Persuading someone to buy a commodity requires a microscope. Let me explain.
Suppose you sell pencils. Your buyer sees your pencil as a commodity because it looks like every other pencil he’s ever seen. But that’s because he’s not a pencil specialist. He’s looking at your product from a distance, through binoculars. He can’t see the deep down goodness of your pencil. He can’t see all its features.
You sell a commodity, not on price or on benefits, but on features—tiny, microscopic features that the buyer doesn’t know about and can’t see until you show him.
For instance, the lead in your #2 pencil is from an employee-owned mine in Chile. The wood is aromatic cedar from a fair trade community forest in Lebanon. And the paint is non-toxic, made in Altoona, PA, and is, in fact, soaked with Vitamin C and kale flakes.
Drill down. Dig deep. Zoom in. Describe your product in minute detail. You’ll either win the sale with your surprising specifics, or entertain your prospect so well he’ll buy your stupid pencil just to have you come around more often.