What does the marketer sell? Should she sell the product - How well can the product perform its task? At times, yes, but mostly NO.
Spoilt for choice, the consumer of today assumes that the product being sold performs its basic function and does it well. What exactly does a consumer want from a product is a tough question; but if you're a marketer and you're trying to sell your product/service only on how well it works, you better watch out!
Lets try and understand this using a simple example - suppose you want to sell a watch. You cannot expect to convince a customer to buy your watch by telling her how accurate the watch is. The customer has already assumed a lot - if it's a watch, it has got to be accurate. No wonder we don't find any TV commercials proudly proclaiming how accurate their watches are!
Take the case of mobile phones - how often do you expect to make a sale if you tell your consumer that your cell phone has the best voice quality or that it sends accurate SMSs? (Will the launch of 3G with better voice quality change this? I doubt.)We can go on adding products here and the list will be unending. Try selling a refrigerator which "cools well" or a washing machine which "Gives you clean clothes" or a pair of shoes that "protect your feet from getting wet/dirty" - I'm sorry but the chances that anyone will buy your product are pretty bleak.
So, how does one market? What does one sell if not the product? A shrewed marketer sells only what the customer wants. You don't sell a watch, you sell style or you sell elegance or you sell perfection (remember Roger Federer and Rolex). You don't sell mobile phones - you sell portable cameras or music or well...style again. It was simple - and so obvious, wasn't it? Ahem...why don't you try selling a refrigerator for me (and please, a fridge can never be a family member).
However, this is not a universal phenomenon. There are products and more typically services where the consumer values the basic requirements more than the value-added-functionality. Take the case of a car - "Our car drives well and is reliable"....hmmmmmm interesting proposition, I might consider.
The idea of not selling the product but something else is known to anyone who has read her marketing basics but in a different regard - positioning. Also, benefits segmentation is another close approximation to the idea. However, they are theoretical concepts which don't clearly convey how to sell a product.
So how do you do to sell your product? Simple. Don't sell your product - sell value additions.
P.S: I had written this blog before being introduced to the concept of the three levels of a product - core, expected and augmented. So, if the post does not sound very new and intriguing to you, please accept my apologies.
Spoilt for choice, the consumer of today assumes that the product being sold performs its basic function and does it well. What exactly does a consumer want from a product is a tough question; but if you're a marketer and you're trying to sell your product/service only on how well it works, you better watch out!
Lets try and understand this using a simple example - suppose you want to sell a watch. You cannot expect to convince a customer to buy your watch by telling her how accurate the watch is. The customer has already assumed a lot - if it's a watch, it has got to be accurate. No wonder we don't find any TV commercials proudly proclaiming how accurate their watches are!
Take the case of mobile phones - how often do you expect to make a sale if you tell your consumer that your cell phone has the best voice quality or that it sends accurate SMSs? (Will the launch of 3G with better voice quality change this? I doubt.)We can go on adding products here and the list will be unending. Try selling a refrigerator which "cools well" or a washing machine which "Gives you clean clothes" or a pair of shoes that "protect your feet from getting wet/dirty" - I'm sorry but the chances that anyone will buy your product are pretty bleak.
So, how does one market? What does one sell if not the product? A shrewed marketer sells only what the customer wants. You don't sell a watch, you sell style or you sell elegance or you sell perfection (remember Roger Federer and Rolex). You don't sell mobile phones - you sell portable cameras or music or well...style again. It was simple - and so obvious, wasn't it? Ahem...why don't you try selling a refrigerator for me (and please, a fridge can never be a family member).
However, this is not a universal phenomenon. There are products and more typically services where the consumer values the basic requirements more than the value-added-functionality. Take the case of a car - "Our car drives well and is reliable"....hmmmmmm interesting proposition, I might consider.
The idea of not selling the product but something else is known to anyone who has read her marketing basics but in a different regard - positioning. Also, benefits segmentation is another close approximation to the idea. However, they are theoretical concepts which don't clearly convey how to sell a product.
So how do you do to sell your product? Simple. Don't sell your product - sell value additions.
P.S: I had written this blog before being introduced to the concept of the three levels of a product - core, expected and augmented. So, if the post does not sound very new and intriguing to you, please accept my apologies.
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