Tech founders, if your customers don’t fully understand your product’s value, the problem might not be your product — it’s likely your messaging. No matter how innovative or groundbreaking your solution is, if customers don’t get it, they won’t buy it.

The Cost of Confusing Messaging

When your messaging is unclear, you risk:

• Longer sales cycles — Prospects hesitate because they don’t immediately grasp the value.
• Lower conversions — If potential customers don’t understand how your product solves their problem, they won’t take action.
• Customer churn — Even those who do buy might leave if expectations don’t match their experience.
• Being seen as “just another option” — Without clear differentiation, you blend into the noise.

The Fix: Messaging That Resonates

On my episode of Wisdom From Wizards featuring Catherine St. Clair, founder of St. Clair Go-To-Market Consulting, we discuss three ways to create messaging that eliminates confusion and connects deeply with customers:

1. Prioritize Qualitative Insights

We all love numbers, but data alone doesn’t tell the full story. The real magic happens when you understand why customers make the decisions they do. Talk to them. Gather anecdotes. Listen for the emotions driving their choices. This will help you craft messaging that resonates on a human level.

2. Listen Deeply and Without Assumptions

Too often, founders approach customer conversations with preconceived ideas about their needs. Instead, ask open-ended questions and let customers do the talking:

• What’s your biggest challenge right now?
• How does this problem impact your day-to-day?
• How does this product fit into your goals?

Deep listening uncovers insights that help refine messaging so it speaks directly to the customer’s real concerns.

3. Use Empathy Mapping to Get Inside Your Customer’s Mind

An empathy map is a simple but powerful tool to visualize how customers think and feel. Create a four-quadrant map with these prompts:

• What are they thinking?
• What are they feeling?
• What are they saying?
• What are they doing?

By stepping into your customer’s shoes, you can refine your messaging to be more personal, authentic, and impactful.

Clarity Drives Conversions

Customers buy when they understand how your product fits into their world. If your messaging is confusing, they move on. But when it speaks directly to their pain points, motivations, and emotions, you turn confusion into clarity — and clarity into conversions.

For more insights on crafting powerful messaging and winning more customers, check out my Amazon bestseller, Product Marketing Wisdom.