I read this article yesterday, with a very similar message: ‘I do not want to use your product’

The first example with a washing machine and clothes is a great way to crystallise the key point:

No one wants to wash clothes. No one. If someone tells you that they want to wash clothes, they do not know what they are saying. What they really mean is I want clean clothes.

Awesome analogy :)

One memorable and relevant quote that comes to mind for me is:

"People don't care about you, they care about themselves"

Pretty much sums up why you shouldn't spend the bulk of the copy talking about your cool new feature, rather what it will do for them.

Kisses, J

Wow. That Mario Example was awesome. Waiting to hear more

This is something I learned while working with the wonderful affiliate marketers that brought you the Acai berry, payday loans, extended auto warranties, male enhancement pills, and many other scammy products no one actually wants.

Imagine trying to sell a diet pill by telling people how many milligrams of x-vitamin it has. It'd be damn near impossible. So, if you really want to sell truck loads of diet pills, then tell people they're going to be happier, have more energy, and get a new girlfriend.

Just remember it's important to be honest when it comes to talking about benefits. Taking a diet pill probably won't get me a new girlfriend. The guys I mentioned ended up getting sued for millions by Oprah and the Federal Trade Commission for making false claims.

Fear is another great motivator for selling. You'll see this with a lot of remote backup software landers... "If you don't buy this, right now, then your computer will explode and you'll lose all your important work files. Which means you will lose your job, and then your girlfriend."

Safe to say I hated that job. Lying to people everyday and signing them up for rebills they can't cancel is no fun, but it was a great learning experience. You'd be surprised what kind of things motivate people to buy.

Great books on the subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Buyology-Truth-Lies-About-Why/dp/0385523890/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/Brandwashed-Tricks-Companies-Manipulate-Persuade/dp/0385531737/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386275316&sr=8-1&keywords=brandwashed

Amazing. The good old "what's in for me?" made easy. I vote it as first page of every entrepreneurial book out there :D

Great analogy of aspirational branding. It's really easy to get caught up in how every feature you make is soooo awesome. Start with people and their stories first, then show how your product helped them throw fireballs.

I love this: "People don't buy products; they buy better versions of themselves." Really nice!