Or in some sort of permutation of the above. That’s good but I don’t think it goes deep enough. What I tell my coaching students is that people buy for one of two reasons:

1 - To avoid or relieve pain
2 - To increase or amplify pleasure

And in my experience, #1 is far more potent than #2. Only after we decide which is the more powerful emotional resonator, we can then move to price, service, and exclusivity.

The pain or pleasure principle works across all promotions - consumer, business, product or service, doesn’t matter. We must start with the emotional context.So experiment a little. See what you can come up with for these products and services and employ the pain or pleasure principle to these products:

1. Color laser printer
2. Lazyboy Recliner
3. Surf board

Now try a service:

1. AARP membership
2. New physician practice
3. Lawn care

This is the kind of smart, out-of-the box thinking your clients want from you. When you’re done, why not share your result with me and our merry little band of marketing wordsmiths. Share some headlines or a sample lead-in paragraph.  I’ll critique in an upcoming  post! (Just add a comment to this posting.)

Essential Takeaway Point:
No matter what we’re selling, product or service, B2C or B2B, high end or budget friendly — we all buy to avoid pain or increase pleasure. Identify and write to that part of our reptilian brain. Experiment with positive and negative approaches. Get it right, and your piece has already begun to write itself.