How to Sell When You Can’t Win on Price or Specs

You know when you need to sell something, but you don’t have a truly unique value proposition that separates you from your competition?

Let’s face it: This is more common than anybody wants to admit.

And it’s most common with new businesses.

You’ve got a minimum viable product (MVP) up and running, but you can’t realistically compete with anyone on technical specifications or price.

The solution is easier than you might think

Stop selling toilet paper and start selling smartphones.

In other words, don’t compete on the technical stuff. Forget about pricing, forget about the nitty-gritty features.

Instead, convince people that they just really want your product.

They want it because they believe in you, because they believe in the mission, and because they believe your product actually works.

Imagine you’re checking out a smartphone in the store

What you want, in the end, is to be convinced that the phone you’re holding will actually work. That you can rely on it, that it’ll feel good to use. You aren’t nickel-and-diming on price.

The same is true for many other things, like subscription services and SaaS tools.

In the end, most people don’t buy iPhones because they watch tons or review videos comparing camera quality or processor speed.

People buy iPhones because they believe that iPhones will work just the way they want them to. So, they pay a premium for it.

If you can’t compete on the nitty-gritty, don’t focus on it.

Start “selling smartphones” instead.

Want to make ads that work? Try flaunting your imperfections

BeReal is Gen Z’s new favorite app, and the way it works is pretty simple:

BeReal encourages users to send one post every day to their friends to show exactly what they’re doing in real time.

“Authentic” social media apps are on the rise

It’s not just BeReal. Many people have started using TikTok and Snapchat, because unlike Instagram, they’re places where you can show the real you in candid, spontaneous moments.

The data backs this up

In 2022, TikTok was the most downloaded mobile app in the world, and The Snapchat Generation 2024 report shows that users put a premium on authenticity.

What about ads?

User-generated content (UGC) ads outperform conventional ads by up to 50%.

User-generated ads, unlike “conventional ads,” are authentic, which makes them more credible and relatable.

Americans 13+ spent 18% of their weekly media hours “watching traditional TV content” compared to 16% of the time-consuming UGC videos.

So while UGC content hasn’t replaced the traditional content created by companies, there is a real trend here: Users are looking for UGC.

And being the smart marketer you are—and if you’re reading this newsletter, we assume that’s what you are—you want to bait the hook according to your audience’s preferences.

Which means… It’s time to start creating UGC content.

There’s another benefit to all this, too:

People trust UGC content more. It’s literally social proof. So, creating this kind of content will likely help you get higher conversions.

And last, but not least… Look at TikTok. This social media platform is taking over the planet. Their domain gets more visits than Google. It’s the most-visited domain in the world!

TikTok is UGC consumption at its finest. Users don’t like ads, which means UGC is the only way to sell.

The takeaway?

If you want your ads to work, don’t try to be perfect. Be candid. Embrace imperfection. And flaunt some of those flaws.