In both marketing and agency, it's the sizzle -the emotional connection, the compelling story - that sells, not the dry list of features!

In my previous business, I built what I consider the ultimate franchise in the industry. With 43% of lettings and property management agents relying on our system, our success was driven by unbreakable rules that kept our sales team at an 80% demo-to-deposit conversion rate. Clients were so convinced of our value that they'd wait up to six months for an installation if they didn't have an instal and training then and there while we were on site.

This week, I broke two of those golden rules, and the consequences were immediate. The first mistake? Demoing to the problem instead of the person with the problem. CFP was designed to rescue agency bosses who couldn't figure out why their client cash accounts and VAT were a mess, relying entirely on their bookkeepers for explanations. Demoing to the bookkeeper alone never worked, but when we demoed to the boss with the bookkeeper present, we could subtly show how our system would fix everything—without revealing the bookkeeper's shortcomings.

This time, though, I demoed to a team who were the root of the problem but didn't realize it. They know something's wrong—why their agency's listings are invisible and stuck on page 2 of Google—but they didn't know what to change. And they didn't grasp that what we were offering would have an immediate, game-changing impact. It was like trying to sell sausages by listing the pig snouts, trotters, and testicles—missing the sizzle and the sale.

To make matters worse, I broke another rule: I altered a carefully crafted demo just two hours before the presentation. That's like switching Goldilocks' porridge for Rice Krispies mid-story—everyone notices, and no one's happy. The demo flopped, and the agents left unimpressed.

As if the universe wasn't done with me, during a six-hour due diligence session, I received a LinkedIn request from a marketer—right as we discussed the reservations of the marketing team I'd hoped to work with. This new contact lacked the passion for the paradigm shift I'm driving, like someone trying to sell sausages without mentioning the sizzle—no enthusiasm, no spark.

The final irony? I challenged this marketer to identify a standout property, expecting them to highlight its unique appeal. Instead, they handed me a list of tick-box criteria—a Windows 95-style search that buried the property under similar, forgettable listings. It was like being handed the raw ingredients of a sausage instead of a sizzling, satisfying breakfast.

This experience reminded me that in both marketing and agency, it's the sizzle—the emotional connection, the compelling story—that sells, not the dry list of features. Just as Wall's made its fortune not by just selling sausages, but by turning leftover pig parts into something irresistible, the magic lies in transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. The real challenge now is finding someone who understands that—someone who can turn pig snouts into a feast.