What is Voice of The Buyer Marketing?

How is it different?

And how can it grow your business?

It’s all based on a simple idea:

You don’t have to write great sales messages, if you can hear them.

You see, no matter how well you do what you do, you are NOT your buyers.

Your thoughts are not their thoughts.

Your words are not their words.

That means buyers speak the language of other buyers better than you do.

Which makes them better at selling your business than you are.

So it behooves you to use their language in all your marketing — web pages, emails, sales letters, slide decks, phone scripts, sales proposals, etc.

It’s a way to trigger new sales in your business that’s predictable, profitable, and proven.

When you do that, you are leveraging …

Voice of The Buyer Marketing

Want to see an example worth $102 million?

My client Steve hired me to write a sales letter. He wanted to grow his chain of pet stores and knew he could do it by direct mail.

Using Voice of The Buyer Marketing, that’s what we did.

Here are two pages of the four-page letter …

What’s with all those red boxes?

I added them to show you all the words of actual customers, either direct quotes or paraphrases: the Voice of the Buyer.

As you can see, they’re about 50% of the letter.

Where did I find those words?

• I analyzed dozens of customer testimonials and results from surveys
• I talked to my neighbors who owned dogs
• I eavesdropped on dog owner conversations in a pet store near me

My goal was to fill Steve’s letter with as much customer language as possible, so the message would resonate with customers.

Here’s some of what I wrote:

• Is my dog overweight?
• What’s the difference between all those dog foods?
• Which products are safe for flea and tick control?

Important: None of that came from my head. Those words came from buyers — it’s their voice.

Result: That sales letter was mailed across America for 5 years, helping grow Steve’s business from 9 locations and $15 million in sales … to 45 locations and $102 million.

He later sold his business for a tidy sum.

That’s what’s possible Voice of The Buyer Marketing.

But how do you find those words?

Good question! Here’s …

How to Find The Voice of The Buyer

This first step is research only.

We’re not writing anything. We’re only collecting words and ideas to use later.

With that in mind, there are 4 ways to find the words that buyers are using to talk about what they want.

 

1) Find what buyers are saying about your business online

Do you have Google reviews, Yelp reviews, LinkedIn recommendations, or testimonials for your business? If so, this is where to look first.

Let me show you what I mean.

Below is an example based on 105 Google reviews from my favorite graphic designer, Lacey Creative.

In the red box, you’ll see part of a review I wrote for Damon.

Here’s the important part:

“Damon Lacey is a fantastic graphic designer. Working with him is like working with a full-blown agency, minus the drama and huge price tag.”

Why is that important? Because many people have hired designers who were flaky, or took too many drafts and never got it right, or charged an arm and both legs. Damon is none of that.

Meanwhile, this phrase is the basis for a unique selling proposition (USP): “A full-blown agency, minus the drama and huge price tag.” Why? Because I searched Google and found no matches for it. With a little editing, it becomes this: “Professional Design, Without the Drama or Price” which is also unique in Google.

That’s just one example from one Google review.

Here’s another review from another of Damon’s clients:

Look at all the real, raw language of buyers:

• After exhausting myself with money and time using Fiverr, and ending up so dissatisfied, I decided to go local.

• Damon understood my vision and created what I could only see in my mind.

• I have gotten so many comments about my logo and absolutely love ❤️ it!

Tip: Compile all your Google reviews, Yelp reviews, LinkedIn recommendations, website testimonials, and YouTube videos from customers, into a single document.

Then, ask your favorite AI tool (ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, etc.) to analyze that raw material and give you actionable insights.

First, look for problems and worries you can agitate.

Then, look for goals and desires you can help clients attain.

Now, the fun part. Using ChatGPT and the prompts above to analyze the text of Damon’s Google reviews, here are the top 3 problems he solves for clients, in their own words:

1. Overpriced and Complicated Service (Kevin Donlin):

• Kevin highlights that working with Damon is like working with a “full-blown agency, minus the drama and huge price tag.”
• This suggests that before working with Damon, Kevin likely dealt with services that were expensive and unnecessarily complicated.

2. Dissatisfaction with Previous Designers (Nova Concrete):

• Nova Concrete explicitly states they were “exhausting myself with money and time using Fiverr, and ending up so dissatisfied.”
• This indicates dissatisfaction with budget-friendly online services that failed to meet their expectations.

3. Lack of Understanding from Other Designers (Both Reviews):

• Kevin notes Damon “takes the time to learn what you need” and “delivers a dynamite design that just does what you want.”
• Nova Concrete emphasizes Damon “understood my vision and created what I could only see in my mind.”
• Both reviewers were frustrated by designers who didn’t fully grasp or execute their vision.

Pretty insightful eh? All that from two Google reviews!

Now, here are the top 3 goals Damon helps clients achieve, in their own words, according to ChatGPT:

1. High-Quality, Effective Design (Kevin Donlin, Nova Concrete):

• Kevin’s goal is to have “a dynamite design that just does what you want.”
• Nova Concrete wanted “the perfect logo” that matched a vision they could “only see in my mind.”
• Both sought designs that not only looked good but also aligned perfectly with their specific needs and vision.

2. Seamless Integration of Design and Marketing (Kevin Donlin):

• Kevin highlights that Damon “understands how great design fits into great marketing.”
• His goal is to have designs that enhance his marketing efforts, ensuring the visuals contribute to his overall strategy.

3. Efficient, Hassle-Free Process (Both Reviews):

• Kevin appreciates working with Damon because it’s “minus the drama and huge price tag.”
• Nova Concrete values that Damon made the process “quick” while being “patient and understanding about any revisions.”
• Both reviewers aim for a smooth experience with minimal stress and clear communication.

Bottom line: The answers you get from this AI analysis are potential headlines, problems to solve, and solutions to offer — all pre-written for you, in The Voice of The Buyer.

 

2) Find what buyers are saying about your business offline

This is as simple as it sounds: Get on the phone or talk face to face with your buyers and prospects. If you can, record the conversations. You’ll get a treasure trove of real words for your marketing.

Example: My client Ryan owns a real estate investment company that buys houses. When he came to me, he was in trouble. His business partner — the sales guy — had quit. Sales were effectively $0.

But Ryan was smart. He was sending postcards to property owners, asking them to call his 24-hour recorded message to request information.

The smart part was this: Ryan gave me access to all the voicemail messages those prospects left. They were packed with questions, concerns, worries, fears, and frustrations of real people.

All I did was transcribe them and pull out what I needed.

As a result, I wrote copy like this:

• “You may have family disputes about the property that you don’t want to deal with … whether it’s about money, an inheritance, hiring a lawyer, or going to court”
• “They haven’t paid me … they’re not taking care of the property … I don’t want to be the bad guy who has to evict them”
• “I felt paralyzed and I didn’t want to do anything. I hoped the problems would just go away … but they didn’t. I wound up buried in debt because I kept using my credit cards to make mortgage payments. The problems kept snowballing on me … “

See how conversational that is? It sounds like real people talking. Because it is.

What were the results? In the first 7 days after mailing the letter, Ryan added $250,000 in revenue and equity … on his way to an eventual $730,000.

Tip: Add any more comments you find in this step to the document you started in Step 1 above. Then, ask your favorite AI tool to analyze that raw material for actionable insights.

 

3) Find what buyers are saying about your industry online

Now, what if you don’t have many reviews about your business online? Or you can’t talk to your buyers offline? Or you just want to cast a wider net to haul in more real words from real buyers?

Step 3 is for you: Search for what buyers are saying about your industry.

Specifically, search Reddit.

There’s a Reddit group for every industry you can think of, including yours. And the posts you find there are an invaluable source of raw, unfiltered words of buyers.

Here are examples of Reddit topics you can search for on Google, Perplexity, or your favorite search tool:

• marketing agency reviews Reddit
• lawn service reviews Reddit
• insurance agency Minnesota reviews Reddit

A search like gives you real words from real buyers, talking about their problems, frustrations, and goals.

Mind you, these comments aren’t about your company. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that these are the concerns your buyers have when they are looking to hire a company like yours.

For example, here’s what one Reddit user said about an insurance agency in Minnesota:

John Dough handles our auto, home, and life. He and his crew have always been responsive and I appreciate that they regularly reach out to me with reviews of what I have to see if we can save money by switching to new providers.

In my experience, a 10-minute search through Reddit can produce nearly as many insights as a $10,000 consumer focus group did just a few years ago. In real, raw, authentic language.

 

4) Find what buyers are saying about your industry offline

Pay attention to conversations you hear about what your business does. Open your ears in checkout aisles, coffee shops, airports, restaurants, live events — anywhere people gather.

This is no-cost and needs no technology.

Once you get the hang of it, it’s as easy and instinctive as hearing your name in a crowded party.

You should aim to do the following:

• Listen for emotional problems. Pay attention to issues that stir strong emotions and concerns, like dog owners’ fears of their pet dying from poisoned food. While goals and dreams are important, they don’t compel action as quickly as problems.
• Capture buyer language. When you hear something, write it down verbatim or dictate it into your phone. Never trust your memory because you will either forget what was said or edit it to sound more like you. Be a collector of real words from real people.

Tip: Compile all the comments you hear and add them to the second document you started in step 3, for analysis by your favorite AI tool.

Are you starting to see a pattern?

Your buyers are out there, everywhere, talking about what they want. All you have to do is listen.

Now let’s summarize how to Find The Voice of The Buyer:

1. Listen to them talk about your business online
2. Listen to them talk about your business offline
3. Listen to them talk about your industry online
4. Listen to them talk about your industry offline

The 4 steps above will unearth dozens of problems, worries, goals, and desires – all in the real words of real buyers.

You’ll have a treasure trove of ideas for your marketing.

But how do you exploit those ideas and grow your business?

Here’s …

How to Use The Voice of The Buyer

There are two simple ways.

1. The Meta Testimonial

When people ask, “What do you do?” … what do you say?

You may default to MBA-babble, like: “We deliver best-of-breed technology solutions to drive user engagement across multiple platforms.”

Or a tiny generality: “We’re a SaaS firm.”

That’s because it’s hard to talk about your business.

You’re on the inside looking out. It’s hard to see clearly.

So, why not let others talk for you, in The Voice of The Buyer?

It’s easy, with what I call The Meta Testimonial.

Here’s how to create yours.

First, copy and paste all your client testimonials into a text file.

Then, use the following PROMPT in your favorite AI tool:

Based on the testimonials from my clients, how would they concisely tell others what I do for them?

That’s what I did, with my own client testimonials. Here’s what AI gave me:

Kevin Donlin creates high-converting sales letters, emails, and marketing campaigns that generate millions in revenue. He helps businesses grow faster, increase sales pipelines, and uncover hidden profits. His work delivers measurable results—whether it’s tripling revenue, closing six-figure deals, or automating sales. On top of that, he’s a trusted advisor in marketing and strategy.

Not bad, eh?

It’s concise, accurate. It’s what I do. A summary of all my testimonials. A Meta Testimonial.

And you can do a lot with it.

Example: You can add it to the About section in your LinkedIn profile, so prospects can “hear themselves” in the words of your clients, like this:

More Meta Testimonial examples:

Sally Smith is a marketing strategist who cuts through the noise and pinpoints exactly what’s needed to grow a business. She builds smart, automated systems that work 24/7, turning marketing into a revenue-generating machine. Whether it’s refining messaging, fixing funnels, or scaling operations, she sees solutions others miss—and makes them happen. If you want to simplify, scale, and succeed, Sally is the one to call.

Jack Jones makes finances simple, clear, and—most importantly—profitable. He helps people save money, avoid costly mistakes, and build a solid financial future. Whether you’re launching a business, looking for tax savings, or just trying to make sense of it all, Jack’s advice delivers real results. His guidance has helped clients keep more of their money, plan smarter, and feel confident about their financial future.

John Dough goes beyond buying and selling homes. He makes sure you find the perfect place and feel supported every step of the way. He’s personable, not pushy, and treats your home search like his own. Clients say he’s always accessible, honest, and genuinely cares, which is why they recommend him to family and friends — and work with him again on their next move.

You can also use your Meta Testimonial as the basis for:

• Social media content: My Meta Testimonial mentions sales letters, emails, marketing campaigns … how to grow faster, increase sales pipelines, uncover hidden profits — that’s 6 topics for videos, posts, and articles. And I know prospective clients care about them because they come from the words of paying clients
• Topics for podcast interviews: Use your content to ask podcast hosts to have you on as a guest. Or invite clients or experts to your podcast, where you discuss each topic at length. Either way, you’ll generate new content that positions you as an expert
• Thought leadership content: Compile your social media content and podcast transcripts into a white paper, special report, and/or book, to further position yourself as an authority

 

Finally, a Meta Testimonial can be the germ of a unique selling proposition (USP), like this one for an insurance agency:

“ABC Financial is different. They go beyond insurance — with strategic guidance, cost-saving solutions, and personalized support. They’re valuable partners for my business.”

OR

“ABC Financial goes beyond insurance. They’re valuable partners. With strategic guidance, cost-saving solutions, and personalized support for my business.”

If you’re in a crowded market or an industry that is often commoditized, like insurance, a Meta Testimonial gives you plenty of ways to stand out.

2. Headlines for Sales Letters and Web Pages

 

What were the results?

Sales more than doubled in 30 days, increasing by 139% — to $46,160. He quickly got on track for over $1 million in additional revenue. All because I listened to The Voice of The Buyer.

Bottom Line: When you listen to the voice of your buyers — and use their language — it can change the game for your business.

I’ve done it multiple times for clients — B2B and B2C.

That’s what’s possible with Voice of the Buyer Marketing.

Now, wondering if this can work for your business?

I’d be happy to answer your questions in a Client Cloning Conversation.

No cost. No obligation. No sales pitch.

If you like the ideas and decide to work with me, they won’t cost you any money.

Because you get an ROI. Or your money back.

Sound fair?

>>> Click here to book a Free Client Cloning Conversation.