Derek Sivers tells the story of two candlemakers.
The first candlemaker proudly says:
“I use the finest wax and the highest-quality wick.
Every candle is crafted to perfection.”
And he sells… a few dozen.
The second candlemaker says”
“I make prayer candles, the kind you light while you’re praying.”
His candles are of lower quality.
But he sells thousands.
Same product category.
Different result.
Why?
Because people don’t buy products.
They buy purpose.
The second candlemaker connected his product to something deeper:
Meaning.
Ritual.
Emotion.
Intention.
While the first focused on features,
the second focused on the story people told themselves while using the candle.
This is the mistake many creators, makers, and entrepreneurs make.
We fall in love with our product.
We polish it, perfect it, add more features…
And then we wonder why no one’s buying.
The truth?
People don’t care how perfect your candle is.
They care what lighting it means to them.
So if your incredible product isn’t selling,
don’t start tweaking the ingredients.
Start asking:
What does my course/offer/product help people do,
become, or believe about themselves?
Because when you understand the job your product is being hired to do…
You’ll stop selling a candle.
And start selling a moment.
How to find your signature offer? I explain it here.
