Your day is a mess.
A blur of back-to-back Zoom calls, 99 unopened emails, 12 frantic texts from the kids and a quick scroll on Insta to catch your breath.
Chaos, nonstop.
Sound familiar?
Now imagine your customer’s world.
Same story.
Same chaos.
Maybe worse.
And then you step in, ready to shout about your company, your accolades and your shiny product.
But here’s the kicker—it doesn’t land.
It repels.
Why?
Because it’s just more sawdust in an already dusty room.
Here’s the truth.
Your customer isn’t searching for sawdust.
They’re searching for something that actually cuts through the mess.
Enter the story of the wheelbarrow.
Author and speaker J.John tells it best:
There was a workman, and this workman was leaving the factory after a day's work, and he's pushing a wheelbarrow out of the factory. Inside the wheelbarrow, there’s a very small package. He's stopped by a security guard.
The security guard says, "What have you got in your wheelbarrow?"
He says, "Well, I've got a small box."
The security guard says, "Well, I can see it's a small box, what have you got in it?"
He says, "Well, you know the sawdust that's on the floor at the end of a working day? Well, it's swept up and thrown away. Well, I needed some and so I put it in a box and I'm going to take it home.
The security guard says, "Open your box".
He opens the box...sawdust.
The guard says, "Out you go".
Second day, same thing, third day, same thing, fourth day, same thing.
Fifth day he's pushing out his wheelbarrow, inside the wheelbarrow there's a small box.
It's the same security guard.
The guard said, "It's you again. What have you got in your wheelbarrow?"
He says, "Well I've got the same as I've had the other four days...sawdust."
The security guard says, “Well, open it".
He opens it — it's sawdust.
The security guard said, "I've just got this feeling that you're stealing something, I've just got that feeling."
“Look”, he said, "Why don't you tell me what you're stealing, and I promise I won't report you."
The man says "Alright then, I'm stealing wheelbarrows".
The lesson?
In business, it’s easy to get stuck selling sawdust.
The details.
The features.
The small stuff.
But customers aren’t buying sawdust.
They’re buying the wheelbarrow—the big solution that changes everything.
Let’s talk sales.
Here’s a stat:
In 60% of sales situations, prospects choose to do… nothing.
Nothing.
Not because they’re choosing a competitor, but because they stick to the status quo.
It’s safer.
It’s predictable.
It’s the devil they know.
I repeat.
Your biggest competitor isn’t the other brand—it’s inertia.
Your job?
Get them unstuck.
Not with more noise.
Not with sawdust.
But with a perspective shift.
David Ogilvy said, “When you advertise fire extinguishers, open with the fire.”
Translation?
What you sell is boring. (There, I say it.)
You know what’s not boring?
Your prospect’s problems.
They don’t care what you do, they care what you do for them.
Here’s the twist.
Your customers may not even know they have a problem.
What they do know?
The pain they feel.
You see, problems are logical, but pain is personal.
That’s where you start.
Speak to pain.
That’s your wheelbarrow.
Speak to their pain so clearly they say, “That’s me.”
Then, and only then, you do earn the right to show them your solution.
RXBAR didn’t reinvent protein bars.
The problem? Overcrowded shelves filled with confusing, overhyped claims.
The pain? Not knowing what’s really in your food.
Their solution? A label so simple it feels like a mic drop: “3 egg whites. 6 almonds. 2 dates. No B.S.”
RXBAR didn’t make a new bar, they made an honest one.
Warby Parker didn’t create eyeglasses.
The problem? Expensive options at traditional retailers.
The pain? Paying hundreds for something essential and feeling ripped off.
Their solution? Stylish, affordable glasses that skipped the middleman—and came with the feel-good factor of donating a pair to someone in need.
They turned an everyday frustration into an effortless win.
Netflix didn’t invent movie rentals.
The problem? Clunky trips to the video store.
The pain? Late fees that felt like a punishment.
Their solution? A DVD rental-by-mail service with no late fees and the freedom to keep movies as long as you want.
Netflix didn’t just deliver movies—they delivered relief from hassle and guilt.
The best companies don’t create problems or markets from scratch.
They find the pain points people already feel—and make them disappear.
It’s not about fixing problems.
PS. Do you struggle to set yourself apart from your competitors? Does your tone of voice lack a little personality? Either way, get in touch and I’ll help you become remarkable. Or get more communication advice that doesn't suck here.
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