Originally posted on Twitter by Wes Kao
Most companies suck at communicating the value of their product or service.
Here’s how to instantly show your value as curated by Wes Kao:
- Pour salt on the wound.
No pain, no sale. People will only value your solution if they value their problem. If they don’t think their problem is that bad, they won’t pay you to solve it. When in doubt, emphasize the pain. Painkillers sell better than vitamins.
- Use before-and-after.
An effective before-and-after skips all the boring parts. It’s like a jump cut in a movie. It emphasizes contrast. This heightens drama and interest. The best before-and-afters make you say wow.
- Use both brand and performance marketing tactics.
Focus on performance marketing:
• Better: short-term conversion
• Worse: long-term brand equity
Focus on brand marketing:
• Better: long-term brand equity
• Worse: short-term conversion
- Don’t jump right to the solution.
Explain:
• How much money the problem is costing,
• The frequency and magnitude of the problem,
• How it’s making your customer’s life hard,
Then talk about your product as the solution and how you’ll make their problem go away.
- Show, don’t tell.
I came across AI-driven software that reduces background noise on Zoom calls. Their website has a toggle “on” and “off” button where you can hear a sound sample without vs with their tool. It instantly sold me. That demo was worth 10,000 words.
- Increase desire, don’t just decrease friction.
People jump through hoops for things they want. Did you pick your spouse because they were the most convenient option? Of course not. You picked them despite needing to overcome obstacles. We tend to focus on removing friction because it feels comfortable. There’s a checklist of ways to do it. There’s less of a formula for increasing desire–which makes it all the more worthwhile. There’s upside potential that fewer people attempt to tap into.
- Explain “why now?”
Your customer isn’t only thinking: “Is this product helpful?”
Most folks might AGREE your product is good – but they still won’t buy.
What they’re really thinking: “Do I need this enough to pay cash right now? Or can I do this later?”
Later = never
- Be/Do/Have.
This is a classic framework in coaching, but applies to marketing.
• What does your product let your customer *be* that they weren’t before?
• What can they *do* now that they couldn’t do before?
• What do they *have* now that they didn’t have before?
- Aim for “no-brainer status.”
You need to aim for an instant yes. Not a yes after 100+ touchpoints of nurturing. Think about what features, benefits, and value would get that reaction. You likely won’t get an instant yes. But if you aim for it, it’ll speed up getting there.
- Do what makes their eyes light up (ELU).
You can tell when people listen to be polite. But there are moments when a spark of aliveness flashes in their eyes. You just said something they care about. Watch for ELU. It’s data on what to do more of.
- Avoid backstory scope creep.
This applies to showing your value via email, pitches, or calls. It’s easy to get carried away sharing background info that’s boring & not helpful for customers. Remove 90% of it. You need less backstory than you think.
- Appeal to “people like us.”
“People like us” refers to whichever groups your customer might identify with. Create a situation where it seems like everyone they know is already using your product. To feel like they belong, they should too. All the best brands do this.
- Focus on what your customer wants to hear, not what you want to talk about.
This is an easy way to decide what to trim from your pitch. Ask yourself: What would change your audience’s behavior? Focus there. I call this Strategy, Not Self-Expression.
- Consider overhauling.
If you’re struggling to describe your product’s value, figure out if the problem is
A) the marketing
B) the offer itself
If your underlying offer isn’t good, no amount of improving the positioning will help.
*****
Shupav Group is supporting business owners to build and scale successful brands in Africa. We do this through pioneering Digital Marketing, PR & Communications, and Sales Enablement solutions. www.shupav.com
