A Book Review
Most people think of trying to show that their company is the best at something. They are determined to show how their product is the best and how it can do so many things. However, the most important thing to remember is that people want help with whatever problem they are having. If a person is in the landscaping business, you must understand what their problems are and that will help you “market” to that company.
This book, by Patrick Renvoise and Christophe Morin, discussed learning the client’s
pain. In the landscaping illustration, the client does not care about the mower, trimmer, and blower, ect. All they care about is having a manicured lawn. When trying to target that segment of the market, do not spend time and money showing the minute features of your product. Instead show how your product can give them that manicured lawn that they want. You might show how your mower uses a new technology in the blade to stay sharp longer for a cleaner cut. You could include a photo of a really well manicured lawn. This type of advertisement includes a subtle message that the reader might not even realize he is seeing. It is saying that if you purchase this product, your lawn will look like this one. By doing this, you are showing not how your product is better than other companies, but rather how your company is unique. Your company has the unique ability to help the client get that well manicured, lush lawn that other companies try and create.
Another thing that I learned is that one must listen to be a good marketer. It is vital to know your customer before you try and sell them your product. In our industry, it is very important to know your client before you try and sell them a website. If we, as a company, do not try and learn about our clients first, the site that we create for them will not fit what their company is trying to do.
Finally, I learned is that it is important to determine the intensity and urgency of the pain. If the intensity is really high and it is very urgent, a company will be very interested in getting help. If the urgency is low, or the pain is not intense, they will be less likely to doing something about it in the short term. It is a good idea to help them see the pain and show them how urgent it actually is. If you can increase the urgency in their mind, you increase their potential to do work with you. All of these ideas can and will help me become a better marketer in my future business work.
Tags:
Marketing, Advertising, Strategy