What I’m about to say might shock a few people.

I believe that ‘product’ is one of the most overrated word in marketing.

Yep. I said it.

Let me tell you why.

Here's a list of the most common questions people ask me.

➢ How can I sell my product?

➢ What's the best product I could sell to my audience?

➢ What should I optimize about the product I currently have?

All these questions about the product.

Product here, product there.

As if the product was the most important thing there is.

I get where this might come from.

A product is ‘simple’ to get.

It’s there. You can look at it. You can criticize it. You can see if it ‘makes sense’ or not.

Yet, thinking this way is tricky.

Here’s why.

What I usually tell people about it instills a weird reaction.

Ready?

Here it is.

When it comes to selling stuff, products are irrelevant.

Some people feel confused.

Some people show interest.

Some don't believe I make sense.

Until they hear me proving this very same concept in a few sentences.

That's what this post is going to be about.

Let's begin.

My name is Nick Tribe and I’m a DJ, marketer, and entrepreneur.

I’ve spent the last few years studying from the most successful marketers & entrepreneurs worldwide.

I’ve read countless books, attended countless courses, and devoured countless pieces of information on marketing and entrepreneurship.

I’m now building a marketing company that starts, grows, and monetize brands leveraging AI, direct response marketing, and sales funnels.

Join me and follow along as I learn, apply, and share marketing insights to build my million-dollar business.

Pay attention to the following copy.

Done? Good.

Now, let me ask you:

What product or service is this ad promoting?

Huh. That’s tricky.

If you noticed, the ad doesn’t mention any product or service.

It could be a gym membership, a workout routine, a supplement pack.

It could even be a Fitness App, a Personal Trainer pitch, or an energy drink.

Kinda crazy if you think about it.

Truth is, it doesn’t matter.

That’s because when it comes to promotion, products and services are almost irrelevant.

What matters is what the products or services DO for the customers.

In other words...

They’re not buying the product or service.

They’re buying the transformation.

They’re buying a better future.

They’re buying a better version of themselves.

In the book “Sell Futures, Not Features”, the author Michael Killen explains this point clearly:

In today’s world, marketing & sales are about empathy.

Meaning:

If we understand the problems people have, we can create messages that resonate with their stories.

Then, we can provide valuable solutions.

Those solutions should be the offers. The thing we want to give people in exchange for money — products, services, whatever you want to sell.

This is what a marketer actually does.

A marketer’s job is to present the offer in a way that makes people want to take action on it.

The way to do this effectively is by telling your target audience stories so they can clearly see their future.

And in their future, you help them achieve or become something.

When they buy into the future you are trying to sell them, buying the product becomes the next logical step.

You don’t have to promote products or services.

You have to help them become a better version of themselves.

If you can do that, selling becomes easier, fun, and enjoyable.

Because it becomes a way to help people improve themselves.

It becomes a way to lead them to a better future.

It becomes something we look forward to doing, rather than something to avoid or be ashamed of.

Products or services are irrelevant.

The future of people matters.

And that’s where you should put your focus on, no matter what you sell.

How To Implement This Tactic To Sell More

"Ok, Nick. Cool. It all sounds wonderful. But how can I implement this tactic to actually sell something?"

Good question.

The way to do that for your business is pretty simple.

Stop focusing on what your product or service is.

Concentrate on what your products or services do for your customers.

Then, when making marketing collateral (a sales letter, or a social media post etc.) exclude the product or service name.

Follow the example at the beginning of this post, and tell a story describing the future.

Describe what happens after people buy your stuff.

How do they feel?

What kind of changes do they experience?

What are they able to do as a result of their purchase?

Make a list of all these things.

Then start putting together your marketing message in a story that’s compelling.

You can use the “ad” presented at the beginning of this post as a template.

Then, go out there and test it.

After doing so, it will either work out or not.

If it doesn’t, it might be for one of these two reasons:

You either displayed a wrong future, or addressed the wrong audience.

So you can either change the copy, the hook, the story...

Or the audience altogether.

No matter what the cause is, talking about people’s future is the only way to find out.

Sounds good?

Hope this brought value to you.

Talk soon,

Nick