On a recent call discussing how to show someone the value of one’s products, everyone listed the things they thought made their products special. See previous post here.
Everyone’s biggest challenge seems to be:
How to show customers how great their products are, to encourage them to buy.
They tell about as many virtues as possible, to avoid hearing the dreaded “That’s too expensive.” Or worse, “I can get the same thing at Wal-Mart or GNC, etc.”
After people listed the reasons they thought their products were the best (science, patents, MD support, research, etc.) I told them about the new headphones I’d just gotten the day before – the new (Bose ones – $349)
After the wows and whistles, I asked them what they’d paid for THEIR headphones…
$20-45 was the range.
“So do you think mine are better than yours?”
“YEA!!”
“So why don’t you buy them, too?”
Here’s where the lights went on…
“I don’t need anything that good…”
“I don’t do audio work like you do…”
“The kids will trash anyway…”
Everyone agreed mine were “better” than theirs, e.g. higher quality, noise cancelling, etc.
But did they or would they buy? Even now, knowing these were way higher quality?
Here’s the unpleasant conclusion for all marketers:
The better your product is, i.e. the more wonderful the characteristics are that you talk about, the fewer people will buy.
Yep.
Because:
1. It will take time for the other person to get ‘educated’ about the what and why of your special product – time most people “dont have” if they are not already of a like mind set to yours…AND
2. Special products COST more than the run-of-the-mill ones.
People only pay more when they perceive that they need or want something really good – be it a set of $349 headphones, a professional tennis racquet for $300, or nutritional supplements or health programs that cost way more than anything at GNC or Wal-Mart.
For most high-end products, the typical world view is:
“I don’t need anything that good.”
Quiz: How would you talk about your products now that you know this about people?
Comment below…
Hehehe.
P.S. Another question: Would you continue leading with reasons that you yourself don’t use to make a buying decision? See previous post here.
It worked for me and it’s worked for other people who… It might work for you. I’d recommend you try it.
Deja Vu all over again! I also own the Bose headsets, and I haven’t figured out why anyone who can reasonably afford excellence would settle for mediocrity.
(In Prepaid Legal we don’t have the price challenge because our service is far less than any competition, ie hourly atty fees…thankfully).
You hit the target dead on with this one Kim. I don’t need anything that good! Whoa!
Marketing a nutritional product or product line in the U.S. is difficult for the various reasons discussed in previous posts. And now the real objection comes to light.I don’t need anything that good.
There are millions of people who don’t care about their health. For instance, it is estimated that there are 20.8 million diabetic people in the U.S. and 6.2 million don’t even know they have diabetes.
Another sad fact is that the first symptom in 40% of the people having their first heart attack is sudden death.(Too late for sure).
So why would someone object to a product that could improve their health? People can object to the price but that’s just an excuse as most people could afford the products we market. Kim gives us a sound reason I don’t need anything that good.
*** NEWS FLASH ***
Bargain shoppers are not brand loyal.
The more someone pays for a product, the more they expect it to perform. The better it performs, the more loyal they are. Those few elite buyers that experience the highest level of performance, will be the most loyal customers out there…regardless of price. That’s who I’m after.
I no longer need to justify my products cost to anyone. This is what I have and this is how much it costs. If that’s you, great. Here’s what I have…
-Connelly
https://www.networkmarketingcentral.com?profile=329
I see what we are doing as educating the public.
After all the GNC/WalMart/Target/Walgreen/etc crowd has for years told the public that one vitamin or supplement is as good as another so we might as well buys theirs – solely because they are the cheapest. Ditto whatever it is we sell – they out-advertise us.
We have an uphill climb – but the more we educate – and not push either sales or business – the better it will be for all of us.
The general public is learning that quality costs – but look what quality can do for you : – )
Lynn
http://growolderbetter.com
It all comes down to shared values. I really care about my health. I do yoga. I am environmentally conscious. For me, anything I put in my mouth (food and supplements) or on my body (skin care and make up) has to be organic and special. That’s why I buy the Sunrider products – they fulfill this need. The only things I buy at Wal-mart are plastic household essentials and the Rubber maid tubs to store all of my nutritional products.
Everyone else in my family eats junk food and shops inorganic at Safeway. The are all obese. Their health is not a priority for them.
Case in point, my younger sister looks up to me so she tried the products. She works too much and doesn’t take care of herself. She eats junk food and is morbidly obese. She’s tired all the time.
When I asked how she was feeling on the products, she said they weren’t doing anything for her. Trying to help diagnose the problem, I asked her what products she was using and how frequently. The answer: whenever she thought about it – once every 3 or 4 weeks! I told her she had to use the products on regular basis, preferably daily, to notice an effect. She then went out and bought a family size bucket of KFC for herself.
Different values.
Hi Kim
This one can be rough. I try to touch their heart by telling my real story about my old dog and how much better she is now. Most pet owners want to do the best for their fur kids. They also see how to possibly save some money on vet bills by following a preventive program. Sometimes they think their pets are worth it and sometimes not, sad but true.
Robin
Kim,
You’ve taught us that only one in ten is a likely prospect for us and our products.
The answer is therefore not to try to market to the other nine in ten, but to find ways (and you do a great job of showing us how) to reach that one in ten, and just keep looking for them. After all, not everyone is going to buy the things we market – most people are ok using the nutritionals you get at Wal-Mart. They don’t want to use anything else.
So how do we talk to people about our products?
“I market a product for people who (insert your favorite fix here) like me. Do you know anyone who might like to know about a product like that?”
One of three things will happen – they might be interested, they’ll know someone who might be interested or neither of the two. But we haven’t lost anything by saying this, versus trying to force our products on someone who has no interest in them.
Geez – what a comfortable, non-hypey way of talking. It sounds almost (gasp) HUMAN. 😀
Thanks for all you do, Kim, in training us to use our consumer shoes and sound like regular people again.
Wow! thats a hard question Kim. let me see…. to answer the first question obviously it makes sense to just talk about the product in terms of personal benefits thus seeking ‘like minded’ customers. About leading with ‘hi tech’ benefits……. it seems that this also should come from personal experience/value. So then, we would be calling the name of those for example who are attracted by ‘the science’ or ‘the color of the bottle’ or ‘the company charity.’
You know Kim – you have this amazing way of stating the obvious (once its been stated then it’s obvious of course “duh”) but before that it just seems like there’s something wrong or it is “incredibly hard to do” or “it’s just me I can’t really do this”. I have never really thought of this quite so clearly. What you say has such a ring of truth to it. As does you entire library of courses. They are wonderful.
I would go about my life and business by leading with what worked for me and listening for a need to see if it was as important to the people I’m meeting as it is to me. That way it’s something they really want and need: win – win.
This is a test comment.
I just got this sent from one of the people I work with… It fits here perfectly. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I thought the same thing myself until I had used the products I work with and then stopped and noticed what my body was lacking. Now they are my first priority each month.
I have often thought that the products were not affordable, that they are expensive. But it’s all relative. A lot of the food I normally consume is costly and does little to nothing for my body nutritionally. And most of it harms my body, I will admit. So there is an added cost to consuming non-nutritional food.
… But for me personally what I realize is that this is food of the highest quality and just as a better steak costs more I should expect to pay more for them.
But people like this are not the average person, although I do hold the hope that one day many more will take an active interest in their health and vitality. Just a little “doing therapy”. But I stay focused on the people that are ready to make a change right now.
I completely agree with you, Deb. It’s important to stay focused on people who really want to make a change, whether in health or finances. People with a spark who share your own values.
So many people just complain about their ill health (or ill finances) but don’t truly care enough to make that shift in their lives. I genuinely care about people and always try to help people as much as I humanly can, but I have realized that the choices people make are ultimately their own, no matter my good intentions. I, too, try to stay focused on people who are ready to make a change in the present. I have to do less “therapy” that way.
Cheers,
Rani
My company is always saying how our product is for “everybody”; what I have found, however, is that “everybody” doesn’t want it, or see the value in it. It’s just such a relief to have stopped trying to persuade people of the value of the products.
Maureen
Another example is when I watch QVC and my partner complains how expensive their postage & packing are (especially in the United Kingdom). What people don’t get at times is that some of us like the convenience as well as good quality and want to pay a premium for it. Also the old adage ” you get what you pay for ” never rung so true. Some people are very good at finding bargains and price comparing but others don’t have the time ( who has ? ) so when a company offer me an all-in-one product/service which saves me the leg-work of researching the market…..I raise my hand and say yes I want that ! 😉
Sometimes People are doing the best choices from the knowledge they have been exposed.
For me, It has been gradual shift from eating junk food to organic vegetables, from taking vitamins to finding out that not all vitamins are created the same.
Enrique
em99_9@yahoo.com
It is true that most of the public’s priorities are in the wrong place according to me, of course. It really starts at the beginning of life. If you are born into a family that has the “I don’t need something that expensive” mentality, you will carry that with you forever. If you are a radical, you will try and develope your own ideology. I think getting a higher education tends to lead us in a different direction because of exposure to different philosphies. I came from a lower income home and had developed their way of thinking. Since I had the desire to do better, I went off to school and got a college degree + and have found that there is more to life than what came out of my home. Isn’t this why we are doing what we are doing, MLM, because we have a strong desire to do more and better. It is an individual desire for more and better. I think it also has alot to do with self esteem. What do you think?
Sometimes People make decisions with the information they have.
I for one have the transition from junk food to organic vegetables through many years.
I also learned that not all vitamins are made the same way even though I have always taken supplements.
Enrique
em99_9@yahoo.com
Kim talked about this before. I’m looking for Tiffany’s clients. Wal-Mart is full of shoppers, but Tiffany’s or Cartier’s or Steinway will never go out of business. There are plenty of people willing to buy the best, and those are the people I’m looking for.
I agree with what Chris said. I own 3 toy stores and I do my best to buy what Wal-Mart does not carry. One day i actually caught a Wal_Mart “Shopper” come in to take pictures of my store…I showed him the door.
What Do I offer that Wal-Mart does not?
1. Customer Service (Gold)
2. High quality products.
3. Loyalty to my customer
4. Honesty & Integrity.
What do they offer?
1. Customer NO-Service
2. A Lower quality Product
3. Loyalty to their bottom line
4. Honesty & Integrity…when it suits them.
End of Story.
Matthew Adams
http://www.ihatepills.com/matthew