“When All Else Fails, Give People What They Want”
I was on the phone with my friend and mentor David Garfinkel the other day when he said one of those bone headedly simple things that everyone who tries to sell something *should* know but that almost no one does.
Now, David’s a brilliant copywriter and marketer (and regularly slaps me around and makes me get my head straight on the way marketing *really* works in the real world) . . . but the earth shattering little statement he told me was actually a quote that *he* heard from the late, legendary and justifiably notorious Gary Halbert.
And what Gary said was:
“When All Else Fails, Give People What They Want”
I know, it’s rocket surgery, right?
But I’m always amazed at how many otherwise smart business folks drive themselves *nuts* and get *no results at all* because they’re trying to cram a square offer into a round market (wow, that’s a dirty metaphor) . . . because they’re trying to sell their product or service on the wrong benefits and emotions all together . . . because they have *no idea* what’s actually going on in their market’s head . . . or because they think that just because they think something is *cool* that the public is going to gobble it up like hot and delicious cupcakes.
Remember the Segway? It’s that nifty little two wheeled, gyroscope powered thing-a-magig that Dean Kamen *really really wanted* to transform the way we move around cities . . . but that the public didn’t want at all.
(Note: You can still buy a Segway if you want, but these days it’s mostly just used as a golf cart and as a way for cow-eyed college girls to trick you into signing up for new long distance service in downtown Seattle. I’m actually waiting for the Scientologists to get some and to start chasing people down by the mall.)
Does this mean that you have to throw out your product and start from scratch?
Not necessarily (though if you’ve got something like the Segway, you might consider it.)
But you *do* have to figure out what your market *really* wants and *how what you’ve got to offer gives it to them.
(And the first person to point out how this whole rant keys in to last week’s blog about “If/Then/Why” gets a cookie on me. I mean that literally, you can throw a cookie at me.)
Later.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
I make the mistake of being the expert sometimes. It’s harder to be in my self esteem and just smile when clients are saying nothing, giving them space to feel safe to say what they think they need next. I can always be the expert when asked for my opinion. I seemed to get asked much less frequently than I have an opinion, ha, ha. It’s good to be reminded of this, during my busy season when clients are overwhelmed by stuff outside of our work together. Less is often more! Being “liked” is more important than getting a lot of work done. It didn’t used to be that way in corporate work, but it’s that way working directly with clients. And when I let the clients take it in any direction they want….it blows my mind where they go. It’s way more fun.