[#015] - A Response To My Critics

Last week's newsletter hit a nerve.

My main message that I wrote about, was the importance of consistency. And for the marketing service providers that have been following me for some time, about staying with one platform instead of hedging bets across three. What they fail to see is that trust is when your audience watches you flip-flop between recommendations. If you can’t make your mind up, why should they listen?

Within 48 hours, my I had plenty of "feedback" from marketing service providers. Some were polite about it, some less so.

The general accusation thrown at me was that my strategy of just recommending one platform rather than a buffet of options would be “blinkering people's view” – I had to unpack the complexity that they were bringing to the market by not owning “one” clear recommendation. Complexity leads to confusion, and confusion kills conversions. We need a simplified approach.

If you missed last week's newsletter read it here  

The Three Real Reasons Behind The "Pivot"

When someone who's promoted Platform A for three years suddenly starts championing Platform B, C, and D... there's usually a reason. And it's rarely about serving you better as a customer.

Here's what I've seen happening first hand to a few service providers who have been sold-out and champions for one brand, now flipping into being people that can’t decide for themselves which is the best platform to recommend.

First, they got burnt by a change in affiliate commissions. That $500 or $1,000 monthly payment they were getting, just got reduced or restructured. Panic has set in. Suddenly Platform A "has its limitations" and these other options are "worth exploring."

Second, their own costs went up after a price increase. So, they moved to a whole new platform themselves. Now they need to justify that decision. And what better way than to drag their audience along with them?

Third, they're marketing this "pivot" as a good thing. More options. More flexibility. More ways they can help. They've dressed up complications as comprehensiveness.

But all they've actually done is remove the clarity of their message.

If you have made this pivot, your audience is now asking you, who are you and how can you help them?

When you're promoting five competing platforms, those questions become impossible to answer cleanly.

For me, the path forward is simple. One platform. One offer. Fewer headaches. More profit.

In Every Niche, Clarity Matters More Than Choice

Here's something the "options crowd" doesn't understand.

Your audience isn't crying out for more choices. They're drowning in choices. What they're desperate for is someone who's done the work, made the decision, and can tell them clearly - "use this."

That's the job of every service provider looking to become a strategic advisor needs to work on. It’s not about presenting a menu. It’s about making a recommendation.

And making that recommendation requires something the platform-hoppers have lost. It requires clarity.

In every business, the job of marketing and the complete SIMPLIFY journey starts with doing one thing above all… Gaining CLARITY, in three areas…

Your AUDIENCE. Your MESSAGE. Your OFFER.

Get these right and everything else becomes simple. Get them wrong and no amount of tech, tactics, or platform-switching will save you.

CLARITY on your AUDIENCE

Most business owners describe their audience in demographics. Age range. Income bracket. Job title. Maybe some psychographics thrown in for good measure.

This isn't clarity. This is guesswork dressed up as strategy.

Real audience clarity means understanding three things deeply.

Their frustrations. What keeps them up at night? What are they sick of dealing with? What problems have they tried to solve and failed? What makes them want to throw their laptop across the room?

Their fears. What do they worry will happen if nothing changes? What's the cost of inaction? What do they secretly believe about themselves that holds them back?

Their aspirations. What does success actually look like to them? Not vague goals. Specific outcomes. Where do they want to be in 12 months? What would their life look like if their problems were solved?

When you understand frustrations, fears, and aspirations... you stop marketing to a target demographic. You start having conversations with real people about real problems.

The service providers now promoting multiple platforms? They've lost touch with this. They're thinking about their own revenue diversification, not their audience's actual needs.

CLARITY on your MESSAGE

Here's a test. Can you explain what you stand for in one sentence?

Not what you do. Not your services. Not your methodology. What you stand for.

When someone hears your name, what single idea should spring to mind?

For me, it's simplification. When people think "simplify the funnel," they think of me. That didn't happen by accident. It happened because I said the same thing, in different ways, for years.

Your message isn't a tagline. It's a flag you plant. It's the thing you return to in every piece of content, every conversation, every recommendation you make.

Your message should be something you'd be willing to defend. Something that might even make some people disagree with you.

My message upsets people who sell complexity for a living. Good. That tells me it's working.

What you're FOR matters. But so does what you're AGAINST.

I'm for simplification. I'm against the complexity merchants who make business harder than it needs to be.

I'm for one platform, one funnel, one clear path forward. I'm against the "it depends" crowd who won't commit to a recommendation.

I'm for building businesses that give you your life back. I'm against the hustle culture that treats burnout as a badge of honour.

What are you for? What are you against? If you can't answer these clearly, you don't have a message yet.

CLARITY on your OFFER

The final piece. And perhaps the most important.

Can someone look at your offer and know exactly what result they'll get from working with you?

Not features. Not deliverables. Not "6 modules and 47 video lessons." Results.

What transformation do you create? What problem do you solve? What does life look like on the other side?

The businesses I see struggling most are the ones with offer bloat. Five coaching packages. Three course options. Two membership tiers. A DIY option and a done-for-you option. And maybe some templates thrown in for good measure.

The result? Prospects paralysed by choice. Team exhausted by complexity and a business owner wondering why revenue feels so hard.

Offer clarity means this: One primary offer. One transformation. One clear decision for your prospect - yes or no.

Not "which option is right for me?" Just "do I want this result or not?"

The Compound Effect of Clarity

Here's what happens when you get clear on audience, message, and offer.

Marketing becomes simple. One message to one audience about one offer. No more juggling multiple campaigns for multiple segments.

Sales conversations shorten. When prospects already understand who you are and what you do, they show up ready to buy. No more lengthy explanations.

Delivery improves. Repetition creates mastery. When you deliver the same transformation again and again, you get better at it.

Referrals increase. Clear businesses are easy to recommend. "You should talk to Ant about simplification" is easy to say. "You should talk to someone who does Kajabi or maybe ClickFunnels or possibly this other platform depending on your needs" is not.

And stress reduces. Because you're not managing twelve different things. You're doing one thing well.

The Critics Are Losing The Plot

Back to those messages in my inbox.

The accusation that I'm "blinkering people" by recommending one platform assumes that more options equals better service.

It doesn't.

More options equals more confusion. More complexity. More time wasted evaluating instead of implementing.

My job isn't to lay out every possible path. It's to show you the path I've taken, the path I've seen work, the path I'd recommend to my best mate if they asked.

That requires conviction. It requires choosing. And yes, it requires potentially leaving money on the table from the platforms I choose not to promote.

But I'd rather earn less and serve better than hedge my bets and confuse everyone.

Your Challenge For This Week

Look at your own business through the lens of clarity.

STEP 1 | Audit Your Audience Understanding

Can you describe your ideal client's frustrations, fears, and aspirations without resorting to demographics? Write down three of each. If you can't, you need to have more conversations with actual clients.

STEP 2 | Define Your Message

Write a single sentence that explains what you stand for. Then write what you're against. Put these somewhere you'll see them daily. Everything you create should connect back to this.

STEP 3 | Simplify Your Offer

Look at everything you sell. Does each offer have a clear transformation attached? Could a prospect immediately understand the result? If not, it's time to cut or clarify.

Here's what I want you to remember.

When the world is looking to simplify, why would you start to complicate your business?

Clarity isn't limiting. Clarity is liberating.

One audience. One message. One offer. Fewer headaches. More profit.

The critics can keep their buffet of options. I'll stick with clarity.

So here's my question for you this week: Where do you need more clarity in your business?

Hit reply and tell me. I read every email.

Keep it simple,

Ant 🐜