The One Sentence Behind All B2B Marketing

The one sentence all B2B marketing is based on is this: we understand your negative present, and we can shortcut you to a positive future. Every part of that sentence is doing a lot of lifting.

We understand your negative present. If the present isn't negative, they don't need you. There's nothing for you to solve, fix or improve. So obviously your company fixes someone's negative present.

We can shortcut you. Shortcut is the verb. You're not saying “we can fix your problem, just give us ten years.” Almost everyone in a negative present wants out of it and into their next big thing as soon and as easily as possible.

To a positive future. You should understand what your prospect's positive future is. Typically it's the opposite of their negative present: you have high churn, and we can shortcut you to a world where you don't. Or, if you want to be clever about your messaging and category positioning, you describe a positive future they haven't thought of yet. They didn't even know it was possible. It's not just the absence of what makes their present negative. It's a whole new thing.

Either way, don't lie to anybody. But if you can do it, say it: the opposite of the negative present, or something brand new that you are uniquely qualified to make happen.