Every Thursday, I have lunch with my mom — same booth, same menu, same smile when she sees me walk in. And nearly every Thursday, I get some version of this question:

“Now… remind me again. What is it that Victoria does?”

Victoria — my wife — is a social media influencer.
My mom — God love her — doesn’t use a smartphone, texts no one, and until recently believed “the cloud” was literal weather. She does, however, know her way around cable TV… and that tiny detail became my golden messaging opportunity.

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So when she asked yet again what an influencer is, I realized I had two choices:
1. Explain the mechanics of content creation, audience segments, brand partnerships, affiliate revenue, performance metrics, and engagement funnels…
2. Or meet her where she is.
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I chose door number two — which, ironically, is the same door most companies forget to open when talking about their product.

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Making the Message Relatable (aka: The Dr Phil Strategy)

So I told her:

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“Mom, imagine your favorite cable channel — the one you watch all day long. Now imagine your favorite TV personality hosting it 24/7, sharing things you actually want to watch. Naturally, advertisers want to be on that channel because all the people who love that host tune in. The more they watch, the more advertisers pay to show their products.”

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Her eyes lit up.

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Because now we weren’t talking about “influencers.”
We were talking about Dr Phil. And cable TV.
Her world.

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And suddenly, she got it.

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Victoria creates entertaining videos → People watch → Brands want access → She gets paid when those viewers buy.

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It wasn’t about explaining the thing.
It was about explaining the thing in her context.

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And that’s the punchline for every company’s messaging problem.

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Messaging Rule #1: Your Product Must Live in Their World, Not Yours

We love to talk about how our product works, why it’s innovative, and why we’re proud of it.
But your audience isn’t trying to earn your PhD.
They’re trying to understand:

“How does this make sense to me?”

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When I spoke to my mom in her language — TV channels, favorite hosts, advertisers — she didn’t need convincing. She understood instantly.

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Your buyers are exactly the same.
Different audience… same psychology.

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Messaging Rule #2: The Story Is the Delivery System

Stats matter. Case studies matter. ROI matters.
But none of that matters first.

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The story is what unlocks the mental door.
Stories let your buyer place themselves inside the problem — and more importantly — see themselves on the other side of it.

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My mom didn’t need a data sheet on influencer marketing.
She needed a story that mirrored her life.

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Your buyers need the same.

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Messaging Rule #3: Lead to the Value — Don’t Lead With the Value

Once the story landed, then my mom understood the business model.

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She didn’t start by caring about brand revenue or conversion rates.
Those concepts only made sense after the story gave her a mental model she trusted.

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This is where most companies go off the rails:

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They lead with the feature.
Or the claim.
Or the award.
Or the stat.

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Instead of leading with a story that makes the value self-evident.

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The Framework Behind the Story

This is the same framework I teach in my book, Health Tech Giant Slayer — what I call the Commercial Message. It’s how smaller companies beat better-funded competitors by being more relatable, clearer, and more human than the giants in their market.

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Because at the end of the day:
If your buyer “gets it” faster from you than anyone else, you win.
Every. Time.

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Whether you’re selling health tech, enterprise SaaS, a new service offering — or explaining your wife’s influencer business to your mom — the principle is the same:

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Make it relatable, make it simple, and make it their story.

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Want help crafting a message your market actually understands?

Connect with me at fred@fivestonesgrowth.com, or pick up Health Tech Giant Slayer on Amazon to dive deeper into how to build a go-to-market message that slays giants.

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And hey — while you’re at it — follow my wife on TikTok.
You never know… your product might be her next viral feature.

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Fred Sheffield is the Founder of 5 Stones Growth Systems™ and author of “Health Tech Giant Slayer: What CEOs Need to Know to Defeat Their Goliaths.” He helps health tech startups and scaleups create predictable, differentiated growth through authentic, system-driven go-to-market strategies.