Let’s play a quick game.
I say “a fresh, juicy lemon.” What happens in your brain?
You probably saw a bright yellow wedge. Maybe you even imagined the sour taste making you pucker up. Your mouth might have watered a little.
Now, what if I just told you, “Citrus fruit, genus Citrus limon, with a pH of about 2.2.”
Boring, right? Nothing happened. No reaction.
That’s the power of a picture over words. And it’s not just a clever trick. It’s hardwired into your customers’ brains. In fact, a huge chunk of our brain—about half of its processing power—is dedicated to making sense of what we see.
We are visual creatures. We always have been. Our ancient ancestors needed to spot ripe fruit in a tree and see a predator hiding in the grass. Their survival depended on their eyes.
Your customer’s survival doesn’t depend on finding your product, but the same ancient wiring is still there. Their brain is screaming, “SHOW ME!”
And if you can’t show them the value of what you do, you’re fighting a losing battle. You’re leaving money on the table every single day.
The “So What?” Factor: Why Your Customer’s Brain is Lazy
Your customer is busy, distracted, and scrolling on their phone. They don’t have time to read your five-paragraph essay about why your service is the best.
Their brain is a lazy supercomputer. It’s always looking for shortcuts to save energy. Reading text is hard work for the brain. It has to decode symbols (letters) and assemble them into meaning.
But processing an image? That’s lightning fast. The brain understands visuals 60,000 times faster than it understands text.
Think of it like this:
Text is like giving someone an IKEA furniture manual. They have to put the whole thing together in their head.
A powerful image or video is like showing them the fully assembled, beautiful piece of furniture, right there in the room.
Which one is easier to understand? Which one makes them want it?
When you just tell people you’re great, they have to take your word for it. They think, “So what?” When you show them you’re great, they get it instantly. They think, “I want that.”
The Cost of Being Invisible: How You’re Losing Sales Right Now
So, what does this look like in the real world? Let’s look at some common ways businesses fail to show their value.
The “Secret Agent” Service Business.
This is the business that says things like:
“We provide synergistic, best-in-class operational solutions.”
“We are a full-service marketing consultancy.”
“We optimize business workflows for maximum efficiency.”
What does that even mean? What does that look like? Does it look like a business owner sleeping soundly because their books are finally clean? Does it look of a chart showing a client’s sales shooting up? The customer has no idea. Their brain glazes over and moves on.
The “Beige Website” Product Business.
This business has a website with a product shot on a plain white background. The description says: “High-quality widget. Made of durable materials. Great for everyday use.”
Yawn. Why is it high-quality? What does “durable” mean? Can it survive being run over by a car? Can it hold 500 pounds? “Great for everyday use” is the most meaningless phrase in sales. The customer can’t imagine it in their life, so they click away.
The “Trust Me” Local Business.
This is the local bakery with no photos of its cupcakes online. The landscaper with no before-and-after pictures of the yards they’ve transformed. The hair salon whose Instagram is just text posts about being open.
They are expecting people to just know how amazing they are. But in today’s world, people look you up online before they ever walk in your door. If they can’t see what you offer, they’ll go to the competitor who does show them.
How to Fix It: Stop Telling, Start Showing
Okay, enough with the problems. Let’s get to the solutions. You don’t need a Hollywood budget. You just need a smartphone and a shift in your mindset. For every single thing you do, ask yourself: “How can I show this instead of just say it?”
Here’s your game plan.
1. Weaponize “Before and After” (The King of Visuals)
The before-and-after is the most powerful weapon in your visual toolbox. It’s a story of transformation, and the human brain is wired for stories.
House Cleaner: Don’t just say “We clean houses.” Show a picture of a disgustingly dirty oven, and then right next to it, show that same oven sparkling like new.
Landscaper: Show a jungle of overgrown weeds and a sad, patchy lawn. Then show the same yard as a beautiful, green oasis.
Marketing Coach: Show a screenshot of a client’s sad, empty website calendar. Then show a screenshot of that same calendar, three months later, packed with blog posts and social media content. (You can use simple arrows and text overlay to make it clear).
Baker: Show a time-lapse video of a cupcake being decorated, from plain cake to a gorgeous, frosting-swirled masterpiece.
The “before” creates a problem the customer recognizes. The “after” is your product or service as the perfect solution. It’s instant understanding.
2. Become a Master of the Demo Video
You can describe your product forever. Or, you can make a 30-second video showing it in action.
Selling a super-strong phone case? Don’t just say “military-grade protection.” Film yourself throwing the phone with the case down a flight of stairs, then picking it up and showing the screen isn’t cracked. (This works—it’s why those videos are all over the internet!).
Selling a software tool? Instead of listing features, do a quick screen recording. Show how your tool takes a task that used to take 10 minutes and does it in 10 seconds. The customer sees the time being saved.
Selling a food product? Show someone pulling it out of the oven, the cheese stretching, the steam rising. Make it look irresistible.
The goal is to answer the customer’s biggest question: “What will this do for me?” Show them the outcome, the result, the benefit.
3. Ditch the Stock Photos, Embrace the Real
Stock photos of people in suits shaking hands and fake-smiling at a laptop are the enemy. They scream “fake” and “generic.” Your customer’s brain instantly filters them out as background noise.
Your secret weapon? Authenticity.
Take pictures of your actual team. Show them laughing at a meeting, concentrating on a project, or having a coffee break. People buy from people.
Take pictures of your actual workspace. The messy desk, the tools of your trade, the whiteboard covered in ideas. This builds trust and makes you real.
Show your product being made. A picture of a potter’s hands shaping a mug is a thousand times more powerful than a generic shot of a mug on a white background.
Real photos tell the true story of your business. They build a connection that no stock photo ever could.
4. Use Simple Graphics to Explain Complicated Things
If you have a service that’s complex, don’t try to explain it with a wall of text. Break it down visually.
Create a simple flowchart. Show the steps you take with a client. Step 1: Discovery Call -> Step 2: Audit -> Step 3: Plan -> Step 4: Results. Use simple icons for each step.
Make an infographic. If you have a great statistic (“We helped a client increase sales by 150%”), turn it into a simple graphic. A big, bold “150%” with a skyrocket arrow next to it is way more impactful than burying it in a paragraph.
Tools like Canva make this incredibly easy, with free templates and drag-and-drop design. You don’t need to be a graphic artist.
Your New Marketing Mantra
From now on, your mantra is: “Show, Don’t Tell.”
Before you write a social media post, an email, or a website headline, pause. Ask yourself:
Can I use a photo instead of these words?
Can I make a short video to demonstrate this?
Can I use a before-and-after to prove this?
Can I add a simple graphic to make this easier to understand?
Your customers’ brains are hungry for visual information. They are begging you to show them what you’ve got. When you feed that hunger, you make it incredibly easy for them to understand your value, trust you, and finally, buy from you.
Stop telling them you’re a lemon. Show them the yellow. Make their mouths water.
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Hi, I’m Heather.
Let me help you scale your Utah $1M+ biz to $20M+
My credentials:
- Built & sold Queen of Wraps (yep, that’s my face on the side of I-15)
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- Zero Ivy MBA (just pioneer grit + market-tested tactics)
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