Tidbit from Steve Jobs and
Walt Mossberg chatting last year…
Walt Mossberg of the Wall St. Journal,
“You (Apple) surpassed Microsoft in
market valuation this week.”
(Apple is now worth more money than Microsoft)
Steve Jobs CEO of Apple
“Yes. It is surreal. But it doesn’t matter very much.
…it’s not why any of our customers buy our products.”
It’s good for us to keep that in mind. We must remember
what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”
Next time you think of impressing your prospective customer with
how big your company is, or how important the company brass is,
remember what Mr. Jobs said. “That’s not why any of our
customers buy our products.”
When you bought your last car, was it the financial statement of the car
dealer that made your decision to buy that car? Or did you buy it
it because there was something about it YOU liked? Ask for people
who share your likes as it relates to the product or service you are using
and selling.
Beats selling how big your company is. Which is not why customers
buy anything. 🙂
Oh, boy Kim, you struck a cord with this one. We have famous folks that use our product and promote our product, but when I thought about why I use it, why those who I know love the product, it is not due to the famous folks, or the ranking we have in the business world, it is what the product does for them. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for sharing these words of wisdom Kim ! I started including testimonials on my blogs about how customers are benefiting from using products that I market. As a result, I get the following results from doing the follow up:
1) Referrals from my customers
2) Search engines like Ask, Bing, and Google rank blogs with frequent updates and comments high in searches
3) Know-Like-Trust is built with new or prospective customers
I also suggest doing short videos introducing your products on your blog because the reader sees a real person behind the product or service.
What about how long a company has been in business? Do you believe that might be a factor in why some people buy products?
Paul,
Ask yourself – the last time u bought something,
did u first ask how old the company that made it was?
Maybe that only comes up with some mlmers because
so many disappear so soon?
What made me think of this question was your car analogy in your post.
I’ve heard people make comments about car companies and if there would be replacement parts available in the future should their vehicle break down.
As for network marketing, I believe how long a company has been in business likely does not matter to someone who only wants to be a customer. However, if a person has an interest in building a business, the long-term stability of a company may be a strong factor.
Paul,
Good points. Since the demise of GM, etc., that parts issue has been a legit concern. But normally, do you remember the last time you asked how long a company was in business, before you bought say, diapers or a new couch?
For an MLM, I always liked start-ups. Still do. But yes, some peeps like companies that have been around. Thanks for your good thoughts, Paul.