Reframing

In 2022, one of my clients told me about an interesting A/B test he did.

He said he tested copy that tells people something new...

Versus copy that tells people something they already believe.

The copy that tells people what they already believe won by a landslide.

So for the past 3 years I've been writing copy that way:

Telling people what they already want to hear...

And then connecting it to a sales pitch.

I thought this was a universal law of human nature.

But now, I think the real story might be more nuanced.

I'm reading a book right now called The Challenger Sale.

It basically says that in complex B2B sales, it's better to tell the client something they don't know.

The book has a bulletproof study to back this up.

The best salespeople are "teachers" who reframe how their customers see the world.

They present new information, instead of just being yes-men.

This effect only shows up in complex sales.

When the customer knows how to buy what they're buying, it doesn't help to "teach".

When the customer doesn't know how to buy what they're buying, teaching makes a world of difference.

Which approach will work better for you?

It depends on a) your audience and b) what you sell.

My client who told me to just tell people what they already knew sold supplements to old ladies.

Maybe old ladies don't want to think that hard about their health... they just want to take a magic pill and feel better.

But if you're selling coaching packages to smart entrepreneurs, they know how difficult their problems are to solve.

They're less looking for a "magic pill" and more looking for genuine business advice.

So they want to see you as a trusted advisor, not just a provider.

So... can you win more sales by telling your audience something new?