Hey, Steve Jobs, I Call B.S.

I’m feeling a bit feisty this morning.

I want to call-out some big boys and do some myth-busting.

Let’s start with this quote from Apple founder Steve Jobs:

“Some people say, ‘Give the customers what they want.’ But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, ‘If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, A faster horse!’ People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.”

Holy B.S., Batman! That quote is a pile of doo-doo.

The truth: Apple routinely conducted market research — including customer feedback surveys — to instruct product development and hone marketing messages. (Tons of proof. Here’s one of the countless articles on the topic).

Worse yet, Jobs’ quote implies that market research focuses on product details — a.k.a. features.

If you really dig into “what they want,” you’ll know customers care little about features and technical details. They care a lot about emotional transformations.

Jobs knew this.

That’s why Apple ads NEVER talk about product features.

They evoke feelings.

They promise transformation.

“Think different,” Apple told us. Be a rebel. Transform your life from boring and black-and-white, to fun and colorful.

While IBM and Microsoft touted features and promised productivity, Apple said, “Join the revolution.”

Apple researched how its prospects wanted to FEEL, and it built one of galaxy’s most successful brands by tapping into those feelings.

You don’t have to be a trillion-dollar company to do the same — and profit as a result.

If you want prospects to tune in, turn on, and buy, you have to discover what they’re feeling and promise the transformation they desire.

It’s not about features.

Earlier this week, I launched a new do-it-with-you workshop called the 7-Figure Content Formula.

The first session was all about “Story Discovery” — how to know exactly what your prospects are feeling so you can assemble client-attracting content easily — without writer’s block.

I’ll share the replay of that “Story Discovery” session with you…

…if you ask for it.

At the end of the recording, I tell you about the rest of the 7-Figure Content Formula and how to sign up.

Just reply to this email with “Think Different” and I’ll send you what you need.