This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Advertising, Business, Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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Have you ever used a program that was designed as an every man’s type of offering (MS Word comes to mind) and then switched to another piece of software that had less features and fewer abilities? It probably came as a breath of fresh air to be able to perform the tasks you needed to with minimal learning and interference. In order to have winning products, you will need to specialize your own software or information products.
The basic idea is to do 1 thing and do it very well. If you are developing a product about article writing, don’t cover writing a novel. If you are developing a piece of software for novelists, only provide features that are usefull for novelists. Purposefully exclude people. This is counter intuitive, as we want the product to be right for the greatest number of prospects. True enough, but I find that the more generic a product is, the less remarkable it is. The less remarkable, the less sales.
Now you need to draw a line in the sand and pick a side. Find something controversial about your topic or service and take sides. If you are providing a tutorial on blogging and there is a controversial traffic generation technique, pick a side and argue why you think it should be avoided or used. Developing a guide on software development – emphasize only 1 of the many ways to get a piece of software developed. Do not be all things to all people. There’s a fine line, be controversial, but don’t be wrong or immoral. Hopefully, the controversy will spark some discussion and people will start talking about your product. No matter which side they are on, it’s a win for you! The good thing is they are telling their friends! Their friends may not have the same needs as the person who hates it and their friend may find your product suits them perfectly!
This obviously means you’re going to miss a few sales here and there. Your product won’t be able to cover everyone’s needs. What you will be able to do is focus on your existing customers, making them evangelicals for your product. Provide laser focused information or outstanding support. Evangelicals are the best form of advertising in this digital age. In addition, you’ll enjoy shorter idea to product launch times by limiting the scope of your products. More products and a loyal customer base means more cashola for you!
So limit the scope of your project, pick a side, enable people to finish the tasks they want to finish efficiently, create evangelists and you will be on your way to offering a winning product that is remarkable. The watch phrase for 2008 is remarkability is always good for your bottom line.
“Visit the StevenLohrenz blog and learn the art & science of converting your personal computer into an automated personal cash register” -Ernie Sandan. Here is the URL: StevenLohrenz.com
- Ernie Sandan
