Creating an offer that moves people to buy your product or service is not easy. But with a proven framework, the process becomes much simpler.

In this post, I’ll share the strategies premium brands use to create irresistible offers.

Here’s what you will learn:

The foundation of every irresistible offer
Why “value” itself doesn’t sell and what to focus on instead
Three types of product benefits every offer should have

The Secret Ingredient in Every Irresistible Offer

The general purpose of an offer is to communicate unique product benefits to an audience. If you have ever pitched your product or service, you have made an offer.

Building an offer that converts on the first try isn’t easy. But there is a secret ingredient at the heart of compelling offers that makes them unique.

That secret ingredient is the brand promise.

A brand promise summarizes why a business exists and how it helps people. In other words, it is a statement that explains how the brand makes a difference in the world.

Your brand promise could be as simple as helping people save more money in less time. Or, it could be inspirational, like the one from Toms Shoes.

Taken from their website: “As the Original One for One Company, we’ve always been in business to improve lives.”

This statement is a commitment the Toms brand makes to the target market. The message stresses their desire to make the world a better place.

It is a summary of why they exist.

But notice that the Toms brand promise does not mention shoes. Instead, shoes are the tool they use to make the world a better place. And to make a profit.

Brands that link offers to their promise create more compelling reasons to buy. Consumers want to buy from purpose-driven brands. And adding benefit claims to the mix makes the promise naturally more effective.

It’s like selling, without selling.

The benefits communicated in your offers impact the price you can charge. But to set premium prices and increase profit, you must understand that value is a myth.

The Value Myth

Every business owner I meet can tell me the value they provide through their product or service. But even though these business owners are passionate about their product or service, the target audience won't always appreciate the value of it.

There are three primary reasons for this disconnect between the business and customers.

The first is simple. People see and hear an overwhelming number of marketing messages every day. As a result, they can’t differentiate your business from competitors.

The second reason people don’t see your value is that “value” itself is subjective. Two people can value the same product or service, but for different reasons.

Finally, the business could be targeting the wrong market. Selling to the wrong audience is draining and will leave you wondering if you offer any value at all.

For example, several online tools are available that make it easy for anyone to build a website. So, there is a group of people who think it’s unnecessary to hire a designer. Yet, others value web designers and use them all the time.

You must focus on the right target market and avoid the wrong ones. Look for people you can help—and want it.

Build THIS and They Will Come

A better way to develop an offer is to base it on perceived value. What people believe about a product creates its worth, not the other way around.

To create higher perceived value, you must know your target audience. Understanding their feelings, thoughts, and priorities provides insight into their decision-making process.

Find out what they like about the other products and services they buy. The goal is to discover buying triggers. Then, you can leverage these triggers to create a more intriguing offer.

READ MORE: Perceived Value: The Secret to More Sales and Higher Profit

Product Benefits: The Premium Brand Trifecta

Many businesses sell using the same product benefits their competitors use. For example, they make statements such as “we offer great service” and “take care of our customers”. But these aren’t going to motivate anyone to buy your product.

Premium brands use benefit claims that resonate on multiple levels. This strategy helps them generate more interest and enables them to charge more.

We’ll explore each type in the sections that follow.

Product Benefits: Functional

The first category is functional benefits. Functional product benefits refer to its primary use or result.

For example, a web designer makes websites. If you need a website, hire a website designer.

Sounds simple, right?

But many business owners make assumptions about the target audience. And those assumptions cause them to lose sales.

To explain, I want to ask you a question:

Do people REALLY know what you do?

As business owners, we know what we do. We have done it for a long time, and we are around it all day. As a result, we tend to assume other people know more about our business than they do.

The truth is, what you really do and what people think you do may not be the same at all.

I’ll give you an example. I’m a brand strategist. When most people think of branding, they usually think of logo design or slogans.

While those things are part of branding, my service goes much deeper. I also offer competitive analysis, positioning, targeting, and more.

I can't assume my customers will know these things. iI am responsible for making sure my target audience understands the value of my service.

Write down all the functional product benefits customers receive.

Are you communicating those benefits?
Does your target audience understand why each one is valuable?

If you need insight, ask some people you know to tell you what they think you do.

What they tell you could be eye-opening.

Product Benefits: Technical

Technical benefits are the second type of product benefit we must provide in our offer. Technical benefits relate to the quality and performance of a product or service.

Many business owners get stuck when they try to create technical reasons to buy. So, they fall back on generic, uninspiring benefit claims such as “best” and “affordable”.

To create real technical product benefits, focus on:

Performance (for physical products) or expertise (for service providers)
Features (what can it do others cannot?)
No issues or defects
Durability (how long will it last or how long is it accessible?)
Efficiency (cost, time, etc.)
Appearance (does it reflect high-quality? Do you have a professional brand image?)

Product Benefits: Emotional

Once your offer has clear functional and technical benefits, it’s time to add the final type. These are the emotional product benefits. They are also the most powerful because people buy the transformation you can help them make.

At some point, we’ve all seen or heard emotional benefits in an ad or presentation.

Achieve the financial freedom you’ve always wanted.

Live the kind of life everyone dreams of living.

These benefits paint a picture of how the product or service will change lives. But communicating emotional benefits is the most challenging part of an offer.

Why?

Because many emotional product benefits sound too good to be true, others take a long time to experience. When this is the case, they won’t have the intended effect.

To deliver powerful emotional benefits, leverage these four experiential categories:

Personal well-being (i.e., a compelling. safety, health, etc.)
Elevated status (being desirable)
Sense of adventure and excitement
Achievement (or personal success)

Create an emotional benefit that a customer will experience in a short period. For example, being more confident and organized within 30 days is a short-term emotional benefit.

Maintain realistic expectations. Overpromising and underdelivering is a sure way to lose customers.

Of course, people care about long-term benefits too. But relying on those alone won’t create a sense of urgency or motivate people to buy.

Conclusion

Developing an effective offer is a complex process. But it becomes easier with the framework I have provided.

Start by developing your brand promise—why you exist and how you help people. Then, tie these to the solutions you provide.

Study your target audience and find out what they care about most. Then, leverage buying triggers to build more perceived value.

Finally, deliver the Premium Brand Trifecta—functional, technical, and emotional product benefits.

As always, I’m here to help. If you have questions, email me personally at chris@goldenvineyardbranding.com.

Until next time,

Chris