A few years ago my friend Brandy Burdeniuk said something to me that I’ve repeated many times since.

“Easy is the new free.”

Are there a lot of free things out there on the internet these days? Sure.

But while that might save you money it could be very expensive in terms of your time.

People love free things but what they often want even more is easy.

But not easy in an abstract sense. They want a particular thing to be easy. They’re trying to achieve something and it’s hard for them. If you can make that thing easy for them, they won’t mind paying you a bit extra (even a lot extra).

And this is where the lack of niche is a business often shows up. There’s no particular result they’re offering that they’re trying to make easier.

What might particular results look like?

• “I have gallstones and want to keep my gallbladder but lose the stones and do it without surgery.”
• “I had a heart attack but don’t want to be on medications for the rest of my life. I want to heal naturally.”
• “I have been depressed and on medications and want to wean my way off and use a more holistic approach.”
• “I want to get rid of this back pain.”
• “I want to feel comfortable and confident in dating.”
• “I want to learn to say no without being wracked with guilt.”
• “I am still wracked with shame for something I did. I want to find a way to move forward in my life.”
• “I want to get over this heartbreak.”
• “I want to get good at selling.”
• “I want to sleep better.”

What’s often there in the place of those specific kinds of results is…

“I offer a broad array of modalities and approaches that subtly balance your whole system.”

And that focuses on what you are doing to them. It is focused on what you think they need. It’s not focused on what they are craving. And so, even if you offer that for free, it will not be as compelling as offering them help to get what they’re actually wanting in an easier, sweeter and gentler way.

Once you have a clear result you’re offering then it’s just a matter of coming up with a clear, compelling and credible offering, package, system or approach that can help them get what they want more easily.

I think of my friend Crystal’s husband in Vancouver who offers to help people identify and get of any allergy in three sessions (or he’ll keep working with you for free until it’s gone).

I think of my Niching Spiral Home Study course which is about helping people find a workable and profitable niche in 90 days.

I think of my colleague Corrina Gordon-Barnes and her ideas on how to have your blog attract more actual clients or Brad Morris’ approach to making it easier to craft your e-courses.

But, if there’s no specific result you’re offering, then there’s nothing to make easy and, because you need clients and no one seems to be responding to your generic offering of “I offer a broad array of modalities and approaches that subtly balance your whole system.” you will find yourself forced to keep reducing your price and moving closer and closer to giving it away for free.

If your business isn’t growing as fast as you’d like as yourself: am I trying to be free or to make things easy?