Have product, will sell

This is the default approach of many businesses. But it leaves money on the table as it reduces the market to only those currently in market, and it forces you into a features competition with everyone else who has a similar offering.

The belief-building approach

A good question to ask is, “What does a farmer have to believe is true for them to buy my product or service?”

Followed by, “What are the mental shifts the farmer must make to hold these beliefs?”

These answers become the core of your marketing activity. The key is knowing what they think (through qualitative research). This then defines how you design the path you want them to take.

This approach means the conversation becomes less about ‘selling’ and more about building an argument that makes your product or service the obvious solution.

The beliefs to address:

1. The problem is worth solving

The prospect must believe the issue actually matters.

If they think:

• “It’s not that big a deal”

• “I can live with it”

…they won’t engage, let alone buy.

Job to be done: Highlight the cost of inaction. Make the problem visible, specific, and consequential.

2. It’s worth solving now

Even if they accept the problem, they might delay. This is where most marketing fails - people say:

• “I’ll deal with it later.”

• “Not a priority right now.”

Job to be done: Determine the mental shifts a prospect must make before they’ll buy. Create urgency with timing triggers, risks of delay, or missed opportunities.

3. Your solution is the right approach

They must believe your type of solution makes sense.

For example:

• If you sell overseas dairy genetics, they must believe overseas genetics have superior traits to local genetics if you are to be in the consideration set.

• If you sell Halter collars to beef farmers, they must believe that techno-grazing is beneficial, but impractical.

If they don’t buy the mechanism or the premise, they won’t buy.

Job to be done: Educate. Reframe how the problem should be solved, with focus on the method, not the product.

4. Your product is the best option

Now you’re in competitive territory.

They’re thinking:

• “Why you vs alternatives?”

• “Why not cheaper, faster, familiar?”

Job to be done: Differentiate clearly. Not features - decisive advantages which you know appeal to your target market (because you’ve done the research!).

5. I can trust this will work for me

This is the personal risk filter.

They must believe that, if they succeed with your offer, they’ll arrive in a better future state (the ‘new life' on the other side of the problem)

Even if beliefs 1 - 4 click, they may still hesitate:

• “Will this work in my situation?”

• “Am I the kind of person this is for?”

Job to be done: Reduce perceived risk. Show proof, use cases, and real examples of transformations.

Many marketers focus on #4 (why we’re better) and ignore #1–3.

If your audience doesn’t feel the problem deeply, isn’t prioritising it, or doesn’t believe in your approach, then no amount of differentiation will save you.