Why Nobody Wants to Buy What You're Selling (And What to Sell Instead)

Have you ever thought about what you're really buying when you purchase any new product or service? 

Are you buying a dog or companionship? A 3 course meal or a night out with friends? A trip to Thailand or tropical memories? A new timepiece or a way to express style and status? No matter it’s cost or size, what we’re all really after is the end benefit or value.

What do I mean by end value? Let’s take a look at an example of a big brand— Jeep. If they were to sell their cars based on their features alone, they would simply be selling SUVs. But, no one really wants to buy an SUV for the sake of it. But, they do want to buy the lifestyle that an SUV offers— and that’s why Jeep doesn’t sell cars, they sell adventure. They don’t connect to your rational, logical side, they connect to your emotional side. Because, despite our rationalisations, we tend to buy things with our heart, not our heads.  

So, my next question for you is this—are you selling the end value of your products and services? 

You might know of or have heard of this idea before, but are you actually applying it in your business? I know I find it really easy to see the end value in other people’s businesses, but sometimes when it comes to my own business, it’s a little bit more muddy.  

How to figure out your end value

The important thing to remember is that there is an end value for every product and service. If yours is not immediately apparent to you, that’s ok! You can do this simple exercise—Devil’s Advocate.

You can ask a friend to help with this or role play yourself. Say for example, you own a landscaping business. Get your friend to ask you —’what do you do?’ Your answer might be something like ‘I offer landscaping services’.

And then get them to ask you ‘Why does that matter?’ ‘Why should I care?’ and ‘Why is that important?’ until you arrive at the real end value. You might say things like ‘to take advantage of professional landscaping expertise and equipment’ or ‘to save people time so they don’t have to do it themselves’ or ‘to create an additional living space’ before you arrive at the end real value—‘outdoor experiences and memories with friends and family.’

The aim of this exercise is to move beyond a functional description of what you do and focus on how you can make a change or impact in your customer’s lives. Once you arrive at the answer, you can include this end value in your marketing copy, visuals (photography) and language when you talk to your customers.

If you can appeal to your customer’s core motivations by highlighting the real end value of what you do, you’re no longer selling products or services, you’re selling memories, wellbeing, feelings and experiences. And those things are priceless.  

Are you using the end value of your products or services in your marketing? Let me know in the comments!

If you liked this article, or found it useful, why not share it with someone who could use some help selling the end value of their offerings?