Sell the Benefit, Not the Product

Hello and welcome. My name is Tavishima Ayede. I'm the host of the podcast that I'm making today's recording at home. So I expect to hear some noise in the background because the kids and everyone at home. Now the goal of this podcast is solving business problems. So if you have issues with marketing, issues with customers, with your side hustle, with your career, with your career salesperson, or there's something holding your business back, then this is the show for you.

So subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, or any player of your choice. And if you'd love to connect, then call, SMS or WhatsApp me on 08064662140. Today on the podcast, I want us to look at how we can get clear on what it is that we are selling. Let me repeat, today on the podcast, I want us to look at how we can get clear on what it is that we are selling. And that's because I had an engagement a few moments ago, spoke to a colleague of mine because you guys will remember that I'm the member of the APVA

and that's the Association of Professional Voice Actor podcaster. Something something, something. I can't remember anyway, but if you're curious, just Google APVA and then join. If you're one of those people who want to make a career or who make want to make a living off of their voice, you know, you want to do voice over work, you want to be a podcaster, stuff like that. So it's a community of helpful professionals all across Africa because truly, you know, all of us were there, Nigerians were there, South African people were there, Mozambique, them they're there, Kenya, them Egypt, as in like we're all there if I don't even know who put the thing together.

But whoever he or she is personally did a very good job. So there's one of the members who is in the business of her. Her business is what she does is podcast scripting, podcast editing, podcast everything. Excuse me. So with the business actually set up, if you wanted to get into podcasting, what you do is you go and meet her, you discuss, she'll take your podcast idea and make it a reality. All you have to do is just show up, sit down in the booth,

record and then, you know, just sit down in the booth and then talk or interview a guest and then she does the rest. And so she's been trying to promote her services. And so we started the conversation because like most people, she has gone aggressively to start marketing the business and she has received from blowback. You know, some people who tell her basically like, look, I beg, don't contact me again if I'm interested.

You know, I will. I will tell you so, Yeah, So that's how the conversation between me and her started. And it just shows when we started trying to diagnose what it is that was going on. You know why some people are telling her essentially to F of. Let me just put it this way, There are lots of you who are going around. You're trying to promote your product or service, you're trying to promote your business, you're trying to promote your hustle.

What do you think? You're selling one thing when actually what you're selling is another. And that's one of the reasons why people are telling you to F off because you haven't gotten to the root of what it is that you are actually selling. And so you've not been able to engage with the person in an honest conversation about what it is that you're actually selling. So like with this lady in particular, since in her own mind, what she does is podcast scripting, podcast editing,

content planning, scheduling, the calendar, you know, everything. She's thinking about things much more from an admin point of view, as though she's approaching people saying that, look, hey, if you want to start a podcast, if you want to start the podcast, come, I have these services. It's also so and so a month, you know, blah, blah, blah, you know, click here to apply. Click here to begin. You know that that sort of thing.

So if you are sending that kind of messaging out to people, which is essentially this is me, this is what I do, click here to apply. You're going to turn a whole lot of people off because everybody has, you know, what's on their plate. Everybody has what they're chasing, everybody has what they're pursuing. And nobody gives an F about you, to be honest. Everybody's just trying to do their own life. So you show up in somebody's inbox, you know, this is me,

this is what I do, This is how much. Click here to continue. You turn a lot of people off, by the way, It's not a bad approach. It's just that we have to be realistic about the the yield that will come from it. So I told her that look, you know what you're doing with the mass messaging and things like that. Industry averages are about 3%, meaning you blast out 100 messages to these people. You only get about three people to respond.

And that is best case scenario because actually sometimes the three people who respond, I'll put it, OK, I'm sorry, I'm trying to rephrase. OK, let me put it that this way, industry research across the different average of industry research across different industries. Of course in North America, Western Europe show that customers are only in market about 3% of the time. I repeat, customers are only in market at about roughly 3% of the time.

So in other words, if you sell suya and you decide to go outside and tell people buy my suya, buy my suya, buy my suya, the chances that you will meet somebody who is thinking about suya at this very moment and who wants to eat suya, the chances are 3%. And that is at a best case scenario because sometimes you meet somebody and the person truly wants to eat suya, but the person is already on his way to his favorite Syrian sport.

So it's possible that even if you jam those three people who want to eat. So yeah, now, now, now, now, now, it doesn't mean you'll be able to get them to buy from you. So remember across different industries, whether fashion, whether consulting, whether fast moving consumer goods, whether whatever, chances are if you go and grab 100 people right now, the chances are that only 3% of them are in the market for what it is that you do.

So I had to let her know that look, this is the best you can get from doing these sorts of things. And she said, you know what? I said what? She said this last campaign that I did, I reached out 50 people a day. I did 2 days. So that means I did 100 people. I said, OK, how many people were interested? She said two. How many of them paid? She said two. And I said, OK, well, you see, it just means that you actually are doing the averages.

So in a sense, this approach also is not bad. The problem is just that in getting two people to buy or three people to buy, you actually are pissing off 97 people or 98 people. And that is not a good thing, which is why from a traditional sales perspective, we try to work on our messaging, we try to increase our conversions, We try to make sure that we're speaking to the right people in the 1st place so that we can make some money without all that negative blowback.

Because for you, you might think, no problem, I got my 2 customers. Each customer is worth, you know, 650K. This is 1.3 M. You know, some of you, that's what you're thinking. I don't care. I made 1.3 M this month. I made 1.3 last month. I'm going to make 1.3 next month, 1.31.31.3. You're forgetting the fact that you're pissing off 98 people or 97 people who are going to be talking crap about you. And then let's face it, our personal networks are limited.

How many people do you have on your phone self? They're going to continue this kind of behaviour. Eventually you're going to burn through everybody in your personal network. Now what are you going to do? So you see the reason why these kinds of marketing campaigns breakdown. So in the beginning, people who take this approach, they will make their money, but eventually you will burn through your network and eventually you will generate too much negative,

should I call it negative PR? So we have to try and fix the problem. So if you're one of these people who is engaging in this kind of behaviour, it's fine, it can work. Just know that at best you're looking at 3%. That is the best that will happen. So in trying to narrow down Abby, I'm trying to figure out what the problem is. I told her that look, you know what your messaging, first of all is me, me, me, me, me. If you're going to be doing this kind of messaging, what you need to do is you need to speak to the problem that people face.

You need to be using problem based openers and you need to go straight to what your unique value proposition is so that people who have that problem will opt in or will opt out. So that should be their approach. So step one for her was we need to figure out exactly what it is that you're selling. So the assignment that I gave her is the two of them now bought. We need to have a conversation with them. Your portfolio of past clients for 2025242322, talk to them because you need to figure out what your unique value proposition is and that is what you're going to use to be opening your message.

Of course, she needed some more clarification, so I explained she thinks what she's selling is administrative or creative services, and I told her you are not. Most people who want to start a podcast are doing it because they want to use it to grow their business. Like me. My own podcast is a business acquisition tool. I'm looking for people who have problems in their business and who are looking for a capable consultant to fix the problem.

That's why I'm making this podcast. The goal is, or the math is I have 2900 subscribers on Spotify, a couple thousand on iTunes, a couple 100 here, a couple 100 here. You know, like that, like that, that over time people will be interested to learn more, to talk some more. They pick up the phone, they actually call me. And then from there I'm going to be able to get a certain number of consulting, consulting gigs and that has been working.

It didn't work from year one to year 3, but after year three, to God be the glory. I'm getting some clients and the enquiries are going up and up and up. So this model is working. So there are people who get into podcasting because they want to make money like these girls. I said what I said, I just found out with my wife today that they did American leg of tour. So they just came back from New York. And I say our God, God, when,

when will I get to that level that me too. I can start doing a podcast tour and people in America, they'll be saying, come, come, come and visit us, come and visit us. And then we sell out venues. And my wife said that for I said what? I said the ladies for the London tour, the venue that they had was 1005 and they they sold out. People came, people travelled. And I said, Hey, God where God where no, and it will get there.

So you can see that there are people like me and that people like those girls. I said what I said. Then also these other people, the Honest Bunch, they did their own podcast tour where they went to Coventry. I heard, I think I heard this sold out, but I can't remember. Anyway, so there are those of us who are in the podcasting game and I own this money. We are seeing naira and Kobo and dollars in their own case. That's I said what I said them they're seeing dollars.

I don't even see naira again, me, I'm still seeing naira for now. I will see dollars soon so that some of us who are looking at podcasting because we want to make money, then the other people who are in podcasting because they want to create a brand or because they have some missionary zeal around certain things like that. Some of you who have relationship podcasts or who have faith be based on podcasts. And that's just because you're trying to preach, you know, the healing that God brings into specific situations, you know,

either in your marriage or in your relationships or your mental health or something. So those are the two people that enter into podcasts. So I told this lady that I was having a conversation with is that you are not selling administrative services and you are not selling creativity. What you're selling is you're selling podcasting either as a tool of making money or as a tool of self-expression. Does it? And you need to figure out what it is that you're selling.

So if what you're selling is, I'm going to help you express yourself better in podcasts, your messaging needs to start on that very note. Are you interested in podcasting or do you have a podcast? Do you think you could be expressing yourself better or getting, you know, the most creative fulfillment out of your art? You know, you start it on that note, that kind of thing. You only piss off people. The person who sees and has a podcast, we'll continue to read and if they blend with it, sure no problem.

If they don't blend with it, they will just ignore you because it's not that very hard and fast. This is me. My service is 650K per month. Click here to buy now. You know, it's different, it's softer and we're living with a problem for people to either lean in or lean out happy or lean away. And then if she has the conversation with her clients and she now realises that what she's been selling all along actually is podcasting as a tool for business growth, then her messaging should be around that.

Are we thinking about ways to explode your business in 2026? And do you think podcasting might be a valuable tool for that question mark send those who think it might be a valuable tool, they will respond for those who don't think you know though, Fashi, but it's not a very hard charging message of this is me. This is my service 300 KA month. Click here to buy now. So start with problem based openers or your unique value proposition.

But either way, we need to be very clear on figuring out what is it that you are selling. A lot of you think you're selling XYZ. No, you actually are selling a result and the results, the reason why people engage with products and services are usually three. There are some people who call this the value Trinity, like Victor Antonio, who calls it the value Trinity. And the value Trinity is physical, psychological, or financial.

There's another person who calls it the three FS, even though none of them, excuse me, even though only one of them starts with F, but you know, they both sound, you know, so somebody calls them with three FS. So whether you hear somebody calling it the three FS or calling it the value Trinity, it is physical, financial or psychological. People buy your product or your service because they want a financial benefit. They want to look finer, they want to look taller, they want to look more handsome, they want to attract babes, you know,

whatever physical. Then people also buy a product service because of financial benefits. They want to buy these things so that they will save more money. They want to buy these things so that they can double their income. They want to buy these things so that they can, you know, whatever share money is involved. And then the last one is what? OK, I'll say physical, I'll say financial. OK, I'll say, OK, now psychological, you know, they're buying your product or service so that they can pamper themselves, so they can live a soft life, so they can reclaim the peaceful vision of themselves, so they can find inner peace, so that they can find you.

Whatever it is, no matter what it is you sell, it won't pass any of these three, sometimes a combination of these three, but sure, there's a physical benefit, there's a financial benefit or there's a psychological benefit. So sit down and figure out, you tell yourself, you say yourself, you say yes, this is my product that I'm selling. Truly, truly, truly. What benefit is it that people are getting from this product? Are they getting a physical benefit, are they getting a psychological benefit, or are they getting a psychological benefit?

Once you determine that, that will determine how it is that you go about selling. Like take this, my client that I'm still doing the solar sales consultation for. So for solar people who are buying solar, the psychological benefit, Peace of Mind, no noise. My wife doesn't have to switch off generator. So for me, that was it. Psychological, OK, Yeah, psychological. That's Peace of Mind. Then there's physical benefits. Generator noise.

That's OK. I'll say generator noise is more of a physical thing. So that's the physical benefit. And get some quiet instead of Nepal takes light and then boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And then the whole house is shaking because of generator, diesel generator. And then financial benefits. There are some people who buy solar for financial benefits like I discovered with Mumsy, because once Mumsy hooked up, we hooked up.

So like Mumsy's house, Mumsy's Nepal bill just crash brown. Because what Mumsy started doing, I didn't even know that people who do that is during the day, she will just on solar should turn off Nepal. I was shocked. I had no idea. And you know, some people are just crafty like that. Once the system was installed and the things started working, she was like, what's the point? She just started turning off Nepal and she will run solar throughout the day and she now switch off Nepal from Nepal.

Now she now switch on Nepal from like 6 in the evening. Nepal bill instant by half cut down. So you can see that even for something like solar, there's a physical benefit, there's a financial benefit, there's a psychological benefit. Now if you know what it is that you're selling and you're going straight to the UVP for most of your clients it's mostly, let's say financial savings, then that is what your messaging will be.

Are you looking for ways to cut down on your, are you in band a question mark? Are you looking for ways to cut down on your fuel or sorry on your Nepal bill of 450K per month? Then you know click on this link to find out how we can save you up to 60% on your solar, 60% on your Nepal bill. You can see that you're going straight to a problem that people are facing and using that to drive the conversation instead of saying here I am new in town, newer solar company,

best models, best warranties, best quality, best pricing, best this click here to buy. Now that other kind of messaging, you're turning a whole bunch of people off. But if you say are you in band a question mark, those people who are in band CD, you know, they'll just ignore the message. Are you tired of spending between 200 to 450 K per month on utility bills? All those people who are spending 20K30K per month, they will ignore you.

We can see that we're leading with. The unique value proposition, we're leading with the problem statement and we're moving the conversation on from there. So that kind of broadcast messaging yields better results. Those are the things that you do to hope to get better responses more than the 3%. That is for those of you who are broadcasting messages now saying I'm new in town, I'm the greatest, I am the best, I am high quality.

Click here to buy now. So the whole point of today's podcast episode, sorry, was not as structured. I really should have taken time and gathered my thoughts. But whole point of today's episode was just in case you're like this friend of mine who's putting out these messages and you're unhappy with the results, just know that it's a game that the best you can hope to win is 3%. So if you're like her and out of 100 people you got to, you actually are doing quite well.

The problem is just that, you know, online marketing Bros will say if we do 100 and we get to then next month, let us send 200 messages and get 4. And then let's send 800 messages and get what's that? I'll be 608, get 8, I'll be any whatever the math is. But the problem is, like I said, you will burn through whatever social capital you have very quickly because you piss everybody off, even your mom's who will block you.

I can assure you she will block you on WhatsApp when she wants to talk to you. She will now call you on phone because she won't be able to stand all these constant broadcast, broadcast message that you're sending. So that's how you play that game. But then if you want to do things the way it's traditionally done in sales, we need to sit down. We need to think a bit. We need to figure out what are we selling? When we know what we're selling,

it will determine who are we going to be chasing after. Because once we know what we're selling won't be broadcasting to everybody. Because we look at this message and we'll know that, OK, if we're saying do you live in Band-Aid, we'll now think, what is the point of me sending this message to Uncle, Uncle Goladi when I know the Hong Kongolade lives in XYZ part of Imo State? And you know, that one is Brandy. So why am I sending the message to him?

Because UVP is clear, I will only send it to Uncle Kalistos who lives in, you know, the capital and who is Band A and who has two wives and 16 children. And so his energy bill must be very high. So what's your claim on the UVP? You will not be wasting your message up and down sending to all to anyhow anyhow kind of people because you see that this person I'm sending to cool a match is not matching. The problem is not matching the UVP.

And then since we're starting with problem statements, we'll be drawing people in with a conversation. Then that's when our conversions will now start going up and up. We'll now notice that before we send 100 messages, we got three. We'll now notice that now we're sending 100 message and you know 36 people are answering the overtime we say 100 and then you know 52 are answering. You know small by small conversion will improve,

improve. But on the state, again categorically because some of you have false expectations, there is no person, there is no market, there is no industry where conversion is 100%. That will never happen. Even God has not converted at 100%. It is not everybody that God has spoken to that has said, OK, God, I've heard you, I repent of my sins and I give my life over to you. So even God does not have 100%. So don't deceive yourself that you will never get 100%

convention, but always keep trying. You do 45. Let's see if we can get to 48. We've done 48. Let's see if we can get to 52. We've done 62. Let's see if we can enter 70. We've done 90. Let's see if we can do 96. But you will never get 100% conversion, but always keep trying to improve. So that's it and that's all for today. Before you think of going out and blanket messaging people, you need to figure out what is it that I am selling?

When you figure out what it is that you're selling your physical benefit, your financial benefit or psychological benefits, and you figure out the problem that you solve, you can now start crafting messages around those issues. Your conversions will now increase. Now, if you're one of these people like my friend who have already established the discipline of calling, reaching out to 50 people every week, keep it up. Progress is not far from you.

And I told her you're going to succeed. The reason why I know she's going to succeed is not because I can see the future, but it's because most people are lazy. Her competitors are not going to be sending 50 messages a week. At the end of the day, she's one that's going to succeed. It's like me with the podcast. I know I'm going to be successful not because I'm the best, but because people are lazy. There are plenty of us that started five years ago today, If you check the business category,

it's just me and one other guy. That's because everybody else was lazy and they gave up. That's why I know I'm going to be successful because I'm only down the line. I'm not going to stop. You will get lazy and you will stop. So when the time comes to reap the rewards, I'll be the only man standing. So that's how I know she's going to be successful because she's not going to be lazy. Too many people running around saying work hard not smart, work smart not like stop all that rubbish.

In the African context, it is both working hard and working smart. Most of us are from farming communities. Our grandfathers didn't believe in hustle at all cost. They tried to make sure that they bought the best piece of land. That is the smart part. And they do the best to farm during the farming season and harvest during the harvesting season. So it is both work hard and work smart. But trust me, in today's world where too many people are lazy,

the very fact that you're putting in the effort except if you're totally useless, honestly speaking because you are putting in the effort and you just continue and you stay consistent. Your your competitors, they'll be lazy and that's why you succeed. Anyway, let me stop here. So that's it and that's all. Remember if you'd love to connect then call SMS or WhatsApp me on 08064662140. Thank you for your time and attention.

I'll catch you next time. Same place in your headphones or in your speakers.