When crafting a message about your product or service, it can be difficult to approach it from your customer’s perspective. You might get stuck in the ‘features’ –  talking about yourself – rather than expressing the benefits of your product – the positive outcomes for your customer.

This shift from talking about the features of your product to talking about its benefits is called laddering – and parents do it all the time.

If you think you’re talking about yourself, ask “why?” like a three-year-old until you get to the ultimate benefit. This is the message at the top of the ladder.

Here’s an example you may deal with every morning:

• Brush your teeth. Why?
• Because you want to have clean teeth. Why?
• Because you want to have a nice smile. Why?
• Because you want the other kids to see you’re friendly. Why?
• Because you want to have friends to play with at the park.

The higher up you can get on the ladder, the closer your message will come to resonating with your customer’s deepest motivators. And if all else fails, bribe them with ice cream, or a coffee!