Writing Value Propositions That Appeal To Emotions

Most B2B SaaS companies miss the mark when it comes to messaging and positioning. They try to pack in EVERYTHING, including buzzwords, every feature, every new industry trend and end up with some convoluted SaaS-speak nonsense that most of the buyers don't understand—and certainly don't act on. The biggest mistake? Competitive copycats echo buzzwords no human has ever said aloud. And "final" copy ships without hearing a single customer heartbeat. Companies forget that every line is a promise of a better workday. When the promise feels real, your buyers remember. Here's my 6-step plan, built on research, refined by emotion: 1. Immerse yourself in your customers' day. Note every frustration and workaround. 2. Interview for emotion. "What stressed you out? What would have made you proud by week's end? What keeps you up at night?" Record their exact phrases. 3.. Map the gap. Tear down five competitors to spot the pains they ignore; the problems they're not solving. Plot where your buyers are feeling underserved. 4. Write the narrative from the lens of empathy. Keep it simple: A one-sentence value prop plus three proof pillars. Tie each of these to a concrete benefit (e.g., time back, confidence up, career impact stronger). Keep it simple. Read it aloud. Read it to someone outside of your industry. Do they grasp it quickly? Or do you have to explain it? If you do, this is a big 🚩🚩 and you need to go back to editing. 5. Draft your MVP and test, test, test. Drop lines from your narrative into ads, nurture emails, and BDR scripts. Track not just the clicks, but the RESPONSE. Did your message resonate? Did the prospects repeat your promise back in their own words? 6. Take your test winners and create a one-page playbook with example stories and customer quotes so that every single teammate can deliver it verbatim—and believe it. ⚠️ Pitfalls to avoid: - Buzzwords that sound impressive but echo no real pain - Internal acronyms or lingo that your buyers have never heard - Value props so long your reps need cue cards - Claims with no data or customer voice behind them - Skipping sales and CS feedback—the people closest to the emotional stakes Great messaging is a mirror reflecting your hopes and headaches. Start with their words, show the better life your product unlocks, and they'll feel—and respond—to the truth.

Your reps are trying to sell features when they should be selling emotions. Here's why most sales training gets this completely backwards. Everyone knows the Wolf of Wall Street pen scene. Most people think it's about creating urgency or asking discovery questions. They're missing the real lesson. The best salespeople don't sell products. They sell emotions wrapped in logic. Even in complex B2B deals with multiple stakeholders and six figure price tags. I learned this selling uniform services. Completely commoditized product. Could buy the same thing on Amazon for 50X less money. We were the most expensive option in every deal. But I outsold everyone because I understood three fundamental truths about human psychology. First truth. B2B prospects don't buy based on logic and ROI alone. At the core it's still human to human. People buy emotions and justify with logic every single time. I had a head of sales who wanted to put his team through our program. Surface level it was about hitting revenue targets. Real reason was deeper. He wanted to max his bonus to buy an expensive engagement ring. Prove himself to his girlfriend's wealthy family. Show the founder he deserved equity. Fear of failure was driving everything. All emotions.  Desire.  Status.  Approval.  Certainty.  Fear. Your prospects have the same emotional drivers behind every purchase decision. Are you uncovering them or just talking features and benefits? Second truth. Prospects buy to solve problems not to get products. They don't buy Tylenol they buy headache relief. They don't buy sales CRM they buy a way to stop losing deals and generate more revenue. The better you understand their biggest problems the more valuable your solution becomes. If they have cash flow issues how does your solution solve that. If they have retention problems how do you fix that. If they have profit problems what's your impact. Third truth. Facts tell but stories sell. In a marketplace with hundreds of options for everything how do you stand out? Stories. I would weave specific case studies into every demo. Prospects in their exact industry with their exact problems. Explained in visceral detail so they felt like I was reading their mind. My solution became 100X more valuable because they saw themselves in the story. My competitors were sharing features and benefits. I was sharing transformation stories. No competition. Your prospects don't want to hear about your product capabilities. They want to see themselves succeeding with your solution. They want to feel the emotions of the outcome you deliver. Stop trying to sell the pen. — Sales Leaders! Ready to build a Revenue Operating System that turns prospects into customers? Book a diagnostic call to see exactly where your deals are stalling:https://lnkd.in/ghh8VCaf

I was talking with some sales reps last week in the 30 Minutes to President's Club community about making problem propositions a little "crispier." (H/T to Makenna Turner for that term) I've been thinking about this ever since... Even when the problems are articulated well, there's not usually an emotion tied to them. People buy emotionally. The best way to connect with them is not just by showing them you know their problems, it's by being able to empathize with how those problems make them feel. ❌ What most reps say: “Most marketers juggle too many disconnected tools, making it hard to track ROI.” ✅ What actually resonates: “You’re putting in all this work, but at the end of the day, leadership still sees marketing as a cost center. You know the impact you’re making, but you can’t prove it—and that’s frustrating.” See the difference? The first statement is true, but the second makes you feel something. Here's how you can work through this. Write down: 🔹 What your prospect is struggling with (the functional pain) 🔹 How it makes them feel (the emotional impact) 🔹 How they wish things could be different Then lead with the emotion—the frustration, the friction, the fear of missing out. You want to picture them nodding their head or, better, taking a deep sigh of relief that they feel seen. That's how you connect with strangers and stop sounding like other sales reps. The best sales I've ever made have had this emotional connection, and they lead to more loyalty too. I'm not sure why I hadn't made this direct connection sooner... What do you think?

Sales strategies often focus on logic—features, benefits, ROI. But here’s the truth: buying decisions are emotional before they are rational. Think about the last big decision you made. Did you analyze every single variable first, or did you go with what felt right? Customers do the same. Their emotions shape their choices, and understanding this can transform the way we sell. The Emotional Triggers Behind Every Buying Decision - Trust & Security – Customers don’t buy when they feel uncertain. Confidence in a brand, salesperson, or solution makes all the difference. - Urgency & Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) – Limited-time offers work because they trigger the fear of regret. - Relief & Simplicity – If a product removes stress or complexity, the emotional appeal is immediate. - Excitement & Aspiration – People buy based on who they want to become or the success they envision. How Sales Strategies Can Tap into Emotions 1) Listen to the Emotional Tone Behind Words A prospect saying, “We’re struggling with this issue” isn’t just giving you data—they’re revealing stress, frustration, or even fear. Address that emotion before pitching a solution. 2) Sell the Transformation, Not Just the Product Instead of listing technical features, paint a picture: "Imagine closing deals faster, reducing friction, and watching your team hit targets effortlessly." Help them feel the impact before they analyze the details. 3) Use Stories, Not Just Data Numbers are important, but people remember stories. "One of our clients struggled with low conversion rates. After implementing our system, their team closed 30% more deals in 90 days. More than the numbers, their salespeople felt confident again." Emotion-Driven Sales Drive Long-Term Success When sales strategies connect on an emotional level, customers don’t just buy—they commit. They trust. They stay. And that’s where sustainable revenue growth happens. Are your sales teams leveraging emotional intelligence in their approach? Let’s explore how to refine your sales strategy for deeper customer connections. Book a free consultation and let’s build a more emotionally intelligent sales process together. Link in the first comment