Don’t Just Show What You Do—Show the Stakes
How Manufacturers Can Create More Powerful Messaging by Framing the Cost of Inaction
If you work in manufacturing, you’re used to selling by specification.
You tell customers what materials you run. What tolerances you hold. What certifications you meet. You show the capabilities and let the buyer decide.
But here’s the problem: buyers don’t make decisions based on specs alone.
They make decisions based on stakes.
Not just technical trade-offs—but real-world consequences:
- What happens if the part fails?
- What happens if the timeline slips?
- What happens if they choose the wrong partner?
Great brands don’t just describe what they do.
They show what’s at stake if the customer doesn’t solve the problem.
That’s how you move from “capable supplier” to “trusted partner.”
The Missed Opportunity in Most Manufacturing Messaging
Let’s say you’re a company that does precision forming for aerospace and defense. Your homepage says:
“We specialize in hydroforming, deep draw, and stamping with tolerances as tight as ±0.002", across a wide range of metals.”
That might be true. It might even be impressive. But it’s not urgent. It doesn’t frame the stakes.
Now imagine the same company starts their pitch with:
“In aerospace, one delayed component can halt final assembly, ground an entire program, or cost a Tier 1 supplier millions. We help engineers hit spec the first time—so your team stays on schedule and in the air.”
That message hits differently.
It doesn’t just describe a capability. It resonates with a fear the buyer already has—and offers a way to avoid it.
That’s what great brand messaging does.
It frames your service as the way out of a costly or risky situation.
What Duarte Teaches Us About Stakes
Nancy Duarte’s book Resonate is about persuasive storytelling. One of her key insights is that great communicators help people see the gap between where they are now and where they could be—and then show them how to cross it.
Applied to branding, this means you must contrast:
- The cost of inaction
- With the benefit of choosing your solution
And that contrast needs to be emotional as well as logical.
This is especially important in B2B manufacturing, where every purchase feels like a risk.
When you help your customer feel the urgency of staying stuck—and the relief of solving the problem—you’re no longer just another vendor.
You’re the guide who shows them how to cross that gap.
What’s Really at Stake for Your Customer?
Let’s bring this down to the shop floor.
Imagine you manufacture composite housings for ruggedized electronics used in defense applications. Your buyer isn’t just trying to get a part that meets mechanical specs. They’re trying to:
- Keep a military program on track
- Avoid rework that puts delivery dates at risk
- Protect themselves from being blamed if something goes wrong
If your message focuses only on process—"we mold to tight tolerances and ship on time"—you’re assuming the buyer will connect the dots.
But if your message says:
“We help defense OEMs protect mission-critical programs from supplier slipups, with a track record of zero late deliveries across 3,000+ parts.”
Now the buyer sees the stakes.
And you’ve just lowered their perceived risk.
How to Bring the Stakes Into Your Messaging
You don’t need to be dramatic. You just need to be honest.
Here’s how to start:
1. Talk to your sales team.
Ask: what happens when a customer doesn’t address this issue? What do they lose? What gets delayed? What does that mean downstream?
2. Capture those fears in your message.
Not with scare tactics—but with empathy. Show that you understand what’s on the line for them.
3. Contrast it with the better future.
Paint a picture of what success looks like: fewer delays, lower risk, better control, a win they can take back to their team.
When you do this well, your message becomes less about you—and more about the change your customer gets when they choose you.
Stakes Make It Stick
Buyers don’t just need information. They need motivation.
The specs, the certs, the process diagrams—all of that matters. But it’s not what gets remembered.
What gets remembered is the story.
The moment they realize:
“If I don’t solve this problem, we’re in trouble.”
“If I choose this partner, we get back on track.”
Stakes are what make that story matter.
They turn your brand from a service provider into a solution provider.
Want help positioning your company around what your customers actually care about?
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The Right Horse helps manufacturers craft brand messages that go beyond specs—by showing the real-world risks you help your customers avoid and the future you help them achieve.
