I’ve been thinking about how even the most utilitarian products succeed or fail on personal factors.

Take construction reinforcement materials, like one of my clients sells.

On paper, these should be purely technical purchases — led by specifications, load requirements, government standards, safety factors, historic buying practices, and price.

But that’s not how it actually works.

The construction manager selecting reinforcement products is NOT just thinking about tensile strength and plastic shrinkage.

They’re also considering:

• “Will this choice keep me from having to explain delays to my boss?”
• “Is this supplier reliable enough that I won’t be dragged back in to find a replacement?”
• “Will this product make installation easier for my crew, who already respect me?”
• “Would we be able to bid on higher-margin jobs with this product?”
• “If so, could this choice help position me for that senior role opening up next year?”

This insight crystallized for me during recent work with the client. We initially mapped out all the technical advantages of their reinforcement product — the specs are genuinely impressive.

But the breakthrough came when we dug into the personal wins for each decision-maker in the chain.

In Chapter 10 of I Need That, I explain the Coveted Condition — that future state buyers imagine achieving through product ownership. For B2B products, that Coveted Condition often includes professional advancement, respect from colleagues, reduced stress, and personal time reclaimed.

It’s why seemingly commoditized products can still command premium prices and loyalty. The construction manager isn’t really buying steel or concrete additives. What they’re securing for themselves is peace of mind, reputation protection, and career advancement.

Product Payoff: Hilti, the premium construction tool manufacturer, lept from struggling against lower-priced competitors to a $6.5 billion company by recognizing that construction managers were buying uninterrupted productivity, not drills. Their Fleet Management program doesn’t sell tools but rather guarantees working equipment will ALWAYS be available. This shift from product features to personal outcomes for decision-makers led to 85% customer retention rates in an industry known for constant brand-switching based on price.

Action for today: For your key product decision-maker, map out their potential personal wins. Not company benefits, not departmental improvements, but genuine personal outcomes: less stress, more recognition, greater autonomy, easier workdays. Then ask honestly: does YOUR current messaging speak to these personal motivations, or does it focus exclusively on business outcomes?

Hey, want to explore how to make your product personally meaningful to decision-makers? Give that reply arrow a self-soothing tap and let’s discuss uncovering the hidden personal motivations behind seemingly objective decisions. Or reach out to my amazing team of B2B product marketing consultants at Graphos Product.