Selling Outcomes: Market Transformational Value Over Features
Customers don’t actually buy your products or services. They buy how those offerings will transform something for the better in their business or life. The most effective marketing focuses on outcomes over features - communicating the aspirational future state your brand can deliver versus technically explaining product capabilities.
Let’s explore why selling outcomes beats selling products along with real-world examples of brands nailing this future-focused marketing.
Why Outcomes Trump Products
There are cognitive and emotional factors driving customer bias towards outcomes-based messaging:
It’s More Tangible & Relatable Outcomes describe specific end results that customers intuitively comprehend and connect to their own goals. Features focus on generic capabilities using industry jargon only your engineers understand. Make it crystal clear what’s actually in it for them.
It Activates Decision Shortcuts
Customers lack time for complex feature analysis. They rely on mental shortcuts that simplify choices. Outcomes-based messaging provides that instant clarity showcasing what your brand specifically can do for them that alternatives cannot.
It’s More Emotionally Compelling Features are logical but outcomes pull heartstrings. The aspirational future state you paint is powerful motivation. “Before and after” style contrast showcasing how their reality improves is highly convincing.
It Positions Value Over Price Cost-focused buyers anchor too much on price comparing line items. Transformational outcomes reframe perspective - value soars above costs. Customers pay premiums for products that truly change outcomes.
Real-World Examples
Let’s explore brands excelling at outcome-focused marketing:
Peloton They don’t actually sell smart exercise bikes with digital screens. They sell “the best fitness of your life” - envisioning motivating instructors and communities inspiring members daily to previously unimaginable levels of athletic ability, health markers, and confidence. Messaging spotlights the future vision over machinery specs.
Slack Slack doesn’t promote organizational chat software. They sell “less chaos, more clarity” and “all your communication, clear and organized” - a future state of streamlined productivity and workplace transparency only achievable through adopting their tool - not focusing on features but the ultimate outcome.
HubSpot
Rather than generically touting their growth platform features, HubSpot sells the outcome of “scaling together” - conveying how their automation and analytics will unlock transformational trajectories for entire business growth markers - revenue, customers, ROI - that can’t be achieved without their unique solution capabilities changing futures.
Key Takeaways
When strategizing your own outcome-centric marketing:
Spotlight only the 1 or 2 most compelling transformations - don’t water down the messaging trying to cover every possible outcome. Customers connect best with ultra-specific future visions.
Quantify the improvements forecasted - showcase before and after with impressive stats and visuals proving the massive contrast unlocked by your solution that competitors can’t touch.
Get customers imagining themselves already experiencing the benefits in their improved future state courtesy of your offering - trigger that vision consistently through the buyer’s journey.
While features communicate what your product technically does, outcomes describe what your brand can ultimately do for your customer - the all important emotional and functional jobs-to-be-done. Selling transformations makes products relatable and memorable. Competitors fade to commodity when you consistently keep strategic focus on marketing outcomes over mere products.
20th December 2023