In 1925, a rookie copywriter named John Caples had to sell something hard to sell<\/strong>:<\/p>\n A mail-order piano course.<\/p>\n He was barely a year into his job at the agency Ruthrauff & Ryan.<\/p>\n The U.S. School of Music had knocked on their door.<\/p>\n They wanted a campaign for their new self-study instrument courses.<\/p>\n Caples needed an angle<\/em> for his copy.<\/p>\n Should he focus on how easy it makes learning?<\/p>\n Should he focus on the lower price compared to hiring a tutor?<\/p>\n Both were true.<\/p>\n But none of it felt compelling.<\/p>\n Caples asked himself:<\/p>\n Why would someone who isn\u2019t a professional musician want to learn piano in the first place?<\/p>\n What would they really<\/em> want to achieve?<\/p>\n And he realized the answer had nothing to do with music.<\/p>\n People who wanted to learn to play an instrument were after admiration<\/strong>.<\/p>\n They wanted to walk into a room, sit at the piano, and watch people\u2019s jaws drop.<\/p>\n They wanted a moment in the spotlight.<\/p>\n If they were going to buy that course, this was the main reason.<\/p>\n Everything else was secondary<\/em>.<\/p>\n So Caples decided to base his copy on this emotion.<\/p>\n He created a scene where people underestimated the main character, a guy who had never played piano before.<\/p>\n \u201cCan he really play?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n But then he plays like a pianist.<\/p>\n Everybody is shocked.<\/p>\n They surround our guy:<\/p>\n \u201cWhere did you learn?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHow long have you studied?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cWho was your teacher?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Only then does Caples start explaining the functional<\/em> details of the mail-order course.<\/p>\n And as the finishing touch, he wrote one of the most famous headlines in advertising history:<\/p>\n \u201cThey Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano\u2014But When I Started to Play!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The ad was so effective, the U.S. School of Music ran it for decades<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It made Caples a copywriting legend.<\/p>\n And that ad is still studied by copywriters today.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Because Caples understood one thing:<\/p>\n Functional outcomes are only vehicles<\/em> to achieve underlying emotional outcomes.<\/p>\n If you sell the emotion, you sell the product.<\/p>\n You know the jokes about big consulting firms.<\/p>\n \u201cMcKinsey sells overpriced PowerPoints.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Totally justified.<\/p>\n Their quality dropped over the years while they kept charging outrageous fees.<\/p>\n But the jokes miss one point.<\/p>\n If these big firms have average quality, why do buyers still pay millions to them?<\/p>\n Are they naive?<\/p>\n Of course not.<\/p>\n They are actually smart.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s like Caples\u2019s realization with piano course buyers.<\/p>\n Their reasons are more emotional<\/strong> than functional.<\/p>\n Sometimes they want the least risky option<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sometimes they want to use a known firm\u2019s credibility to gain more power internally.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve talked about why B2B buyers act even more on emotions<\/a> than consumers.<\/p>\n But despite this, most consulting firms never try to understand what their buyers actually try to achieve.<\/p>\n Hence they base their messaging purely<\/strong> on functional<\/em> outcomes.<\/p>\n Increase revenue this much.<\/p>\n Decrease costs that much.<\/p>\n Sure, these matter.<\/p>\n But they are only vehicles<\/em> for the underlying emotional outcomes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So ignoring them in your messaging makes it bland.<\/p>\n It stays at the surface level.<\/p>\n To make your messaging connect, you have to understand what they actually<\/em> want to achieve.<\/p>\n How?<\/p>\n Well, by seeing the world from their perspective.<\/p>\n As we talked about in 3C Analysis<\/a>, we use the Trigger-to-Outcome Journey in our framework to understand why<\/em> clients really buy.<\/p>\n Various sources feed into this analysis.<\/p>\n Like past engagements, client interviews, and sales meeting transcripts.<\/p>\n We identify the key themes and list them under each part of the journey.<\/p>\n Let me show you an example.<\/p>\n Imagine a cybersecurity consulting firm called ACME.<\/p>\n After analyzing everything, let\u2019s say we\u2019ve mapped out these points for ACME\u2019s buyers:<\/p>\n Great.<\/p>\n This gives an overall view of what ACME\u2019s clients are trying to achieve.<\/p>\n Now, how do we use this analysis for positioning and messaging?<\/p>\n In three ways:<\/p>\n Different customer segments care about different problems and outcomes.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say ACME has some enterprise clients and some mid-market ones.<\/p>\n The enterprise segment might care more about reducing personal risk<\/strong><\/em> if a breach happens.<\/p>\n While the mid-market segment might care about being perceived as a serious partner to win deals, hence ambition<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n So if we position ACME for the mid-market, we have to align messaging to their needs.<\/p>\n Messaging based on reducing risk<\/em> wouldn\u2019t work well.<\/p>\n Because these buyers care about something else.<\/p>\n Customer analysis is only one of the 3Cs we analyze.<\/p>\n The other Cs are Company<\/a> and Competition<\/a>.<\/p>\n Customer analysis tells you what matters.<\/p>\n Company analysis tells you where you have an edge.<\/p>\n Competition analysis tells you what others ignore.<\/p>\n The combination of all three allows us to make an informed positioning decision in our workshops.<\/p>\n Continuing with our example:<\/p>\n During the analysis stage, we list as many points as possible without making assumptions.<\/p>\n So we end up with dozens of \u201cproblems\u201d and \u201coutcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n But then we have to prioritize the most important ones.<\/p>\n This part is tricky.<\/p>\n Because this is where we make decisions, hence sacrifices<\/a>.<\/p>\n Saying \u201cyes\u201d to a few problems means saying \u201cno\u201d to many others.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s vital to have effective messaging<\/a>.<\/p>\n The decisions here shape everything.<\/p>\n Website copy, content, ads\u2026<\/p>\n If we were to position ACME for the enterprise segment, focusing on risk reduction<\/em>:<\/p>\n If we were to position ACME for the mid-market segment, focusing on ambition<\/em>:<\/p>\n You see how everything changes.<\/p>\n The same firm.<\/p>\n But totally different value propositions.<\/p>\n These decisions always lead to interesting discussions between executives during our workshops.<\/p>\n Sometimes it becomes like a therapy session.<\/p>\n Everybody shares their opinions about what the firm should stand for.<\/p>\n But in the end, decisions are made.<\/p>\n So everybody is aligned around the value the firm creates for clients.<\/p>\n The moral of the story?<\/p>\n Caples\u2019s ad worked because he understood why<\/strong> people actually buy.<\/p>\n The same applies to your firm.<\/p>\n Yes, you deliver functional outcomes for your clients.<\/p>\n But so do your competitors.<\/p>\n To stand out, own certain emotional<\/em> outcomes.<\/p>\n And communicate them better.<\/p>\n Caples sold admiration, not piano lessons.<\/p>\n The question is:<\/p>\n What are you really selling?<\/em><\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n Enjoyed this article?<\/p>\n Then you\u2019ll love the How Consultancies Win<\/a> Newsletter.<\/p>\n Get the \u201c7 Positioning Sins That Cost Consultancy Firms Millions\u201d<\/strong> guide when you join. It\u2019s free.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fronterabrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/John-Caples-Piano-Course-Ad-1024x624.png\")
Understanding what your clients actually<\/em> buy<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fronterabrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Trigger-to-Outcome-Journey-713x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fronterabrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Trigger-to-Outcome-Journey-Example-1024x576.png\")
1. Pair it with segmentation<\/h3>\n
2. Pair it with Company and Competition Analysis<\/h3>\n
\n
3. Make decisions<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
![here<\/a> in full resolution. We end up with 10-20 points for each, but simplifying here to explain the thought process.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGreat.<\/p>\nThis gives an overall view of what ACME\u2019s clients are trying to achieve.<\/p>\nNow, how do we use this analysis for positioning and messaging?<\/p>\nIn three ways:<\/p>\n1. Pair it with segmentation<\/h3>\nDifferent customer segments care about different problems and outcomes.<\/p>\nLet\u2019s say ACME has some enterprise clients and some mid-market ones.<\/p>\nThe enterprise segment might care more about reducing personal risk<\/strong><\/em> if a breach happens.<\/p>\nWhile the mid-market segment might care about being perceived as a serious partner to win deals, hence ambition<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\nSo if we position ACME for the mid-market, we have to align messaging to their needs.<\/p>\nMessaging based on reducing risk<\/em> wouldn\u2019t work well.<\/p>\nBecause these buyers care about something else.<\/p>\n2. Pair it with Company and Competition Analysis<\/h3>\nCustomer analysis is only one of the 3Cs we analyze.<\/p>\nThe other Cs are Company<\/a> and Competition<\/a>.<\/p>\nCustomer analysis tells you what matters.<\/p>\nCompany analysis tells you where you have an edge.<\/p>\nCompetition analysis tells you what others ignore.<\/p>\nThe combination of all three allows us to make an informed positioning decision in our workshops.<\/p>\nContinuing with our example:<\/p>\n\nCompetition:<\/strong> We notice that the majority of ACME\u2019s competitors focus on the risk reduction<\/em> angle. Nobody leads with cybersecurity as a growth lever, focusing on ambition<\/em>. So there\u2019s a gap.<\/li>\nCompany:<\/strong> ACME\u2019s experience, case studies, and proprietary frameworks (hence strengths) are aligned to focus on the mid-market segment and their needs. Meanwhile, ACME\u2019s lean team (weakness) makes it hard to deal with long sales cycles in the enterprise segment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n3. Make decisions<\/h3>\nDuring the analysis stage, we list as many points as possible without making assumptions.<\/p>\nSo we end up with dozens of \u201cproblems\u201d and \u201coutcomes.\u201d<\/p>\nBut then we have to prioritize the most important ones.<\/p>\nThis part is tricky.<\/p>\nBecause this is where we make decisions, hence sacrifices<\/a>.<\/p>\nSaying \u201cyes\u201d to a few problems means saying \u201cno\u201d to many others.<\/p>\nBut it\u2019s vital to have effective messaging<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe decisions here shape everything.<\/p>\nWebsite copy, content, ads\u2026<\/p>\nIf we were to position ACME for the enterprise segment, focusing on risk reduction<\/em>:<\/p>\n\nWe\u2019d specialize in capabilities around risk mitigation.<\/li>\nOur website would say: \u201cKnow exactly where you\u2019re exposed, before the board asks.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\nOur content and ads would be around: \u201cWhat every CTO should know before their next board meeting\u201d, \u201cThe 5 questions your board will ask after a competitor gets hacked\u201d, etc.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIf we were to position ACME for the mid-market segment, focusing on ambition<\/em>:<\/p>\n\nWe\u2019d specialize in capabilities around increasing our clients\u2019 win rate using cybersecurity.<\/li>\nOur website would say: \u201cTurn cybersecurity into your competitive advantage.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\nOur content and ads would be around: \u201cWhy enterprise buyers won\u2019t sign until they see your SOC 2\u201d, \u201cHow to stop losing deals on cybersecurity\u201d, etc.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nYou see how everything changes.<\/p>\nThe same firm.<\/p>\nBut totally different value propositions.<\/p>\nThese decisions always lead to interesting discussions between executives during our workshops.<\/p>\nSometimes it becomes like a therapy session.<\/p>\nEverybody shares their opinions about what the firm should stand for.<\/p>\nBut in the end, decisions are made.<\/p>\nSo everybody is aligned around the value the firm creates for clients.<\/p>\nThe moral of the story?<\/p>\nCaples\u2019s ad worked because he understood why<\/strong> people actually buy.<\/p>\nThe same applies to your firm.<\/p>\nYes, you deliver functional outcomes for your clients.<\/p>\nBut so do your competitors.<\/p>\nTo stand out, own certain emotional<\/em> outcomes.<\/p>\nAnd communicate them better.<\/p>\nCaples sold admiration, not piano lessons.<\/p>\nThe question is:<\/p>\nWhat are you really selling?<\/em><\/p>\n\u2013<\/p>\nEnjoyed this article?<\/p>\nThen you\u2019ll love the How Consultancies Win<\/a> Newsletter.<\/p>\nGet the \u201c7 Positioning Sins That Cost Consultancy Firms Millions\u201d<\/strong> guide when you join. It\u2019s free.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n](\"https:\/\/fronterabrands.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Trigger-to-Outcome-Journey-Example-1.png\"){kind=link}