Steve Jobs of Apple once said, “It isn’t the consumer’s job to know what they want”. Although this approach can work for a large company like Apple, it’s not the best guiding principle for most organisations.
Most businesses sell what they’ve got; and if it’s not exactly what the customer wants, they’ll try to “force fit” it so it appears to match. This can sometimes work, but it’s hardly the basis for a strong on-going relationship.
This is an even bigger problem when you’re marketing on-line. When people turn to the Internet with a problem, they’re highly focussed and easily distracted. That’s not a contradiction! They have a specific problem in mind, but have so many choices that if you don’t address that problem immediately, they’ll go elsewhere.
So if you’re marketing your business on-line, focus on what they want before you start telling them what you’ve got. If your offerings don’t meet their wants, you have three choices: Change your offerings, position them differently or find new customers.
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E-Book: Find Your Market
Match your message to your market. Too many products fail because they don’t match exactly what their market is looking for. Discover how to use the Internet to find profitable markets in your specialty area, and then match your customer’s language, expectations and hot buttons.
Articles
- Talk Their Talk
- Sell Umbrellas When It's Raining
- Ask Your Customers
- Ask and You Shall Perceive
- Niche Guys Finish First
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Webinar Recording: Know What Your Market Knows
Not all Web site visitors are equal. Know your market and what they want, and you can design a Web site that instantly catches their attention and keeps them interested, so they eventually turn into customers or clients. Based on the "Give Them What They Want" chapter in my book "Fast, Flat and Free".
Webinar Recording: Niche Guys Finish First
One of the most important things you can do to compete in today's connected world is to focus on a niche market. But how do you evaluate a new niche to determine whether or not it might be profitable for you? In this webinar, I'll share a 15-point checklist you can use to evaluate any new niche product, service or market. For more about niche marketing, read the Serve a Niche chapter in my book Fast, Flat and Free.
