Copywriting legend Gary Halbert goes to prison for tax fraud.
The conditions are harsh.
He doesn’t know if he’ll survive in Boron Prison for long.
So he writes letters to his son to teach him everything he knows about copywriting and marketing.
And later his letters became the famous book: The Boron Letters.
In one of the letters, he tells about a question he asked his copywriting students:
“If you and I both owned a hamburger stand and we were in a contest to see who would sell the most hamburgers, what advantages would you most like to have on your side?”
The answers from students vary:
Some say they’d like to have the advantage of having superior meat.
Others say location.
And some others prefer being able to offer the lowest prices.
Then he explains the only advantage he’ll take to sell more burgers than all the students:
“A starving crowd.”
What type of burger you sell, how you sell it, or even the price doesn’t matter when you have a starving crowd.
Everything becomes easy.
After the burger stand example, Halbert tells his son to be “a student of markets” and look for starving crowds.
Because when there is no starving crowd, everything is hard.
Even the perfect solution doesn’t sell.
Even good marketing tactics don’t work.
Then the question is:
How can you know if you are serving “starving prospects”?
And how can you sell what those prospects are looking for?
To answer these questions, let’s look at three things that make them starve:
1. Starving prospects have an urgent pain
Starving prospects have unignorable symptoms.
They are aware of their hunger.
Every moment is painful.
And they know this is not like any other problem.
Because this problem has high stakes.
It affects their careers.
So they put aside other problems and focus their resources on fixing it.
They know that if they overcome their hunger first, they can eventually solve other problems.
What it means for your firm:
- Don’t try fixing problems they are not aware of: We’ve talked about how prospects choose which problem to solve. Don’t try to convince them about a problem they might have. Focus on what’s already painful.
- Sell what they want instead of what they need: Starving prospects want to kill their hunger first. They don’t care about root causes or preventive measures. They might need to improve their sleep to regulate their blood sugar. But they want a burger first. So build your messaging around what they want as an entry point. Offer to alleviate the symptoms first. Then you can also sell what they need to fix the root causes.
- Use their language: Don’t use unfamiliar words to describe their problems or invent new market categories. Don’t call it “revenue acceleration architecture” when they’re searching for “sales consulting.” Starving prospects don’t have time to decipher anything. Use what they already know.
2. Starving prospects can’t fix their hunger themselves
Starving prospects always try to fix the problem themselves first.
They come up with internal solutions.
They test things.
But eventually they realize they can’t do it themselves.
Sometimes because they don’t know how.
Sometimes because it takes too much time.
But the point is:
Starving prospects wouldn’t be starving if they could feed themselves.
What it means for your firm:
- Frame your firm as leverage: Starving prospects don’t need another pair of hands. They don’t want another problem to manage. They’ve already tried it. To attract them, show your firm doesn’t cause more work. Your firm is the expert that makes the problem disappear.
- Show that you understand their context: To attract starving prospects, make them feel seen with your messaging. Reflect on their internal struggles back to them. So they resonate with your message and realize you’re the right partner to fix their problem.
- Message on the opportunity cost: Some starving prospects are stubborn. They know they are starving, but they still insist on trying to fix it themselves. Show the opportunity cost of the status quo. Show why it doesn’t make sense to continue struggling.
3. Starving prospects have broken alternatives
Today’s starving prospects are not starving because there are no burger stands to buy from.
Actually there are many options.
But they are still starving because they are not happy with the existing options.
They’ve already bought from them.
But existing options couldn’t fix their hunger.
Some didn’t understand their preferences.
Some others didn’t provide the right solution.
Starving prospects are starving because they feel frustrated with what’s out there.
They want providers who understand them.
They want solutions with high odds of success.
What it means for your firm:
- Look for demand: What services are starving prospects already buying? What purchases are already budgeted in their plans? Don’t try selling something they’ve never bought or considered. Don’t try to change their minds. Find out what they already spend money on. Relate what you do to existing demand.
- Call out an underserved segment: Starving prospects are underserved. Find out who your competitors are ignoring. Get specific with your ideal client profile to call them out. Starving prospects crave specialists. Because they know only specialists have high odds of fixing their hunger.
- Position against failing solutions: Starving prospects hate what made them starve. Let them express their frustrations through you. Turn the failing solutions they’ve tried into the villain of your narrative.
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The moral of the story?
Gary Halbert was right.
Market matters more than anything else.
Many firms ignore this fact and try to fight the market.
Some try to sell to crowds that are on a diet.
Some others find their starving crowds, but try selling them supplements.
They make growth harder for themselves.
If you want to grow easier, serve a starving crowd.
Sell what they want.
Remember:
Starving prospects build thriving firms.
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