Suppose you’re marketing in the relationship niche.
Ask two people what they want from a relationship, and you may hear very different answers.
One says, “I want peace, love, and happiness.” The other says, “I don’t want fighting, manipulation, or constant tension.” A marketer might place both under the same broad desire: a peaceful relationship. Yet that surface similarity hides an important difference.
— GAIN —
One person is pursuing a gain: greater affection, trust, and intimacy.
— ESCAPE —
The other is escaping a condition and wants the arguments, manipulation, and emotional tension to stop.
Those buyers may need different sales arguments. The gain-driven buyer wants to see what becomes possible. The copy might emphasize deeper trust, better communication, and a relationship that strengthens over time.
The escape-driven buyer wants relief, so the argument has a different job. It may explain why the fighting repeats and why previous attempts have failed. Then it can show how the pattern might finally be broken.
THE MISTAKE
The mistake is assuming that knowing what buyers want also reveals the argument to make. “More freedom,” “greater confidence,” and “financial security” are only destination labels. They do not show whether someone seeks a better future or to escape an intolerable present.
Before writing, divide customer language into two columns:
“I want…”
“I don’t want…”
Then look for clusters within each group. What appeared to be one market may contain two distinct motivations.
The destination may be the same, but the sales argument depends on what the buyer is moving toward, or trying to get away from.
RW
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