MisterX wrote:
>>Judy wrote:
>>
>>On Sat, 15 Oct 2005 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>>
>>>Or as good marketing people also say:
>>>"Sell the sizzle not the steak."
>>>What it "is" counts for little, what it "does" is everything. Or as
>>>good marketing people put it:
>>>"Never list a feature without describing its benefits."
>>>What is different about TAOO? And why should I care?
>>
>> Or, "sell it for what people think it will do for them" ala
>> "use this shampoo and you can have your own 'When Harry Met
>> Sally' moment".
>
> isn't that vaporware ? ;)
It's only vaporware if it doesn't exist.
The second thing they teach in the sales and marketing course at
Pepperdine University is: "turn features into benefits".
In retail clothing, for example, it's not enough to say that a shirt is
made of cotton. What does that do for the customer? "It breathes well".
As an American bombarded daily by corporatist slogans, I understand
Judy's jaded reaction to crafting a sales message. But an effective
message needn't be the sort of hyperbole she referenced. Describing
goods in terms of specific customer benefits can be not only honest, but
ultimately of great value for the customer in helping them understand
what's available so they can make a selection.
As a marketer I tend to prefer underselling, telling people in the
simplest terms without exclamation points what a product will do for
them (I leave the exclamation points for customer testimonials).
As a customer, I prefer descriptions that include specific measurable
results. For example, if a library cut time-to-market for a series of
commercial apps by an average of 20%, I'm interested.
Effective evangelism isn't vaporware. When done honestly it's just
another extension of usability, helping people cut through the noise to
get down to the results that matter to them.
--
Richard Gaskin
Managing Editor, revJournal
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