A Lesson Every Founder Needs to Know
More than two decades ago, my dear friend and mentor Shirley shared a simple analogy that has shaped how I approach business and how I advise my clients to this day.
She said: “Sell the cookie, not the ingredients.”
At the time, I was just beginning to work with brands and founders who were passionate about what they created. But I noticed a common pattern. When asked to describe their business, they’d dive into the details—the process, the features, the technical specs. In other words, the ingredients. What they often overlooked was the outcome—the cookie—the thing their customers actually cared about.
Here’s what Shirley meant:
Selling the cookie means focusing on the final product and how it benefits the customer. You talk about the experience, the results, and the value.
Selling the ingredients means getting lost in the specifics of how it’s made. Important? Yes. Persuasive? Usually not.
For example, if you sell software, don’t lead with the coding language or development methodology. Instead, explain how the software will save time, reduce costs, or help someone achieve a goal that matters to them.
An Aha Moment I Witnessed Just This Week
Yesterday, I found myself repeating Shirley’s wisdom to a potential client. They were describing their service by listing every element that made it great. But I stllll didn’t really understand why a customer would care.
So I paused and shared the “sell the cookie” analogy. And I saw it—that aha moment. The shift in understanding was immediate. They realized they’d been making it hard for people to see why their offer mattered.
Why This Matters for Every Business
When you sell the cookie:
You make it easy for customers to grasp your value
You connect emotionally (people buy with both logic and feeling)
You avoid overwhelming your audience with technicalities they may not fully understand—or care about
In the case of selling what you make or do, process—your ingredients—matters, of course. But it’s not what draws people in.
That’s the lesson Shirley taught me 20 years ago. And it’s the one I continue to pass along whenever I see an opportunity for a better, clearer, more customer-centered story.
