Be a Market Leader by Leading Customers to Benefits.

In The Discipline of Market Leaders, Michael Treacy & Fred Wiersema wrote about product leadership as offering superior products & experiences.

Let’s add personal leadership because you should lead customers to benefits instead of hoping they’ll determine how products are beneficial. Your basic offer should be: Though your current condition is__, we can increase your benefits with these products & methods. As your current condition changes, we’ll use innovative products plus techniques to maximize positive changes & minimize negative changes.

Be persuasive by presenting benefits to match people’s goals & leading customers to choose & use products to achieve goals.

Show you believe customers deserve the best, by optimizing your store so your offers produce the best results. In Good to Great by Jim Collins, the first circle of the Hedgehog Concept is what you can be best in the world at. Let’s focus on making your offers are the best options for specific results.

To create the best results for your business & customers’ lives, develop a category of options & optimize the best option for each customer. Which resources make that option possible? How will you acquire & integrate those resources? What could interfere with that option? How will you reduce or eliminate that interference?

Even if you have the indisputable best offer according to the most authoritative criteria, you need to build a mental path to your door.

Analogy: After electricity is generated by combining factors, it follows the path of least resistance. After lightning finds paths from clouds to land, the Earth adds power.

Your offers should have enough power to get through mental resistance & integrate with the power of people’s desires for benefits. It can be like people comparing pictures. When offer descriptions match people’s goal visualizations, people believe your offer fits gaps between current conditions & goals.

While monitoring consumers’ conditions, present information so consumers recognize what they have & need for achieving goals. Offer resources to empower people to complete their desired conditions.

Offer Example: ‘You may be frustrated by incomplete projects because something disrupted your plans. Let’s review your progress, so we can reduce obstacles plus add products & information you haven’t found yet. (Store) has (products) & plans for adjusting your conditions. Together we’ll identify what will complete your building project.’

Analogy: Electricity isn’t successfully conducted, when there’s a gap because there isn’t a sufficient conductor &/or the power is too low to jump the gap. Let’s consider products to be conductors & information to be power.

Show you’re part of the circuit of resources people need to achieve goals.

Needs/desires > compelling offers of products plus implementation & maintenance methods > goals

After connecting facts & feelings to show you understand people’s goals, you can use facts to connect goals to your offers.

Offer Example: ‘Are your lawn mower & lawn well-matched? Does your mower fit your physical needs? At (Store), let’s consider facts other retailers ignore. Whether lawn mowing is an act of pride or just a necessary task, (product) makes it easy & quick with less noise. People are quickly tired from pushing mowers over uneven lawns. (Product) has quick adjustment levers for smooth performance whether you push or use self-propulsion. Its wide deck cuts more grass in less time than narrow mowers. It can get close to objects to reduce your need for edge trimming. (Store) includes preventative maintenance plans to sharpen blades & secure other parts. With products & service from (Store), you’ll have fewer hassles plus more time & energy after effective, efficient mowing.’

When people are distracted & distressed, their mental energy is like static electricity.

When mental energy (attention, interest & desire) flows through integrated connections, people can recognize & use coordinated (synchronized) values you create. Distracted people need benefits of coordinated products with goal-focused methods.

Coordination includes information to organize what customers already have & add what they need.

Customer integration builds value & establishes mental links so consumers perceive that value.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

Al Ries & Jack Trout wrote about creating categories & being first. Some laws are:

The Law of the Category If you can’t be first in a category, create a new category to be first in.

The Law of the Mind It’s better to be first in minds than be first in the marketplace.

The Law of Perception Marketing isn’t a battle of products; it’s a battle of perceptions.

The Law of Focus The most powerful marketing concept is to own a word in prospects’ minds. Focus your business practices on a cohesive concept.

If you don’t have time to read/listen to the whole book, you can do an internet search for summaries.

Let’s add some meaning to these laws. To effectively use these, you need to be categorized as being ahead of competitors in prioritizing consumers’ benefits. What do consumers perceive you to be focusing on? Show you want to profit by optimizing their results instead of just pushing products.

Since goal achievement is a journey, busy people prefer smooth, direct routes. It can be disrupting like driving over potholes when people struggle to make products & results conform to expectations.

Too many businesses focus on selling products instead of the benefits of reducing problems. You can be categorized & perceived as a specialist by offering precise kits. Align kits with customers’ goals so people check with you first when desires & needs emerge. You can be first on consumers’ lists if your store offers total integration to connect people to ideal conditions.

Even if you establish product leadership among stores, it’s important to inspire consumers to accept you as a leader, so you can lead them to great results.

Mediocre advertising is basically, ‘You have (problem), I have products.’ It’s like pointing & saying, ‘Go get it.’ That isn’t leadership. The value of leadership is diagnosing problems, finding resources & planning solutions plus preventing recurrence.

To lead people to use optimal resources, you might have to convince people to push aside failure. People might give up & think they can’t afford more efforts after unsuccessful attempts.

Offer Example: ‘When you need basic (project) results & can’t afford to hire professionals, you still need specialized information. If you’ve been disappointed, let’s determine what went wrong & make corrections. We won’t find fault. We’ll identify obstacles. Let’s compare your results & conditions with plans that fit your goal. We’ll find what fills the gap between your goal & current conditions.’

You Can Do What They Did.

Testimonials can describe what worked, so people can compare their attempts with successful efforts. Detailed testimonials can renew hope & desires because people learn other options can be applied or adjusted. Compelling offers renew hope & you can lead hopeful people by showing how results are possible.

When projects don’t work, people don’t always think about trying again with different products or methods. When you offer plans, show people there are ways they haven’t tried. It’s vital to remember people can believe what’s possible when they know how it’s done.

Offer Example: ‘Your frustration is understandable. Let’s work together at (Store), by using plans & checklists to determine what didn’t work & why. Instead of finding fault, we’ll find better options with products & techniques that fit your conditions, expectations & goals. Let’s focus on long-term benefits of high quality products to overcome negative conditions. Complete results are possible with the right knowledge & planning, so you succeed. These are important considerations because (Store) offers results instead of just pushing products.’

Be bold when you compare your store with competitors, so people recognize how your strong value fits their lives. Bold comparisons are more apt to establish consumers’ attention, interest & desire, so your offers inspire action. Identify when & why products are necessary, plus offer support for maximizing benefits.

Offer Example: ‘The right plans & resources make things work FOR YOU, so things are less apt to happen TO YOU. Good results can happen randomly, but when you want the BEST results, you need to make the best happen. Some retailers assume you just need products. They brag about selection or prices, but they don’t mention the cost of low quality, incomplete results. Since product selections only matter when you get the right results, let’s work together to select products for the support you need. When you have __ & __, you’ll be ready to create (benefits). At (Store), we’ll combine the right product versions & be sure you know the best methods for lasting benefits. Projects shouldn’t cause more stress than the relief you expect from your goals. When we know which results you need to create & problems you need to avoid, we can plan your benefits. Since (season) & (weather) are almost here, limited supplies are becoming available. It’s time to be sure you get the results you deserve.’

Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.

Copyright 2021 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Offer the Best Results for Specific People

Making profitable kits is challenging & necessary to surpass competitors & preclude consumers’ procrastination.

Customer integration can include project kits. It’s offering superior value & helping consumers recognize that value as necessary for their goals. If you can’t do full service projects for customers, what will exceed competitors & establish momentum for customers?

Which project steps or aspects overwhelm customers? You can nudge people out of procrastination & hesitation by offering completed steps as modules for people to connect. If some project steps are difficult for novices, customers can add those as modules as they finish easier steps.

If people aren’t confident in their abilities & potential solutions, product name & price ads won’t overcome procrastination. Inspire action by describing how you help people combine knowledge & products to create & maintain benefits.

People don’t want to fail & might tolerate problems instead of risking wasted efforts & money. Consumers hesitate when risks & frustrations of failure feel worse than risks & frustrations of problems.

Identifying problems & prescribing products won’t be enough if people need guidance about methods. There are ranges of added value factors between identifying problems & maintaining improvements. You can specialize in factors throughout that range & create people’s best options.

You determine how completely your offers improve customers' conditions with the number of factors you fulfill. You can adjust your specialty with increasing knowledge as conditions & suppliers’ offers change.

Offer Beneficial Patterns

As lives are disrupted, dysfunctional patterns are established when people react instead of plan.

Even if people need help struggling through weeks of work & household responsibilities, their struggles can be divided into progressive steps. Explain how better products & methods reduce struggles.

Since people might be frustrated while they learn methods, encourage them to focus on increasing effectiveness & efficiency when they do recurrent tasks. Their invested time & efforts produce smoother patterns & better results.

People are often overwhelmed even in familiar conditions but organized thinking becomes even harder in the face of new problems.

Many offers can be framed as relieving stress &/or adding enjoyment. Preliminary offers can show new patterns are beneficial, so people are confident enough to make changes. After people experience samples of what’s possible, subsequent offers of customized kits can create fuller benefits.

Retailers, that don’t help people with full options, aren’t people’s best options.

As competition intensifies, your success depends on building people’s confidence in their ability to keep progressing.

Customer integration creates people’s best options for important results retailers can profitably sell.

We’re building up to integrating the 3 circles of the Hedgehog Concept in Good to Great by Jim Collins. Those circles contain what: 1. you can be best in the world at; 2. you’re deeply passionate about; & 3. drives your economic engine.

In this global economy, you shouldn’t brag about being the absolute best but you can explain why: 1. your offers are the best options for specific results; 2. those results are important to specific people; & 3. your profitable prices are justified.

Show You Care About What’s Important to Customers.

Discount retailers study consumer behavior to increase sales, decrease services & determine price points. As a specialist, you should show you study consumers’ desires & needs to determine the most effective, efficient options. You can confirm that in your advertising & consultations.

In consultations, you can validate insights from consumer complaint & advice blogs. By comparing local problems & conditions with conditions, problems & solutions people described in blogs, you can learn what’s important to people. When you add those insights to suppliers’ product lists, you can develop plans for potential project kits for customers.

When you describe potential benefits of those kits to customers, you can ask about their perceived value. You might also learn what consumers misunderstand. Are they confused about terminology? Do they know how to choose & use products? Do they need guidance about best practices?

If people have trouble describing problems, you can use those blog posts for clarification. Example: ‘I think somebody else had a similar need. As I read this, please determine if it fits your challenges.’

To fully optimize customers’ results, you might need to ask sensitive questions.

Consultation Example: ‘I can help you achieve your goal if I know more about your conditions. You might be uncomfortable with sensitive questions. I hope you won’t be offended. How comfortable are you on ladders? If projects include ___, would you object? Can you lift & carry ___ pounds? Since this is a rainy season, can you finish this project in __ hours? Do you have __ hours to learn to use these tools & materials? Before you buy a kit, you can read instructions & determine if any restrictions would interfere with you using these tools & materials. After you read these instructions & review your goal & conditions, let’s compare kits. We can ask & answer each other’s questions & customize a kit. To do it, I might ask about your life, so we can be specific enough to design the best results.’

Your Hesitation Could Cause Consumers To Hesitate.

You can test offers to determine what will attract buyers. Even if a limited (the first 5 to respond) offer starts overwhelming your fulfillment ability, negative effects would be restricted.

If you hesitate about offering full value, consumers might hesitate about buying less than they need. By offering benefit ranges, you can guide customers to choose what’s necessary for optimal results.

Offer Example: ‘After you notice (problem), you need reliable information from (Store) to find the most effective solution. There are loads of conflicting insights & information, so you might wonder which insights & information are valid for your goals & needs. Since your goals are important, let's be sure you have the most effective, efficient products & information. Let’s review your goals & conditions to determine whether you should adjust goals, conditions or both. Until you know about available products & compatible methods, you can’t accurately evaluate options. Project kits from (Store) include full instructions & consultations you need for optimal results. You get optimal results when you explore possibilities & invest in the best options. If you find obstacles during projects, bring your questions because service from (Store) continues, so your progress will continue.’

Encourage People to Consider All Factors

Compare long-term results if rivals don’t sell high quality products & provide optimal service.

Offer Example: ‘(Contractor) will consult with you & evaluate your conditions, so together we achieve your goals & prevent problems. Old plumbing might not fit current codes because problems are inevitable from old technology. (Contractor) does complete projects, so you have full benefits. Some businesses aren’t real competitors because they don’t do complete projects. They claim to finish in one day, but do they help you avoid future problems? Some offer patented quick drains, but if old drain pipes are partially blocked &/or corroded inside, you’ll have problems. It costs more to do the right things in the right ways, but shoddy projects will cost you more money later & cause excess stress. Those hydrotherapy jets only relieve stress when you have the right installation results.’

More Value Means More Opportunities

Some durable goods retailers might have infrequent consumer contact & limited integration opportunities. Chet Holmes advised developing the broadest possible view of your business, so you can offer the ultimate benefits to customers. This should include offering related benefits plus preventing & solving problems. (You can do an Internet search for Chet Holmes & broadest possible view.)

Example: Furnace contractors offer comfort by moving air, so they include filtration & humidity control for air quality. Let’s use local retail examples.

Though furniture lasts for years, long-term benefits require maintenance. Some customers need frequent furniture cleaning because they have allergies. Pet dander & fur cling to & get into upholstery & cushions. Incorrect cleaning methods are suboptimal & can ruin furniture. Small tears & worn spots can become big problems. Furniture retailers can offer cleaning & mending or work with service providers.

These services could be advertised to all consumers, so furniture stores would get some income & be ready to replace furniture.

Outdoor furniture & grill stores can offer patio/deck cleaning equipment & awning repair kits or work with service providers. Outdoor games could entertain children who wait for meals.

Hot tubs or inflatable pools/bounce houses (sales or rentals) could be logical recreation accessories.

Ask about people’s plans & expectations. How many children & adults will be invited? How much space is available? Will neighbors buy or rent different products & open their yards for bigger activities? Do people prefer to spend a few hours grilling & eating meals or would they like full days of activities? If they want different activities over a span of days, do you have convenient ways to pack/unpack rental products? Do you have product varieties for different adventures each day?

Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything. Copyright 2021 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved. When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/