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Companies are often so involved with the products they sell. When talking to prospective customers, they tend to forget about addressing the consumers’ primary concern: What problem does the product or service solve? And when the focus is on the product itself, companies wonder why the customer is not overly excited and jumping at the opportunity to purchase.
When Apple introduced the iPod around twenty years ago, they didn’t discuss storage capacity, the speed of its processor, or any of the technical specs. Their messaging was, “1000 songs in your pocket.”
The simplicity of use was their key marketing goal with hooks like, “the end of juggling hundreds of tapes is here,” and “your entire music collection could now travel with you anywhere.” In 2001, the idea of having hours upon hours of continuous play was somewhat of a revolutionary marvel.
As with most Apple products, this type of introduction to many of their products was the genius of enticing customers to buy. New categories for devices were now being introduced and helped push Apple into becoming one of the world’s most valuable and recognized brands.
But it doesn’t end with Apple. This notion of solving the consumer’s problem goes for many successful brands – they realize that boring the consumer with technical details doesn’t spur a buying frenzy. For example, some of the high-end car companies can command such a high sticker price for their luxury models simply because they’re selling a status symbol. In this example – the car themselves may not necessarily be mechanically that much better (in fact, some less expensive brands may be far more reliable), but the goal is making the owners feel proud. They focus on selling their dreams. We see the same thing with other products – jewelry, wine, clothing, and so much more.
The secret to it all is knowing who your ideal customers are – understanding what drives them and creating a detailed persona. As an added benefit, this will save much time and wasted effort in marketing to customers who don’t fit the persona’s profile.
Pain points, or problems, can now be examined closely and will help you to find out how your product can alleviate them. Demonstrate how your product addresses these and highlight the differences between your product and the competition. Wherever possible, it’s invaluable to do so in a quantitative way.
A customer service pain point is a prime example. Get specific about what your company’s product or service does that helps it rise above all competition. Pizza delivery, for example, can overcome the issue of slow delivery and cold food by guaranteeing that if it isn’t delivered within 30 minutes, the pizza is free. Pizza ingredients or the actual taste of the products are never mentioned because the focus was solving a food delivery speed pain point.
An ideal point to make is highlighting how your service produces a real return on investment. A possible scenario is being aware your ideal customer is subject to losing millions of dollars a day if their systems are down, but your cloud solution guarantees no more than 5 minutes of downtime a year (“We guarantee 99.999% availability!”) for a small fraction of that potential cost.
Problem selling extends beyond conventional product-centric marketing when employing the transformative approach. Companies can make a connection with customers by identifying, articulating, and addressing the challenges proactively encountered by their target audience. This customer-centric strategy not only sets a brand apart in a competitive market but also builds the groundwork for enduring success through the cultivation of trust, loyalty, and lasting relationships.
