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Problem Generation Matrix: Map Every Customer Problem Before, During, and After — Then Solve Them All

The Framework

The Problem Generation Matrix from Alex Hormozi's $100M Offers is the divergent-thinking tool used in Steps 1-2 of the Five-Step Offer Creation process. The matrix maps every problem the customer faces across three temporal phases — before they start your solution, while they're using it, and after they've achieved the result — creating an exhaustive problem inventory that becomes the raw material for designing solutions, delivery methods, and bonuses.

The Three Temporal Phases

Before (Pre-Purchase Problems). What problems exist before the customer starts your solution? These are the problems that brought them to you — the pain, the frustration, the failed previous attempts, the confusion about which approach to try. But they also include problems the customer doesn't yet realize they have: lack of knowledge about what success requires, unrealistic expectations about timeline, fear of failure based on past experience, social pressure from people who don't support the decision.

Mapping pre-purchase problems informs your marketing: each problem is a headline, an ad hook, or a content topic. When your marketing articulates a problem the customer recognizes but hasn't verbalized, you create the "they understand me" reaction that Hormozi calls "the pain is the pitch." Voss's labeling technique from Never Split the Difference operates on the same principle: naming a pain the customer feels but hasn't expressed creates instant trust.

During (Mid-Experience Problems). What problems arise while the customer is using your solution? These are the implementation obstacles that cause dropout and dissatisfaction: the learning curve is too steep, they don't have time, they don't have the right tools, they feel overwhelmed by options, they encounter unexpected setbacks, they lose motivation in the boring middle phase, they face social resistance from family or colleagues who don't understand the process.

Mapping during problems informs your delivery design: each problem becomes either a feature to include (a tool that eliminates a step), a bonus that addresses an obstacle (a done-for-you meal plan that removes nutrition confusion), or a support mechanism (weekly check-in calls that sustain motivation). Hormozi's Product Delivery Cheat Codes from Chapter 10 provide the delivery frameworks for addressing each during-problem at the lowest cost and highest perceived value.

After (Post-Result Problems). What problems emerge after the customer achieves the initial result? These are the problems that create upsell opportunities and long-term retention: maintaining the results (weight regain prevention), advancing to the next level (from beginner to intermediate), applying the methodology to new domains (from personal fitness to competitive training), and dealing with new challenges that success creates (fitting into new clothes, managing new social dynamics).

Mapping after-problems informs your upsell strategy: each post-result problem is a Classic Upsell opportunity ("You can't have X without Y") that the customer doesn't realize they'll need until they achieve the initial result. Designing these upsells in advance means you're ready to present them at the exact moment the customer becomes aware of the need.

The Matrix Structure

Hormozi prescribes listing problems in a grid format: rows are the temporal phases (before, during, after), and columns can be organized by problem category (logistics, emotional, social, financial) or by customer segment (if you serve multiple segments within the same offer). The exhaustive listing — without filtering or evaluating during the divergent phase — produces 30-100+ problems for most offers.

The Convergent-Divergent Thinking Cycle from the same chapter governs the process: generate the matrix without evaluation (divergent phase, 20+ minutes of unfiltered brainstorming), then evaluate and prioritize (convergent phase, selecting the highest-impact problems to solve). The Trim & Stack methodology then converts the prioritized problems into an optimized offer: high-value/low-cost solutions stay in; low-value/high-cost solutions are cut.

Cross-Library Connections

Fisher's interest mapping from Getting to Yes is the negotiation equivalent: before proposing solutions, map every interest (need, concern, motivation) for every party involved. Fisher's principle — understand interests before inventing options — is structurally identical to Hormozi's — understand problems before designing solutions. Both prevent the most common creation error: building solutions for problems that don't exist while ignoring problems that do.

Dib's Leaky Bucket Diagnosis from Lean Marketing is a marketing-specific Problem Generation Matrix: map every point where prospects leak out of the funnel (before: don't find you; during: don't convert; after: don't retain). Each leak point is a problem to solve.

Hughes's Human Needs Map from Six-Minute X-Ray adds a psychological dimension to the matrix: beyond the logistical and practical problems, each customer has an emotional need (significance, approval, acceptance, intelligence, pity, strength) that the solution either serves or ignores. Including the emotional dimension in the matrix produces offers that satisfy both the rational and emotional purchase motivations.

Implementation

  • Set 25 minutes on a timer. No evaluation allowed. Write every problem you can think of across all three temporal phases. Target 50+ problems minimum.
  • Organize into the Before/During/After grid. Group problems by temporal phase. Add subcategories (logistical, emotional, social, financial) if the list is long enough.
  • Survey 10 current or past customers with "What was your biggest challenge before, during, and after the program?" Their language will reveal problems you didn't anticipate.
  • Apply the Trim & Stack filter to prioritize: which problems are most painful (highest customer impact) and cheapest to solve (lowest delivery cost)? These are your highest-ROI offer components.
  • Design one solution for each top-priority problem using the Product Delivery Cheat Codes. Each solution becomes either a core offer component, a bonus, or an upsell — depending on its strategic position in the Problem-Solution Cycle.

    • 📚 From $100M Offers by Alex Hormozi — Get the book