If you’ve ever felt like you’re being compared solely on price, speed, or convenience, you’re likely being treated like a disposable pen. Most business owners sell themselves as a commodity, functional but replaceable, by focusing on features rather than the experience.
To stop competing in the “bargain bin,” you must shift from listing what you do to sharing the human story and transformation that makes you the only one your audience reaches for.
The Commodity Pen vs. The Story Pen
A commodity pen is the free one from a conference bag. It’s functional, but it has no story, no feeling, and you don’t care if it disappears. In contrast, a “story pen” is the one you reach for because it feels right, glides perfectly, and has a history.
When you sell your business based on features like “three sessions and a workbook,” you are acting as the free pen, technically true, but entirely replaceable.
Vulnerability as the Antidote
Vulnerability is the secret to escaping commodity status. A machine can mass-produce a product, but only a human can give it meaning. By sharing your origin story and the “why” behind your business, you stop competing with every other option in the jar and become a compelling, connectable choice for your audience.
Selling the Transformation
People don’t actually care about the ink; they care about what gets written. Instead of selling the “black ink and fine tip” of your services, sell the moment the idea finally clicks or the clarity the client feels when they start their next chapter. This shift moves the conversation from price to preference.
Your Next Step
Audit Your Value
Ask yourself if you are being chosen because you are the cheapest or because you are the “right” person for the job.
Refine Your “Why”
Stop listing features and start articulating why you exist and why working with you feels different.
Resources to Support Your Marketing Journey
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Marketing Deck: 5 Minute Marketing Ideas
Use these actionable prompts to stop listing features and start creating the meaningful connections that turn visibility into action.
Highlights
- 00:00 Why You Feel Replaceable
- 00:37 Commodity Pen Versus Story Pen
- 01:20 Selling Features Gets You Compared
- 01:56 Meaning Makes You Chosen
- 02:50 Origin Story And Vulnerability
- 03:45 Sell Transformation Not Specs
- 04:19 Audit Your Positioning
- 04:43 Tell Your Story
