Page 233 - The $100 Startup_ Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love

In Chapter 2, we met Barbara and John Varian, owners of the V6 Ranch in
California. Barbara could have described her business in a typical fashion: “We
have a ranch. People pay to visit and ride horses.” Instead, she said something
much more powerful: “We help our guests become someone else, even if just for
a day. Come stay with us and you’ll be a cowboy.” The difference between these
two statements is huge! The first statement is merely descriptive, whereas the
second evokes a powerful, emotional connection.

Like the V6 Ranch, every business has a way to describe itself in a traditional
(i.e., boring) way and at least one much sexier way that stimulates a better
response. There are two keys to remember in figuring out the difference for your
own project:

1. Give people what they really want. Give them the fish!
2. Sell emotional benefits (“Be a cowboy”) instead of descriptive features

(“Ride horses”).

Here are twenty-five people from the study, all of whom found ways to
differentiate between something merely descriptive and something that evokes a
more passionate response.

Name: JASON GLASPEY
Business: Paleo Plan
Fact-Based Description: Weekly diet and recipe planning guide Emotion-Based
Promise: Take control of your health by eating naturally (and leave the details to
us).

Name: BROOKE THOMAS
Business: Practice Abundance
Fact-Based Description: Course on running a wellness practice Emotion-Based
Promise: Increase profits while running a smoother, more streamlined clinic.

Name: PURNA DUGGIRALA
Business: Spreadsheet templates
Fact-Based Description: Templates to help frequent users of Microsoft Excel
Emotion-Based Promise: Become an office superhero: Help your colleagues and
get your work done quickly.