Take milk.
We call one version "full fat". Say it out loud and it sounds indulgent, maybe even a bit naughty. The sort of thing you'd feel guilty putting in your trolley.
Yet whole milk is only about 4% fat.
Which means it's roughly 96% fat free. But nobody calls it "96% fat free milk", do they?
Instead, semi-skimmed and skimmed get sold to us as the healthy options. They're really the same product with some of the cream taken out. And that cream doesn't go to waste. It gets sold back to us in other products, usually for more money.
Two words on a label
I love this example because it shows how much the way something is presented changes how we feel about it. Same liquid. Same cow. Completely different story, depending on two words on the label.
That's not a trick that only big brands get to play. Every business is telling a story about what it sells, whether it means to or not. The words on your website, the name of your packages, the way you describe your prices, the first line of your sales pitch. All of it frames what people think they're getting.
Most small businesses frame themselves badly without realising. They lead with what it costs, or how long it takes, or what's not included. Or they describe what they do in the same words as every competitor, so the only thing left to compare is price.
The story changes the value
Here's a simple test. Think about how you'd describe your product or service to a stranger in one sentence. Then ask yourself whether that sentence is "full fat" or "96% fat free".
Is it pointing at the worry, or the benefit? At the cost, or what the cost buys them?
I think the job of marketing is to start conversations. People can't buy from you if they aren't talking to you. A better frame is often the difference between someone scrolling past and someone getting in touch to ask, "Tell me more."
A one-hour coaching session and an hour that saves you a month of mistakes can be exactly the same hour. A small family firm and a business where you always deal with the owner can be exactly the same business. The facts are the same. The story is what changes the value people see.
There's a line, of course. Framing isn't about bending the truth. "96% fat free" is just as true as "full fat". The skill is choosing the true story that helps the customer see what you're really worth to them.
If a simple shift in framing can make people happily pay more for less, what story are you telling about your business right now? Write down the sentence you use most often to describe what you do, and have a go at the 96% fat free version.
