Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
Whoa, that’s a LOT of whys. In fact, it’s exactly 5.
You may have heard of something called the Root Cause Analysis. The 5 Whys is a method used to determine the root cause of a problem and it’s one of my very favourite coaching techniques.
Let’s have a hypothetical look at it in action. Scroll down a bit to see it in action with emails, but first, let’s talk about using it with social media.
You come to me and tell me you’re frustrated with Facebook and are thinking of leaving the platform.
Why?
I’m frustrated because even though I’m always posting, it’s just crickets. Nothing is happening.
Why?
Well, because Facebook isn’t showing my content to anyone in my group.
Why?
Because Facebook’s algorithm is looking for a lot of posts per day and I just can’t do that.
Why?
Because I don’t have enough time and I don’t even know what posts Facebook’s algorithm wants.
Why?
Well, because Facebook’s looking for video content and frequent posts. I can’t do that. I’m too busy.
So you see, at the start of the conversation, the writer was leaving the platform but in actuality, they know what needs to be done but either aren’t willing or don’t know how to get it done.
The solution after 5 whys: So you need to go ‘all in’ on Facebook. It’s the only marketing tool you’re going to use. You’re going to learn exactly how to use it, batch your content so you’re not always in there creating and you’re going to watch a few YouTube videos to get comfortable on camera.
Then after 60 days of strategic content creation, you can decide if you’re leaving.
So, you’re wondering what to do with this method? If this was a real coaching session, I’d keep going with the whys. Five is really a guideline. There can be less or more.
If I had kept going I’d ask why they won’t create video and dive deep into the psychology of that.
Now, let’s apply it to email marketing. Here’s a very common starting point.
Client: I don’t think writing emails weekly is for me.
Why?
Because no one wants to have that much of me in their inboxes.
Why is that, do you think?
Because it’s annoying.
Why do you think it’s annoying?
Well, because they have a lot of emails hitting their inbox so a lot of my emails would just add to the clutter.
But why do you really feel that way? What if your emails were something no one should miss?
They won’t be. I’m not that interesting, and I’m terrible at writing emails.
And there’s the real problem. Not the frequency of writing emails, but confidence in what this pretend author is writing about and how they perceive their skills to be in regards to writing emails.
Next steps for this writer: Learn to use a system that allows them to plan emails with themes and then batch and schedule them.
So, before you give up on a problem, try the 5 whys to see if you can get past the surface and dig into the root of the problem, which may or may not surprise you. Then use that discovery to build a plan of attack.
Added bonus: I love using the 5 Whys on my teens. They hate it of course, but it’s so interesting to see where they take it every time they’re in trouble. See if you can annoy someone you love with this tactic LOL!
Happy Emailing,
Holly
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