Many tech companies are brilliant at inventing new products, but not at describing them. They expect their customers to see their solutions as clearly as they do. Maybe it’s because many tech leaders were educated as engineers. So they naturally explain their technology-enabled products from the inside out.

For example, someone who invented the world’s first orange, might express they’re message this way:

“Our product is built using a unique combination of organic acids, sugars and phenolic compounds. It sports an orange dermal layer that protects the fruit. We guarantee that our orange will be the most delicious fruit you have ever experienced.”

Instead, effective messaging needs to work in the opposite way. It needs to deconstruct your product from the outside in. Here are your four message deconstruction steps:

  1. Put your product in context to what the buyer already understands (“fruit”)
  2. Tap into their desire (“taste”)
  3. Explain how it’s different (features)
  4. Explain what makes your product unique (technology)

So a deconstructed orange story might look like this;

“If you’re a fruit lover, we guarantee that the orange will be one of the most delicious foods you’ve ever tasted. It is sweeter and juicier than an apple, plus travels in its own bruise-resistant traveling case. Our secret sauce is a phenolic compound technology, which is not found in any other fruit, giving ours a one-of-a-kind texture and taste.”

It’s true that you can enamor some customers with your “citrus” technology compounds. However, if you’re looking for mainstream buyers to consume your fruit, you need to deconstruct your product messaging from the outside in. B2B buyers are emotional beings too. They may say your technology is “cool,” but they will only buy if you connect with their needs and desires.