Don’t (Just) Sell Your Product, Sell Your Concept
Let’s start off with a little exercise, wha’da say? What’s the first thing that comes to your mind after reading the following phrases:
- Home gardening. Tools. Carpet. Paint. Windows. Blinds. Kitchen tables. Kitchen cabinets. Bathroom tiles. Garden hose. Tape measurements. Hammer. Nails. Power drill.
- Online research. Search engine. Looking up a name. Researching a company. Researching a book. Looking for links to a person. Book report. Hard to find facts. Online articles.
What’s your answer _______________
What’s your answer _______________
What’s the point? The point is that I am so confident that I already know your answer that I don’t even have to mention them. Why? Because both of these companies don’t push their products — that’s not how we have come to love and trust in them. They push their concepts.
And therein lies their power — when you think of these companies, you aren’t thinking about a sole product that they provide, you are thinking about their general concepts. And those same concepts embody a plethora of useful and helpful products and services that we have come to depend on.
Think of if this way: say you own a stationary store and someone calls you up asking for business cards. What’s the first thing that you are going to say (if you do, in fact, sell business cards)? You are going to say sure! Yes, we do sell business cards.
Ok… ok… that’s good and well. Whoo hooo!! You made a sale — cool! BUT… what has happened? You have positioned your company as a supplier of business cards, not a full-blown stationary that offers a wide array of products to help your business grow.
That client that you sold the business cards to is going to sell your company to her friends as a place to buy business cards, and that’s it! That’s not what you want to happen. You have to do more than just sell business cards, you have to sell your concept.
So the next time someone calls asking for business cards, you say “yes, we provide business cards… but we also offer a wide variety of “solutions” for your business. Are you currently getting your folders from another supplier? Are you currently getting your staples from another store? Are you happy with your current letterheads? Who do you use for your auto-mailers? Do you have branded envelopes?
Now you drop the bomb: “What if I could provide all of these services to you and you can deal with just one company and save a ton of money instead of having to pay all sorts of prices from a thousand vendors that you are currently using… how would that sound to you?”
Now, what just happened? Someone called you for business cards only, and they not only got their business cards, but an assortment of business solutions that they had no idea you could provide them with.
Congratulations, you just sold your concept… not just one of your products. This is extremely powerful, because your company is now positioned as something that provides business solutions, not just business cards.
Remember: sell your concept, not your products. Do that, and watch your business grow and dominate the niche that you are carving out.
3 Comments
lawrence
May 13th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
but that’s like over-selling though, dare i say, spamming the client.
they just came/called for business cards…and that’s it, so give them business cards to the best you can.
do that, just that - and do it very well, the client is happy(and you’re happy for closing the sale).
do one, or a few things(at most) - and do it above and beyond your competitors…and you will brand yourself as the king of your thing.
do more/try to sell more services, your brand image gets diluted - not to mention you, the seller, looses your focus…and starts to blend in with the bunch
dechef richo
May 14th, 2007 at 1:37 am
i think that’s utilising and maximising your opportunity with a future customer .
thats cool idea MP .keep it up
JaWar
June 11th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
This is a good post. It is similar to branding your company. I’m involved in the music industry and find it necessary to build your brand for longevity. Recording artist such as Metallica, Creed, U2, Jay-Z and Eminem have managed to not only make hit records, but successfully brand their image giving them a relatively long career in the music business.
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