Why No One is Buying What You’re Selling

Do you have a great product to sell, but no one is buying?

If you’re promoting your products by merely showing pictures of it in its current state, and only describing what the item is in your copy, you’re probably not sending the message most people want to hear when they’re in the market for whatever it is you’re selling.

Think about a packet of flower seeds. When you see a packet of flower seeds, the photo on the front doesn’t show what the seeds look like. It shows what the flowers are going to look like once they grow.

It’s sending a visual message of what the product can be. The end result. It’s aspirational, and people fucking love aspiration. It tells the person the outcome - what’s going to happen when they purchase that item (given they actually plant them, and water them, and so on).

People are emotional beings. They want to feel and understand. They want to know they’re being taken care of. They want to know you can take care of them.

There’s a term in branding and marketing often referred to as “pain points.” When you can show that you’re solving a pain point for a customer, they’re more likely to buy.

There’s adversely a term called “pleasure points.” And the same general philosophy applies. When you can show a customer that you’re adding more pleasure to their life, they’re more likely to buy.

I once got into a disagreement with someone about this, and maybe you’re on their side. But in my mind, these are essentially the same thing. You’re solving a problem. Whether that’s them wanting more joy and ease or wanting less friction and stress.

With buying flower seeds, the pain point is more of a pleasure point – the point being a person wants more pretty flowers, or something along those lines. The pain point could be “I don’t have enough flowers. I don’t have these flowers. I NEED MORE FLOWERS. It makes me sad.” The pleasure point is “I’d like to have more flowers because they bring me joy.”

For this flower seed analogy, I’m going to go a step further to make a stronger argument for using pain points. A pain point for a customer who wants to grow more flowers could be that seeds aren’t right for them. They take too long to grow from seed. They don’t have enough time, resources, knowledge, or skill to grow from seeds. So, what do they need? A little baby plantling. They need an item that’s removed the struggle period of getting the seed to germinate and start growing. A jumpstart if you will.

Here, whether you’re buying seeds or plantlings, the pleasure point is the same. But the pain point is much different. And thus, would require different messaging to Stand Out. Differentiate. Sell. You’re no longer selling just the flowers, you’re selling Ease. Time. Hope.

And that slight shift in perspective can make all the difference. So next time you’re trying to sell some flowers – or whatever it is you’re selling – take this into consideration. It's not just about the product, but the promise it holds. In your messaging, visually and verbally, stop selling the item and start selling the benefits and pleasures the item will bring the customer.