This is a very pesky problem.
“Most people just tell me it’s too expensive.” said Lulu.
Well here’s the good news.
Your products, if they’re extra well formulated, are YES TOO EXPENSIVE for most people.
The higher grade and more special your products or services are, the fewer people they will be right for.
“Niche products are by definition not for everyone.” (From the best-selling book, The Long Tail), by Chris Anderson.
Do you think your NM company offers pretty special products? E.g. products for people who really care about their health and what they put into their bodies.
How many people is that?
Therefore, what you market is for a special people. And those people comprise a niche – “a distinct segment of a market.”
“Niche products are meant to appeal strongly to a narrow set of tastes…” writes Anderson.
Read: if you’re still offering your special products or services to everyone, you’re talking to the wrong audience. They won’t see the value of your products if they don’t have those values to begin with.
Here are some niche members:
1. Jeanette, who easily spends more than the average person for alternative products because it matters to her. She discovered products that helped her get over the sniffles and helped her live her value of saving the earth at the same time.
2. CJ, a young man who has helped parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, who want to try an alternative to drugs.
3. Lois, who found that her alternative products helped her “allergies and headaches go away, and the dogs stopped scratching…”
Lois, CJ, and Jeanette are all part of the market niche that prefers and will pay more for alternatives to the traditional store-bought stuff.
(To see almost 300 more folks like this go to Network Market Central.)
These folks, like you, are seeking people who are in THEIR corner of the market.
That’s a small subset of the big marketplace – just like Gucci‘s is a small part of a much bigger market. People who shop for their clothes at Gucci‘s pay more, don’t they?
Because they share the values of high end designer wear – and they pay the price to get it. They might go to Wal-Mart for something they care less about.
It’s about shared values. So if you believe your company has very special products with big value, ask for people who share your values instead of just anyone, and you’re less likely to hear “It’s too expensive.”
Even worse [or sadder] are those who, like some friends of mine, see the benefit of my products and how they work for me but who say they will stick with their medications solely because the insurance company pays for them….and for these people, money is not an issue…
As you say, we are dealing with a niche market and generally a “non-mainstream” market at that… we can not force anyone to see the value of our products…it’s ultimately up to them to choose or not….
Lynn
http://growolderbetter.com
This is why I love what Kim has to say so much! It takes the pressure off.
I know people who could benefit from my products but, just didn’t value their health enough. I too have heard “I’ll stick with my meds”. It is heartbreaking especially from someone you care for very much. It is hard to let it go.
One thing I teach as I share about my products is that each person must take responsibility for their own health. The hard part is letting them do it when the choice they make is not it the direction of better health.
It is hard to let it go but it is their responsibility not mine.
Karla
This is the exact reason I SCREAM, build your own personal site or blog with very specific keywords. That way you are talking to people who WANT to hear or learn more about your products. With internet marketing more than any place else you can get the word out to a laser foucsed audience. Speaking to a nitch, Branding yourself, and Positioning yourself as an expert are all HUGE advantages you can create for your business with internet marketing.
Joe Dynarski
joe@jdynarski.com
I have found out that people who need the products the most won’t take them. They are set on their beliefs. If the doctor doesn’t prescribe, it is no good.
Another set of beliefs is I need to work hard until I drop dead.
Let them go.
Enrique
em99_9@yahoo.com