People don't want a better version of the thing they're already struggling with. They want a way out.
That’s one of the most important shifts I’ve made in how I think about marketing, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
There’s a concept I keep coming back to, and Russell Brunson talks about it in Expert Secrets, it’s called the New Opportunity.
The idea is simple: when you go to market something, you have two choices. You can position what you offer as an improvement offer, meaning you’re trying to fix something your customer is already doing. Or you can position it as a new opportunity, something they’ve never done before that promises a better outcome altogether.
Improvement offers are a tough sell. When someone is already frustrated with something, the last thing they want to hear is “here’s a slightly better version of the same headache.” They’re done. They want out.
The New Opportunity is the exit door.
Steve Jobs Didn't Fix the Phone. He Replaced It.
Think about what Steve Jobs did for Apple, (an “ok” product that’s not as good as Samsung. Yes, I said it!) When he introduced the iPhone, there were already phones on the market. Blackberry’s were everywhere. But Jobs didn’t come out and say, “Here’s a better BlackBerry.” He came out with something completely different.
Full touchscreen. Thousands of apps. A whole new way to interact with a device. It wasn’t an upgrade, it was a new category.
He did the same thing with music. Before the iPod, you could buy a CD, a cassette, or a vinyl record. Music existed. But he didn’t improve the CD player, he created a new opportunity for how we listen to music entirely. And the world followed.
That’s the power of positioning something as new.
How I Applied This in My Own Business
Here’s where it gets practical. One of the things I tie into my social media management and digital marketing work is helping people stay productive while they’re creating content consistently.
Now, I could have come out and said, “Here’s a better content calendar spreadsheet.” But here’s the problem, nobody is excited about a spreadsheet. They’re already using one. They’re already frustrated with it. It’s clunky, it gets messy, and they hate it.
So instead, I created a new opportunity.
I built a full content planning system inside Notion, a free app, that handles everything in one place. Facebook, Instagram, short-form video, and long-form video. All organized, all connected, all free to download, and a way to collect your ideas before you create. It’s not a “better spreadsheet.” It’s a completely different, better, and easier way to approach content planning.
That’s the difference. Same problem being solved, but the positioning changes everything.
Oh and if you want my all-in-one content planning system, CLICK HERE!
So what’s next?
Look at the service or product you offer right now. Ask yourself honestly: am I positioning this as an improvement on something they’re already doing? Or am I offering them a true new opportunity?
If it’s the former, it might be time to reframe. You don’t always need a new product, sometimes you just need to package and position what you already have differently.
Give them a door they haven’t walked through yet. That’s where the magic is.
This Week's Quote
"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."
