The Power of One: How to Own Your Market with a Clear Message
Dan Schultz
Agribusiness Psychotherapist | Keeper of the Language | Closing The Category Gap In Agriculture
In any complex effort, communicating a well-articulated vision for what you’re trying to do is the starting point for figuring out how to do it.
- Ken Kocienda
In Creative Selection, his memoir about his years as a software developer at Apple, Ken Kocienda recalls attending a keynote at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, where Steve Jobs—dressed in his iconic black mock turtleneck and jeans—announced the release of the Safari web browser:
“Apple had made its own web browser. In a flash, our super-secret, eighteen-month-long project became public knowledge. Steve also announced that Safari not only loaded web pages faster than Internet Explorer … it loaded web pages three times faster.
The launch of Safari was a huge success for Apple. Today, around 20% of global search traffic happens through the browser. But what most people missed wasn’t just that Safari was fast—it was that Apple had framed the entire conversation around speed.
They didn’t just release a new browser. They told the world what mattered in a browser.
Instead of letting customers, the press, or competitors define Safari on their own terms, Apple made the choice for them. Safari wasn’t just another browser—it was the fast browser.
This wasn’t just marketing spin. It was a clearly articulated strategy for winning.
At the outset of the project, Jobs had defined success through the lens of speed—the length of time it took for a webpage to load. That one clear goal shaped everything: the team’s technical priorities, daily workflow, and decision-making process.
Kocienda’s team wasn’t just working on a web browser; they were working on a fast web browser. That single word—speed—became a forcing function, shaping the technical roadmap and every decision they made. It wasn’t just a feature; it was the feature.
More than a century ago, the advertising pioneer Claude Hopkins wrote:
“There is a great deal in mental impression. Submit five articles exactly alike and five people may choose any one of them. But point out in one some qualities to notice and everyone will find them. The five people then will all choose the same article.”
Jobs knew this instinctively. When they framed Safari as the fast browser, people began judging it through the lens of speed. That framing created alignment—not just for customers but for the internal team, Apple’s leadership, and even the press. Suddenly, every review of Safari wasn’t just about features; it was a referendum on its speed.
This is the power of clear, intentional language. It doesn’t just describe reality—it shapes it.
The Fewer the Hurdles, the Bigger the Buy-In
Years ago, I listened to a presentation by the founders of DigitalMarketer.com. They shared a simple but powerful insight: The more things someone had to focus on in order to buy, the worse the offer converted.
When they analyzed their company’s various offers, the pattern was clear—every additional idea presented cut conversions in half. If the sales copy tried to make more than one point, results plummeted.
One belief. One point. One sale.
Anything more? You’re making them think too hard.
The most successful companies don’t just build great products.
They create clear, undeniable narratives that frame how people think about those products.
These companies don’t wait for the market to define them. They choose their narrative, craft the language around it, and align their entire company behind it.
Safari’s success wasn’t just about its engineering—it was about the clarity of its story.
Great marketers understand the same fundamental truth: People don’t like making complex decisions.
This lesson isn’t just for consumer tech companies. In AgTech, where decision cycles are long, trust is critical, and competition is fierce, clarity in messaging isn’t just a marketing tactic—it’s a survival strategy.
Most companies struggle because they spread their message too thin—listing every feature, benefit, and reason to buy, instead of focusing on what truly matters. They try to sell better software, automation, and insights all at once.
But farmers, agronomists, and ag retailers don’t have time to sort through a complex pitch. If your message isn’t clear and singular, it gets lost in the noise.
The best companies do the opposite. They strip everything down to the single most compelling truth.
These aren’t slogans. They’re strategies—guiding principles that drive everything the company does.
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