They’re simple. Memorable. Effective. Not controversial. And far easier said than done.
This is our next blog in the Words to Live By series, where we explore phrases and philosophies we’ve seen change behavior inside PE-backed companies. From our experience, when teams truly live by them, execution improves and outcomes follow.
It’s easier to sell aspirin than vitamins.
Everyone would generally agree vitamins are good for you. Longevity, prevention, performance. And yet, many of us don’t consistently take them. Why? Because “I can always start next week.”
But when I have a pounding headache and a calendar stacked back-to-back, I will pay the price of 200 aspirin for a measly 2 at an airport Hudson News.
Immediate pain wins.
Over the past 20 years selling pricing performance solutions, we learned this the hard way. Selling future upside sounds great on paper. While some buyers will lean in, most will not prioritize benefits they hope to appear a few quarters from now.
What dependably moves deals is pain.
We could consistently deliver a 10x ROI within twelve months of implementation. We even offered a no-strings-attached, money-back guarantee. It still paled in comparison to alleviating pain.
As we scaled, our approach evolved to identify, understand, unpack, and apply pressure to pain. From initial awareness messaging to deep discovery and implication-driven questions, probing pain became our secret to gain.
In an agentic AI world, it’s easier than ever to create new “solutions.” The questions not enough people are asking are some of the most foundational: what pain is this actually solving? How often does it occur? How much does it hurt? And what does life look like when it’s finally relieved?
The promise of future benefits might get you a conversation. Solving persistent pain gets you a contract.
Aspirin before vitamins.
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