyer in their problem first so they pull the solution out of you
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 88%
Cole reframes selling as education. Because the real bottleneck is that a buyer doesn't yet know the problem they have, you open by anchoring them in that problem: state the problem, the reason it is happening, and the ultimate negative consequence of ignoring it. Only after they care about the problem do you introduce the solution and its positive outcome. Delivered as 'free consulting', the approach makes the prospect feel helped rather than pitched, so they pull the offer out of you ('is that what you do?') instead of being pushed. Tone carries the method: talk to everyone as if you've been friends for ten years, operate from abundance ('I'm actually full'), and never let it sound like a pitch. The same structure works in a text, an email, a Loom, or a live call.
Origin
Cole developed the problem-then-solution script running a ghostwriting agency and teaches it in Premium Ghostwriting Academy. Extracted from Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal.
Core principles
- 01People cannot care about the solution until they care about the problem
- 02Everything you send should feel like free consulting, not a pitch
- 03You are never selling; you are giving someone an opportunity
- 04Abundance energy attracts buyers; scarcity energy repels them
How to run it
- 1
Do your homework
Research the person's business, specialty, and likely problem before any contact. Understanding their industry earns the right to a reply.
Pro tip Referencing that you read their book or bought their course multiplies your reply rate.
Watch out Never apply on Upwork/Fiverr terms; it hands away all pricing power.
- 2
Anchor them in the problem
Open with the problem they have, the reason it's happening, and the worst consequence of not fixing it. This makes it impossible for them to tune out.
Pro tip For a surgeon: 'you want higher-quality patients, your site isn't optimized, so you just hope customers walk in.'
- 3
Present the solution and outcome
Only once they care about the problem, describe the solution and the positive result it produces.
Pro tip Give a couple of concrete sample topics so the solution feels effortless.
- 4
Let them ask for the price
Wait for them to say 'so how much?' or 'is that what you do?' before quoting. The buyer pulls the offer out of you.
Pro tip Quote calmly and add 'happy to help' rather than defending the number.
Watch out If you lead with the pitch, they feel it in 30 seconds and disengage.
In the wild
Cole scripts it word for word: text a family-friend surgeon asking how he currently gets patients, surface that Google ads aren't working, then get him on a call. On the call: problem (you want minimally-invasive-surgery patients but can't find them), reason (unoptimized site, no LinkedIn content), consequence (you just hope patients walk in), then solution (educate people on LinkedIn, move them to email, retarget) and outcome (control over lead flow). Only then: 'three grand a month, I need 30 minutes of your time.'
→ The prospect feels educated, not pitched, and asks for the price himself.
Common mistakes
Leading with the pitch
Opening a Loom or DM with 'I've got an exciting idea for your business' broadcasts a sale and gets archived in seconds.
Selling from scarcity
Sounding like you need the client signals nobody wants to work with you, which repels the buyer.
Is it for you?
Best for
Freelancers and service providers doing warm or cold outreach who freeze up when selling.
Not ideal for
Transactional commodity sales where the buyer already knows exactly what they want.
From the transcript
“they can't care about the solution until they care about the problem”
“you don't talk in sales you talk in education you will make money forever”
“you are never selling anything to anyone you are giving them an opportunity”
From the episode
How to Make $10k/Month as a Writer - Nicolas Cole
Nicolas Cole