Your customer really only wants ONE thing.

Granted, they will give you a long list of wants akin to a 5-year-old writing their yearly letter to Santa Claus.

Some with asks that are just as insane.

(No, Karen, one LinkedIn post will not generate 100 leads for you.)

Even our customers have a lont list of wants:

• Clarity for their business
• A system for generating leads
• Credibility and authority in the market
• Streamlined offers to make fulfillment easier
• Clear messaging that actually converts prospects
• A design and website that reflects their new position

The list goes on and on.

Imagine trying to create messaging for each of those desires — covering every single want in a single tagline and one-liner that makes your ideal customers say "YES!".

After creating 145+ brand strategies, let me tell you: that's impossible.

You see, beneath each of those wants lies a core desire.

The transformation your customer actually wants — and the transformation you should capture in your message.

Here's how to dig it out so you can write a more compelling brand message.

Uncover Their Core Desire

You've heard marketers say to "sell the outcome, not the features."

Finding your customer's core desire will help you determine the outcome you should sell.

Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Document Every Want

There is power in knowing that Santa Claus-style list of wants — they all point to that underlying core desire.

So, create that laundry list of wants.

Every want, every desire, every thing a customer has ever said they wanted from you, get that down on paper (or a digital document for you youngsters).

We have a section in our Customer Profile that lists our ideal customers' wants.

Start with that list.

Step 2: Interview them

Next, get your ideal customers on Zoom and ask:

What do you want from a solution like ours?

Don't make assumptions here and please, for the love of everything sassy, don't let AI guess for you.

You need to get this list directly from your ideal customers.

Those insights can come from:

• Recorded sales calls
• Past consultations or workshops
• Surveys they've already filled out

But the best insights come when you ask them directly.

Step 3: Ask them "Why does that matter" five times

The 5 Whys is a root cause analysis developed by Sakichi Toyoda for the Toyota Production System.

It peels away layers of symptoms and assumptions to find underlying causes.

Here's how it works:

• Ask your customer what they want: more leads
• Why that matters: We don't have enough leads right now.
• Why that matters: We need more leads to drive sales.
• Why that matters: I'm worried we won't hit our revenue goals.
• Why that matters: If we don't, the business will struggle.
• Why that matters: This business is my source of income and identity.

That last Why is the root cause of what they want.

They don't really want more leads.
They want to know their bills will be paid and their identity will be in tact.

Understand that core desire can help you create messaging that resonates.

Step 4: Look for alignment with your solution

Take that last Why and figure out how it aligns with your solution.

For example, I don't tell our prospective customers that we solve their personal identity issues.

Yes, we create brand identities, but Shft is not in the business of dealing with your insecurities as a person.

But, that core desire does align with something we do:

Create predictable growth from ideal customers at premium prices

We even have that in our Customer Profile ↓

Your brand message should focus on that core desire.

That's why Shft's tagline is, and will always be: Become the Only Choice

It alludes to the core desire (predictable growth from ideal customers) without outright stating it.

But that idea of revenue and predictable growth is found in all of our content and marketing copy.

Speak to Their Core Desires

Wrap your marketing, content, and sales copy around that core desire.

State it on your website, in your pitch deck, in sales calls and the content you put out. Imbed it so deeply in their minds that when they read it, they resonate with it.

That's how you create compelling messaging — copy that resonates with your ideal customers and moves them to action.

Give it a try.

If you get stuck and need help, don't hesitate to reach out.

Until next week,

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼

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PS - Get me to write your message for you with our Brand OS System. Learn more here.​