The most common question we receive at The Saltzman Group is “How can I differentiate my offering from my competitors?” Every market is crowded, and no matter what you’re selling, today’s marketplace resembles a modern Tower of Babel. As companies strive for marketing success, they speak many different languages, creating overwhelming white noise in the marketplace.
In the “old days,” there was snail mail. Once your direct mail piece was in someone’s hands, you could speak with a single voice. Then the radio was introduced, and that single message had to compete with all the other spots the station aired. It was at least audio-only… until television came along. Now, visual clutter has added to the challenge.
Once the Internet entered the picture, it was a whole new ballgame.
This led to the rise of the Internet, and messaging as we knew it faded away. The tower grew taller and infinitely noisier. Then came social media and, ultimately, video. All these channels compete, oftentimes simultaneously, for consumer attention. AI is now adding to the noise, and the noise has become constant white sound. This makes it nearly impossible for your product or service to stand out — to get prospects to focus on a single voice.
I wish we could give clients the “simple” button they want, but if such a thing exists, we haven’t found it yet (and we have looked!). What we can offer is a process that helps clients achieve clarity in their messaging and, by extension, their marketing, enabling them to stand out. Clarity is what the StoryBrand process delivers. It is just the first step in a longer process, but here’s a high-level outline of the first three crucial steps.
The first challenge is helping clients understand their target audience.
Despite their experience, few can clearly describe their target audience. A common problem is trying to target multiple groups with one message. Usually, narrowing this down is as simple as assigning revenue to each group and focusing on the most profitable one first. We tell them that while they can target different groups, each needs its own customized messaging. (See our previous column about chasing two rabbits.) Why? Because each target customer perceives their problem differently or has a unique issue.
Second, they must create a crystal-clear understanding of their prospect of the client’s problem.
To craft messaging that truly stands out, you need to be crystal clear about their problem. An important part of this process is helping our clients understand that their prospects and customers want one thing—an answer to a fundamental question: “Can you help me solve my problem?”
This part can be especially challenging. Our clients want to resolve all their issues, but those clients only focus on one specific problem. Together, we must understand not just what the issue is but also how the client perceives it. This is crucial for crafting a message that genuinely connects on an emotional level. As discussed in the sixth installment of this column, logic rarely persuades someone to buy a shiny red, overpriced sports car; emotion is already taking a test drive and sharing videos of the experience on Instagram.
Third: the three filters funnel.
To develop a compelling narrative that encourages a buyer to take action, we need to evaluate the core problem through three key filters: the external, internal, and philosophical. The external filter shows how the situation looks in the buyer’s world: what’s visible, measurable, and usually described in practical terms. The internal filter examines how the problem impacts the buyer—frustrations, doubts, and anxieties that often go unspoken but greatly influence decision-making. The philosophical filter addresses deeper feelings of injustice or beliefs about how the world should work, connecting to the buyer’s values and worldview.
Each of these filters aligns with a different neurological layer in the brain: the neocortex processes logical and external information; the limbic system manages emotions and internal functions; and the brainstem responds to primal fears and survival instincts, which are often linked to philosophical beliefs. By aligning the story with all three filters, we activate multiple parts of the brain at once, boosting engagement, emotional impact, and memorability.
Crafting a message that resonates
When we create a story that considers the buyer’s challenge from all three angles, we don’t just identify a problem; we reflect their real experience. This makes the story more believable, more personal, and more persuasive. It becomes the emotional connection that moves them from passive interest to active involvement. At the same time, this structured approach gives our client—the seller—a clear advantage: a message that feels personalized, empathetic, and genuinely relevant.
If all of this sounds like a lot of work… you’re right. But if those first three steps in the 10-step process aren’t clear, the rest of the effort to craft a message that makes your product or service stand out from the noise will fall flat. And when you fall flat, you are not only invisible, you’re on mute!
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