It’s always tempting. Very tempting. But never do it. Never open a medical marketing piece by touting how special your company is and how innovative your products are.

Instead, take a more humble approach. Begin by talking about your prospects. Make it clear that you relate to their challenges and understand what keeps them up at a night.

In other words: Let your prospects know you feel their pain.

This approach makes your copy more about your customers and less about you. And these days, that’s what people expect. Writing about your prospects’ pain points also lets them know you’ve done your homework, and it gives you the credibility to introduce your medical product as a solution to the real-world problems they face.

Want to know if you’re really putting the needs and pain points of your prospects first? Look through your current marketing materials and hold them to this simple test.

If the first several sentences of your sales letters, brochures and web site copy all begin with the words I or We—you definitely need to rewrite your copy so the needs of your prospects are front and center.

As tempting as it is to begin each marketing piece by talking about your product—don’t do it. Write about your prospects, their specific niche within the healthcare/medical industry and the challenges they face. Then, and only then, will you gain the credibility to position your product or service as a solution to their most pressing problems.