I have come to believe that the most difficult part of marketing is leading a client toward considering his own marketing from the customer’s point of view, not the client’s point of view.

Widget makers think they have achieved something when they articulate their unique selling proposition. When they can tell the audience that ABC Widgets are made from material A to be the best widgets when used in extremely cold temperatures.

To an extent, that is helpful. Except, of course, most cold-temperature needing-manufacturers already have their favorite widget. ABC widget is another, but they already have a favorite. If the day comes when they no longer like the current favorite, they may consider ABC if they remember, that is.

Instead, ABC should build an emotional connection with the cold-temperature widget using audience. “At ABC, we know that when a widget fails in cold weather, it is more than a matter of replacing a widget. Cold weather repairs are more difficult and time consuming. They pose a more severe production loss, and physical danger. That is why ABC makes Material A widgets. If you are the kind of user who needs widgets that stand up to the cold, we’ve got the widget for you.”

Easy to construct those statements in meetings or in blogs, but by the time it comes to getting that message in front of the customer, it will have been watered down and lose its emotional connection.

So here is a cheat. The last statement is what you need. “If you’re the kind of person who…” If you don’t see that statement (reworded as it is bound to be) in your appeal to the audience, re-examine your emotional connection. There is a good chance it got lost.

“If you’re the kind of person who…” write it on your dry wall and refer to it all the time. You’ll find that it is a good place to start writing selling copy of any kind.