Every time I consult with founders/entrepreneurs before shipping or product launch, I spend more time on the messaging than every other part of sales.
Why?
Because in sales, messaging has only one goal - to push the prospect to take action - in this case, make a purchase.
One of the first questions I ask before anything is this - is the message framed the exact way the prospect ask talks about the impact online?
The mistake many founders make is thinking that messaging should speak to pain points. That is true though, but only if your goal is visibility or awareness.
If your goal is conversion, your messaging should speak to impact the problem has on the business or outcome of solving the problem as soon as possible. It shouldn't just speak to the impact or outcome, but should speak to it the exact way the prospect talks about it.
Here is an example:
Customer problem:
I am tired of my finance team wasting 15 hours every week manually fixing invoice errors.
Message 1:
We help finance teams automate invoice processing.
Message 2:
We help finance teams process invoices faster and reduce manual errors.
Two different messages speaking to the same problem. However, only one can trigger action and it's definitely not message 1.
Another example.
Customer problem:
I want to stop straining my voice during high notes and sing confidently during solos.
Message 1:
I offer classical voice training for choristers.
Message 2:
I teach choristers how to sing high notes without straining their voice.
To a customer who has the above problem, which message will trigger action?
Same offer. Different messaging.
These are the things that shape sales before outreach even begins.
And no!
They are not new knowledge, they are just not applied.
If I clearly understand what a problem is costing me, I will act faster. If I can vividly see the outcome of solving the problem, objections reduce naturally.
As a matter of fact, the right messaging handles 50% of the sales objection.