Jason Feifer on Selling the Stakes, Not Just the Product

In a recent LinkedIn post, Jason Feifer discusses a fundamental, yet often overlooked, sales lesson: focusing on the consequences of *not* using a product or service, rather than the product itself. Feifer uses a humorous advertisement from the eyewear company Specsavers to illustrate his point, highlighting how the ad emphasizes the embarrassment and incompetence that can arise from poor vision, rather than simply selling glasses.

The Power of Selling Consequences

Feifer argues that true salesmanship lies in demonstrating the risks associated with foregoing a solution. He states:

Most people sell the product. Great salespeople sell the risk of going without.

This perspective shifts the focus from features and benefits to the tangible, often emotional, outcomes of inaction. According to Feifer, this approach is universally applicable across various industries.

Broadening the Application of the Sales Lesson

To underscore his point, Feifer provides several examples of how this principle translates to different business contexts:

• A security company, he notes, doesn’t just sell locks; they sell the prevention of costly break-ins and the associated distress.
• Similarly, a coach’s true value isn’t in the advice they give, but in mitigating the years of wasted effort a person might experience trying to figure things out alone.
• Feifer also points out that consultants sell the avoidance of expensive and damaging strategic errors, rather than just the strategies themselves.

As Feifer elaborates:

A security company doesn’t sell locks. They sell what happens when someone breaks in.

This framing encourages potential clients to consider the broader implications and potential negative futures they are trying to avert, making the proposed solution seem not just beneficial, but essential.

Applying the Principle to Personal Branding

Feifer concludes his post by posing a direct question to his audience, prompting them to consider the stakes of *not* engaging with his own offerings:

So, what are the stakes of not using YOU?

He then pivots to promote his newsletter, framing it as a tool that helps individuals achieve success more rapidly and with greater confidence. In Feifer’s view, this is a prime example of applying the core sales lesson: demonstrating the value and positive outcomes of his newsletter by implying the slower, less confident path one might take without it.

The underlying message, as highlighted by Feifer, is that effective selling is about understanding and articulating the potential future – both the positive one offered by the solution and the negative one that could occur without it.