It doesn’t matter if you provide a service or a product or even if you run a non-profit.

Everyone, needs money to operate…

Therefore, someone must pay the business for said product or service, or support the non-profit.

I know, nothing new there about business or marketing.

But here’s how I’d like you to frame the money transaction that I think can be useful to you. And by the way this applys in relationships where time or emotion is the dominant currency.

So here we go…

Every transaction is considered an expense until proven otherwise. In other words, the buyer takes a risk that will cost them money unless the product proves itself to be as advertised.

Let me explain a little further with an example.

I am a advertising copywriter. I write ads for clients with the goal of producing leads and/or sales that lead to cash in hand.

The thing is, when the client agrees to hire me as their copywriter, they still don’t KNOW that my work will make money for them. It doesn’t matter how much proof or how many samples I’ve shown them. To them, at that moment they sign the initial check, I am an expense.

Make sense?

And this works on any item I can think of… even peanut butter.

If I want to try a new peanut butter I saw advertised I am going to have to pay for it. So because I do not KNOW whether I will like the peanut butter or throw it away, I HAVE to categorize it in my mind as an expense until I can prove to myself it is worth buying.

Still with me?

If it is worth buying, it moves from expense to more of a trade… I’ll trade my dollars in exchange for the pleasure of tasting good peanut butter. In my mind, it is no longer an expense.

Do you see the difference? It seems minor but there is a HUGE difference in the mind of the consumer.

So what does this mean to you as an advertiser?

Let’s recap…

You, your product or your service is an expense until proven otherwise to the buyer. Once they know like and trust you, your product or service then you get shifted to another more favorable category in the consumer’s mind.

Sooooo…

One of the best ways to make the shift happen in the consumer’s mind is to always think from the consumer’s point of view when creating and marketing your stuff.

Simple? Yes. Easy? No.

Your thoughts, dear reader?