More Than Words

The B-Girls are huge (and I do mean HUGE) fans of Mike Meyers. We've seen all of his films and have always been fascinated with his innate skill for writing unique and hilarious content! One of my favorite (and I do mean favorite) movies of all time is Love Guru - not only because of how clever this film is but because there is a scene where he sings one an infamous song from my days of youth.

Saying "I love you" Is not the words I want to hear from you It's not that I want you Not to say but if you only knew

How easy, it would be to show me how you feel More than words is all you have to do to make it real Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me 'Cause I'd already know

Boy, this song get's me teary-eyed every time! It's such an iconic tune.

Why are we talking about love songs? Well, just like the theme of this beautiful love song implies, good branding is one that takes the customer beyond words.

If you asked someone why they bought from a company, often you'll get a load of intellectual answers about the quality of the product or their history of good customer service. They might talk about a feature, a price point, etcetera. etcetera.

But the truth is customers don't buy based on intellect. They buy from their heart or their gut. Neither of those fire from the logical or rational part of the brain. It comes from the part of the brain that manages emotion and feeling - the limbic system. Often something they can't explain, they buy because they experience a feeling that they like when they engage with the company, whether it's an ad, a customer service conversation or when they buy the product.

As a small business, that is your ultimate task. To evoke a feeling that compels them to buy from YOU. No one really cares about the features of your product or the MAJOR MARKDOWN you just fired off (because sales were stagnant). The truth is, they want to feel something when they buy from you.

Here's a tip. Stop selling features.

I'll say it again. Stop selling what your product does. Stop focusing on the product all together or even the solution it's DESIGNED to solve. While selling a solution to a problem is good, maybe - and go with me on this - it's better to sell them on a solution they never knew they needed to solve.

If you're selling a pen that never runs out of ink, don't sell them on the principle of ink. Try selling them on never having to ask for a pen - which touches on social anxiety, never being prepared, and not being embarrassed when you never have a pen when you need it. The options are endless - just choose the feeling you want to inspire and go for it!

What is it you want them to feel? If they can explain it, then maybe you need to go back to the drawing board.

So how do you start? The truth - practice. Practice changing your pitch and messaging one piece at a time and see where it takes you. One of two things will happen, you'll either clarify your messaging so it fits your customer or you'll better understand your customer which will help you tighten your messaging.

Just a thought from the B-Girls Archives.