MARKETING FEATURE CONT .
The “ Why ” That Motivates A Buyer To Choose One Product Over Another
If that ’ s you , I want to give you a different perspective that may be your saving grace . But before we can do that , let ’ s ponder an important starting-point question : WHY do people choose one company over another ? One brand over another ?
It ’ s NOT always based on who ’ s the best , the biggest , or the cheapest , as many MSPs think . Better by whose opinion ? “ Better ” and “ best ” are subjective . A vegan might give Bourbon Steak , my favorite restaurant in Nashville , a 1-star review . Cheapest is also subjective . BMW might be the “ cheapest ” luxury car out there if you compare it against a Rolls-Royce or Aston Martin , but not if you compare it to a Kia . The Dollar Store is cheaper than Walmart , but does that make Walmart a worse place to shop ?
Clearly , people ( including you ) don ’ t purchase solely on the tangible , intrinsic value of anything significant you buy . MSPs frequently choose software vendors based on the relationship they have with the people selling the products , then defend their decisions with vehemence . So , if you attempt to differentiate your services solely on the intrinsic value of what you deliver , you can really miss the mark . Intrinsic value can be copied , which is why so many MSPs have a hard time competing — and it ’ s only going to get worse .
That ’ s because technology is constantly driving commoditization . Ask anyone who ’ s been in business for 20 + years and they ’ ll agree that their industry , and what they sell , have become far more commoditized than ever before . For starters , technology has made it easier to find options . If I ’ m looking for a CPA , Google will not only give me a list of every CPA in my area in under three seconds but also ratings and reviews to help me make a choice . At a glance , everyone appears the same , even though we know they aren ’ t .
Technology has made it easier to sell to and service a broader pool of customers . MSPs are no longer restricted to having clients that are local , and many have clients based around the country — sometimes around the world — because technology has made it possible to communicate and service those clients from anywhere . That wasn ’ t the case 30 years ago when MSPs ( VARs ) only serviced local customers and had to open physical offices to expand their geographic reach . The same is happening in all industries , from financial advisors and marketing agencies to payroll and HR to recruiting , etc .
Technology has made it easy for small businesses to compete with larger ones . Websites became the new storefronts a long time ago , which means that with a little creativity , I can have a website that looks as good or even better than a company 100X my size . Technology has allowed me to accept payments , deliver services , and manage projects . In IT , you don ’ t even need to recruit and manage a team — there are companies that will do back-office services , SOC services , and help desk for you .
With so much commoditization , and back to my earlier question , what IS driving a prospect to buy from one company over another ?
Sometimes the prospect is driven by pure need and lack of options . If I need to fill my tank up while driving through a rural area without a lot of choices of where I can stop to get gas , I ’ m buying from the next gas station that appears . That gas station has an advantage because they ’ re the only game in town . They don ’ t have to worry about clean restrooms and well-stocked shelves of snacks , gourmet coffee choices , and fresh sandwiches . They don ’ t have to be the cheapest . They just have to be open .
Sometimes it ’ s driven by convenience . Amazon gets a lot of my business for two reasons : 1 ) they make it easy to buy things ; and 2 ) I can easily use my American Express points to pay . So , even if something costs more , the pure convenience and ease of it wins . That is Amazon ’ s specialization : making it EASY to shop .
Successful Brands Tell Better Stories
But what do you do if you ’ re NOT the only game in town ? What if there ’ s someone else cheaper , or who is willing to undercut you ? Or is more “ established ” and wellknown ? Or is “ more convenient ” to buy from because they ’ re being referred in ? Remember , a referral is about convenience , because if we trust the person making the recommendation , it alleviates our need to conduct our own time-consuming and imperfect research on who to trust .
You tell a better story . You stand for something or someone . You “ romance the stone ” and tell the story about how and why the business was started . You tell a story about why you do things the way you do , what you stand for , what you stand against , and most importantly , who you are FOR .
On the next page is a fantastic story about the founder of Miracle Ear , a national franchise that sells hearing aids . In my opinion , they don ’ t use this story enough to sell the product , but they ARE using it . Many people , particularly men , are embarrassed by the need to wear hearing aids . They feel it ’ s a sign of weakness and fragility , and a reminder that they ’ re getting old .
But when you take THIS story and tell it to them , suddenly they realize this is not a condition to be embarrassed about . One version of this story is that if an American hero and POW can be courageous enough to wear a hearing aid , so should you . This instantly bonds the customer with the product in a way that no marketing campaign , offer , or ad can .
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