Building a Brand on Effort and Hard Things | 239
Want to keep customers engaged (even when it’s hard)? Join my newsletter for strategies that actually work: https://better.biz/newsletter In this episode, I break down 4 studies with 1,600 participants that reveal a surprising truth: sometimes your customers need to suffer—but only in the right way. If you run a coaching, therapy, or experiential business, this lesson is critical for retention, referrals, and long-term results. 🧩 The Big Idea: On the material side (watches, groceries, products), suffering = bad. But on the experiential side (fitness, PT, coaching), the right kind of struggle builds identity, loyalty, and transformation. Your job? Remove friction at the wrong moments, and lean into meaningful struggle at the right ones. ⚙️ 4 Rules for Customer “Suffering” Done Right: 1. Eliminate Friction in Material Touchpoints: Checkout, signup, onboarding, access to community. Audit your process every quarter with fresh eyes. Don’t let confusion kill the initial excitement. 2. Embed Meaningful Struggle in the Work: Reaffirm that the hard part is the point. Remind them they are becoming the type of person who can do hard things. 3. Frame Challenges as Growth: Ask powerful questions: Who do you become once you finish this program? How will this program be a meaningful part of your success story? How will these lessons help you grow in other areas of life? 4. Anchor the Experience in Story: Keep weaving their answers back into future sessions. Help them connect the dots between effort, identity, and transformation. 💡 Why This Matters: Anyone can generate a “perfect” program with AI. But you anchor people to the hard work, connect it to their story, and help them stick with it long enough to see results. That’s the difference between another PDF on their desktop and a life-changing experience. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The surprising role of “suffering” in customer success 01:15 Why it kills material sales but fuels experiential growth 02:30 The onboarding gap: don’t make this mistake 04:40 Rule #1: Eliminate friction in touchpoints 06:15 Rule #2: Embed meaningful struggle 07:45 Rule #3: Frame challenges as growth (3 key questions) 10:15 Rule #4: Anchor progress in story 11:45 Final takeaway: effort is the only thing you really sell Takeaway: Don’t hide from the hard parts. Eliminate the wrong kind of suffering, but lean into the right kind. Your clients will be more committed, more loyal, and more likely to succeed—because they’ll see themselves as the kind of person who does hard things. Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jerred.moon/ My site: https://better.biz Get my book: https://bit.ly/killingcomfort #customerexperience #businessgrowth #coaching #onboarding #identityshift #tryharder #betterhumanbusiness
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