Your product is not the product, it's the vehicle

Lately, I've been digging deeper into writing better copy. Better marketing, really. And this reframing of products from Sell Futures, not Features really resonated with me, so I wanted to share it with you, in my own words.

Here's the main premise: Your product isn't your product, it's the vehicle; the delivery method.

• You're not selling a running shoe, you're selling new personal records or less injuries.

• You're not selling a skincare product, you're selling a cure for embarrassing acne.

• You're not selling a Mercedes-Benz, you're really selling status and driving pleasure.

• You're not selling leads. You're not even selling more revenue or profits. You're selling success and a better lifestyle for the founder.

The real product you’re selling is a better future. The product is just how you provide a better future.

I think this is an extremely good exercise to generate more, and probably better, marketing angles. But it's implications are a lot deeper than that.

Have you ever felt ashamed of your product? Unconfident? I have. I felt it earlier this week when launching my new Shopify app beep. "It's too small of a product for someone to pay $5/month", I thought. And yet, I love how it personally helps me stay out of the Shopify Dashboard because I know I get updates on our sales at 12 PM, 5 PM, and 9 PM.

In other words, the product isn't just an SMS. It's getting rid of the how-much-have-we-sold-today-FOMO, and exchanging it with peace of mind and the freedom to getting in the zone of your work instead of self-sabotaging by constantly refreshing your Shopify dashboard.

I've also felt it in my main business where we sell clothing to +65-year-old women. I've loved the challenge of building the business, and I still do. But I've never really cared too much about clothing. "It's just clothing." And yet, we have thousands of 5-star reviews clearly stating that 1) it's not just clothing to our customers, and 2) that it's about much more than the clothing itself. It's about the service, feeling appreciated, and finally finding a store with "clothes that always fit right.

In other words, I'm not selling clothes. I'm selling the feeling of happiness, confidence, and self-love you get from wearing clothes you actually love wearing. And that's a hell of a lot easier to get fired up about than "just clothing." At least for me.

I hope this reframing of products helps you as much as it has helped me!

Godspeed,
Mathias

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