50 marketing mistakes / Mistake #33
Mistake #33 of 50Don’t market the feature when the customer cares about the result.
Nobody cares that your machine has 14 stations. They care that 1,000 shirts show up right and on time.
What it costs you
Nobody cares about your machine.
You’re proud of your equipment. You should be. You paid a lot for it.
So it goes in the ad. The new machine. The certification. The software. The years in business.
Your customer reads it and thinks, “So what?”
They don’t want what you have. They want what it does for them.
Every feature has a result hiding behind it. If you don’t say the result, your customer won’t figure it out for you.
A real example
The diagnostic computer
An auto repair shop buys a new diagnostic computer. It isn’t cheap, and the owner is proud of it.
So the sign out front says: “Now featuring state-of-the-art computerized diagnostics.”
Nobody slows down.
A few weeks later, he changes it: “Check engine light? Know what’s wrong, and what it costs, before we touch your car.”
Same computer. Same shop.
Now the sign is about the driver, not the machine.
The computer didn’t change. The sign finally told people why they should care, and what to do about it.
Why it happens
Why the feature keeps winning
Features are about you. Results are about them.
Do this instead
Finish the sentence: “…so you can.”
Take every feature and add three words: “so you can.” Whatever comes after them is what goes in the ad.
| The feature | The result |
|---|---|
| A 14-station printing machine | 1,000 shirts that show up right and on time |
| Computerized diagnostics | You know what’s wrong, and what it costs, before we start |
| Online booking | Book at midnight, in your pajamas |
| Evening hours | Get your hair done after work, not on your lunch break |
| A certified financial planner | Know when you can retire |
| 20 years in business | We’ll still be here the next time you need us |
Do the same with everything you hand out. Your customer doesn’t want a magnet. They want to remember when to change the filter. Print the result next to your logo, and end it with your number.
Do this today
- 1
Pull up your website, your last ad or your sign.
- 2
Circle every feature: equipment, certifications, years, software.
- 3
Finish each one with “…so you can.” Write down the answer.
- 4
Swap your top line for the best result, and put your phone number right under it.
Nobody calls about your machine. They call about their problem. Sell the hole, not the drill.
Stolen from the masters · Theodore Levitt
Theodore Levitt taught marketing at Harvard Business School for years. He liked to tell his students a line he’d picked up from an old salesman:
“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole!”
Nobody wants your machine. They want what it does for them. Say that, and then tell them to call.
From the book
Chapter 8: Give It a Job
Starts on page 80. The whole chapter, plus 250+ ways to market your business, in the free book.
Download the free bookIdeas that fix it
Things that do a job.
Idea 122 · book page 322Tire Pressure Gauges$2–$6 eachLives in the glove box for years.
Idea 174 · book page 348Roadside Emergency Kits$8–$25 eachKept in the trunk for years. A lifesaver when it's needed.
Idea 82 · book page 302Key Tags & Keychains$0.50–$4 eachRides on someone's keys every single day.
Idea 86 · book page 304Magnets$0.75–$2 eachOn the fridge right when the pipe bursts.
Idea 195 · book page 359Chef Coats & Work Shirts$20–$60 eachMakes your crew look professional.Want help turning features into results?
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