Sell the outcome, not the product, to satisfy your ideal customers every time — tips for copywriters
How do you get your ideal customer to pull out their credit card and buy now? Sell the outcome, not the product.
[The year was 2020].
I fumbled my way into copywriting by accident.
When COVID-19 reached the Netherlands, my old department became the first casualty, and my team was let go as a cost-saving exercise.
“I have something to tell you… We have to close the Revenue Sharing Department as you won’t be able to perform your role from home,” said my manager at the time.
Due to strict GDPR rules and other factors, my job was not transferable to the ‘new normal’ of working from home. Losing my team and zero-stress role was devastating, but luckily, I was allowed to apply for a new job within the same company.
I have a background in marketing and communications, and I always loved wordplay; therefore, I jumped at the chance to join the Content Team as a copywriter.
“No problem! It will be an easy transition with my English language and teaching qualifications from Cambridge” (or so I thought).
I was wrong!
Learning copywriting from scratch with Tasmin Henderson.
It didn’t take me long to realise that copywriting was a whole new ball game. But the good news is that everyone can learn to write with clarity over cleverness.
Everyone can develop a voice. All it takes are some simple techniques.
“Good copy sells. It gives you a distinct competitive advantage and offers the biggest bang for your marketing buck. But writing effective copy isn’t easy. It’s a nuanced blend of art, science, experience, and sheer hard work.” — Tasmin Henderson.
Tasmin became my go-to tutor for learning the trade. Incidentally, she’s still my favourite mentor — her courses are jampacked with value, and she’s a lovely person whose mission is to help introverts with imposter syndrome like me.
Disclaimer: This is NOT a paid plug, but I highly recommend her Complete Copywriting course and others on Udemy.
Big words are kryptonite if you want to appeal to one buyer effectively.
At first, I made the mistake of writing in a style that appealed to my love of big words.
I quickly realised that copywriting has little to do with my preferences and everything to do with serving and appealing to one potential buyer (yes, just one).
In the words of Marie Forleo, you gotta ‘simplify to amplify’ to write effective and persuasive copy (and yes, the Copy Cure is worth the investment, too).
You need to make each buyer think you wrote the copy or made the product for them. And them alone.
Copyselling is not a spectator sport for the masses. There’s no ‘we’ in a tailor-made offer for ‘you’ and your loved ones.
It’s not as hard or sleazy as it sounds when you understand that the trick is to meet a need or solve a problem with as little effort as possible. You have to write in a way that allows the reader to visualise themselves using the product (it’s the secret sauce that leads to sales).
Long story short, you’re selling the outcome, not the product.
How to sell the outcome, not the product.
It’s easier to do this when you focus on a product’s benefits instead of its features (fondly known as USPs or Unique Selling Points).
Want to sell a plane ticket to New York? Sell the means to get from A to B. Sell the idea of arriving in style after a comfortable journey across the Atlantic Ocean so your customer can arrive fresh and ready to explore Central Park.
Want to sell file recovery software? Sell the peace of mind of being able to recover lost or deleted files — no matter what.
Want to sell an exercise app? Sell the opportunity to banish boring workouts for good and the chance to stick to a routine from the comfort of your own home. Who doesn’t want to look their best by implementing an easy-to-follow routine?
Even if you’re selling everyday products like shampoo, you can focus on the fact that panthenol will penetrate the hair for a thicker, shinier mane. In other words, you’re offering someone beautiful locks that will turn heads and get them noticed.
USPs are your secret weapon.
Want to satisfy a customer enough for them to pull out their credit card? Highlight the product’s benefits or USPs and craft your message with one customer in mind.
It’s how you frame things that matter when it comes to sales.
Like in real life, reframing stressful or traumatic events is sometimes better! Twenty-two of my colleagues were laid off at the start of COVID-19. It sucked, and I still miss my team and everyone that left.
Luckily for me, an act of serendipity — and the drive to learn something new — gave me the chance to forge a new career. I still have a lot to learn (I don’t have all the answers), but I love the challenge.
The future belongs to those willing to craft and design a new path.
All you need are some simple techniques to reframe features into benefits, a rinse-and-repeat process, and the will to unlearn how you were taught to write so you can write effective copy.
When you learn to focus on the benefits of rejection (like the rejection of losing a job), you can reframe any event into believing rejection is simply a redirection toward the path you’re meant to travel.
Granted, this is just a fancy way of saying, ‘everything happens for a reason,’ but it’s true nonetheless.
In conclusion, if you want to satisfy a customer enough for them to pull out their credit card, be sure to sell the benefits or the outcome of the product — let your customer visualise themselves using it.
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Want to learn more about copywriting or creating your own freelance business? Check out OnlineBusinessAcademy.com, where you can learn it all. (Full disclosure: there’s absolutely no obligation to join via this affiliate link).