We humans love numbers.
We sprinkle them across presentations, reports, and decision documents as if they carried some sort of magical power of persuasion all on their own.
“40,000 million tons of CO₂ per year.”
“10 percent more efficient.”
“Half a million kronor saved.”
But numbers aren’t truths.
They’re symbols.
And symbols have no meaning until we give them a body.
Instead of the abstract phrase “40,000 million tons of CO₂ per year,” you could paint the picture like this:
“Imagine a concrete wall going all the way around the Earth. Ten meters wide, 42 meters high. We build it, every year.” 😱
Suddenly the numbers land.
Not in the head, but in the gut.
That’s where change begins.
Make the numbers felt 🧠→💛
This is the core difference between informing and persuading.
In sales, it’s the difference between being heard and being chosen.
When you say your solution is 10% more efficient, most customers shrug their shoulders .
The statistic passes by like a bad banner ad.
But if you instead say:
“Our solution means that every employee frees up an extra half-day each week.”
Then something happens: the customer can visualize it, feel it, and understand what they could actually do with that extra time.
💡 A few ways to make numbers tangible
Translate time into life:
“That’s four weeks of work per year that just… disappears. As if someone gave you an extra vacation.”
Translate money into something physical:
“That half-million you’re leaking is the equivalent of hiring a new employee—or two campaigns you have to say no to every year.”
Translate risk into something human:
“Every percentage point of error in your forecast is like a blind spot in your windshield. You don’t notice it until you crash.”
Translate processes into movement:
“This change is like removing five red lights from your customers’ journey. Everything flows faster.”
It’s not about simplifying.
It’s about anchoring.
When numbers become tangible, they stop being data and start becoming meaning.
👉 And meaning is what drives decisions.
So next time you present a number, try giving it a “body.” Make it visible. Make it felt.
Because when numbers can be felt, they land in the gut.
And that’s where the decision to choose your solution begins to take shape in your customer.
Here you can read on how you can get your customer to say yes!
