Who cares what you think? It’s what ‘they’ think that is all important.

You probably know the adage “sell them what they want, give them what they need.”  But still we hear sales people expounding the virtues of product features, really?

Can you sell your product or service without mentioning a single feature?

I used to work with a software company.  I recall the Chief Technical Officer telling me about a new, innovative way the software could achieve some obscure manipulation of data.  He was so excited and I don’t blame him, he didn’t have a life outside “computer code”.  Sad.

But he was an executive of the company and he was explaining it to the rest of the exec team.  He looked anxiously towards me for validation.  I wasn’t in a very geeky place that day and my response was “So what?”  I could have been a little more tactful, but it gave rise to a nickname I carried throughout my time with that company and it stood me in good stead with the rest of the executive as they understood where ‘Mr So What’ was coming from.

Just because we could now index data quicker than anyone else, it didn’t mean a thing to the customer…unless.  Unless what?  Unless the big advantage of buying our software was speed.

People don’t buy Ferraris to drive at 175 mph

People who buy Ferraris in the UK or the USA (different in Germany with the autobahns) don’t buy them so that they can drive at 175 mph, but some buy them because they can ‘say’ they can.  I think I should develop a car with 72 valves.  68 of them could be dummies that don’t actually do anything, but my customers could still boast 72 valve engines.  My point?  It isn’t what the valves do, it is what they do in the eyes of the potential buyer.  The buyer may have an understanding that 16 valves produces more power or more economy than 4 valves and that might ‘do it’ for them.  It may be that they like how it sounds (the engine or just the phrase), and that does it for them.

This is not rocket science, most of us know this and understand it inherently, so why do we still hear so many people talking about aspects of their product or service that simply does not resonate with the particular customer?

I think the answer lies in a) if I developed the product, I am probably proud of how it all came together and b) it makes me sound like an authority and we all like to buy from an authority.  But does it help to do this?  In most cases no or not as much as we might think.

Simple solution

So the solution?  Keep on track by only talking about the product in terms of what the customer wants (or think want).  How do you know if you are sticking to the track?

Well, apart from glazed over eyes, perhaps your customer is more polite than that, the only way is to make sure you have found out what really interests them and what they believe they want but asking them.

One of the biggest hurdles to remote selling whether by ad, letter, email, or online, is making sure your words speak to the audience, not you yourself.  Marketers and advertising people know this, but for small business owners who do not have a great deal of marketing or sales experience, it is much more of a challenge.

Talk to one person at a time

I recommend, when writing copy for a site or email campaign, you should write as if you are talking to a particular individual.  Spend time developing this invisible friend in your mind, model them on a real customer, someone you found ideal to work with.  Consider all aspects of that person, socio-economic and psycho-demographic.  Who they are, age, gender etc.. as well as their interests, occupation and as much detail as you would know about a really good friend.  And then address your campaign to them specifically.

When they read it, they will recognise you are talking to them, but so will all others in and close to that target.

If you have more than one specific market, you may of course have to write the same piece more than once, one time to each ‘person’.

Ahhh, so it is OK to have an invisible friend again, just like when you were a kid!?!