09

People don’t buy the drill, they buy the hole.

Think about the last thing you bought. It doesn’t have to be a power tool… it can be anything. But let’s imagine for a second that it was a drill. Was it the cheapest? Or most expensive?

Did it come with more bells and whistles than could be listed on the box? Did it have a thousand five-star reviews online and two thumbs up from your brother-in-law, Brad?

I bet dollars to doughnuts, the thing that you remember is how great that hole looked and the swell of pride you felt having drilled such a magnificent hole.

I know… I’ll stop saying the word hole over and over.

It’s great to save money. And, sure, being able to manage the drill over Bluetooth is just the kind of future I always dreamed of. All of that makes us feel like smart, savvy consumers.

But in the end, impressing Brad isn’t what made the purchase so clear. It was the…well, you know what… the hole.

So, when you’re talking to your customers, don’t fixate on price or prattle on about features or all the awards you’ve won, instead focus on the problem you’re solving for them. Because, people buy the hole — not the drill.

And it must be true, because some guy from Harvard said it in the sixties.