Crime #001
Making people guess what you actually sell.
The explanation
“Unlock your potential.” “Create meaningful change.” “Step into your next chapter.”
These phrases could describe a leadership coach, a yoga retreat or a new notebook. They communicate an aspiration, but leave the visitor to work out what is actually being sold.
A referral might already understand what you do because a trusted colleague explained it. A stranger has only what is on the page.
It is the specifics that make your proposition clear: what it is, who it is for and what it helps them achieve. “Coaching to reach your potential” gives someone very little to recognise. “Interview coaching for senior managers preparing for their first director role” gives them a service, an audience and a goal.
Those details help people decide whether to keep reading. They can recognise their situation and understand why your service might be relevant.
Without them, everything else becomes harder to interpret. Your testimonials might sound encouraging, but encouraging evidence of what? Your credentials might be impressive, but relevant to which problem?
Experts can miss this because they already know what their own words mean. “Strategic transformation” may describe a precise process in your head. Your visitor does not have access to that process. They have two words and several possible interpretations.
The issue is not that your audience lacks intelligence. It is that understanding your proposition should not require an investigation.
Before someone can judge whether your service is worth buying, they need to understand what they would be buying and why it is relevant to them.
How to fix it
Start with this structure:
It’s [what it is] for [who it’s for] to [what they want to achieve].
For example: “It’s one-to-one interview coaching for senior managers to prepare for their first director-level interview.”
Make each part specific:
- What it is: Name the service in familiar language: coaching, a workshop, an online course or a service where you do the work.
- Who it’s for: Describe a recognisable group or situation. “Consultants hiring their first employee” says more than “ambitious business owners”.
- What they want to achieve: Name a concrete goal. “Prepare for your first director-level interview” says more than “unlock your potential”.
Use this sentence to establish the meaning before polishing the language. You can still use an expressive headline. Put the specific explanation beside it, where visitors will see both immediately.
Then show the opening section to someone who genuinely does not know what you do. Ask: “What do you think this is, who is it for and what would it help them do?”
Do not cheat by asking a friend, colleague or existing customer to pretend they know nothing about your business. They cannot unlearn what they already know. That knowledge helps them fill gaps a stranger would encounter.
Give them only the page. No introduction, explanation or helpful hints. Listen without correcting them. If they cannot answer, or describe something different from what you sell, revise the wording.
The test is whether a stranger can explain your proposition accurately, without needing you there to fill in the gaps.
Are you guilty of Crime #001?
Book a free 30 minute call with a senior Buyable conversion expert. We will talk through your website, your goals and where you are losing potential customers.