Tell me their first names

When a coaching client told me last week,

"I think about 20 people aren’t receiving our emails,"

that got my attention.

Twenty is scary.
Twenty feels systemic.

But a one-sentence summary is not a diagnosis.

So I said, "Let's make a list. Tell me their first names."

She searched her notes, and we wrote them down.

Twelve names.
Not twenty. Twelve.

Already the problem is 40% smaller.

Then we made a grid.

One row per person.
One column per type of issue.

Kayla missed two newsletters -- because she wasn't subscribed.
Howard missed one special subscription email -- because his membership had expired.
Four people weren't reporting email problems at all -- we'd just mentally grouped them there.

By the end, we had three people with a real, unresolved issue.

Three is manageable. Three we can analyze with clear intent.

Here's the thing:

Vague problems stay big and scary.
Named problems shrink.

When you feel overwhelmed, the best question isn't: "What's wrong with our CRM?"

It's: "Who exactly? Which exactly? How many exactly?"

Naming the specifics brings clarity.

And clarity gives you space to move forward.

All the best,
A.