We occasionally get caught up in purchasing decisions on office electronics such as computers, scanners laser printers, and phone systems. For the most part, we find the process time-consuming and frustrating, primarily because we get so little help from salespeople or sales literature.
In most cases, we can’t make a clear buying decision based on the features or benefits of the equipment offered. As a result, more times than we’d like to admit, we base our decisions on price. And isn’t that a shame?
Here we are – eager, motivated buyers, hungrily searching for reasons on which to base a decision, yet faced with a variety of competitive products all of which seem to have exactly the same features and, even worse, identical sales pitches.
Where are all the marketing people in these companies who must surely have been schooled on the value of product differentiation. Where are the advertising and salespeople who could have asked themselves the common sense question, “Why should anyone buy my product instead of my competitors’?”, and used the answers as a basis for their sales presentations.
It’s possible that all these vendors wanted to appeal to everyone in the market. In doing so, however, they positioned themselves as commodities, thereby leaving price as the only factor on which to base a purchasing decision.
Very seldom will your salespeople find themselves in noncompetitive selling situations. Which brings us to our point: It’s not enough to give prospects reasons why they should buy your product; you have to give them reasons why they should buy your product instead of your competitors’ products.
Most buyers will welcome any information to help them rationalize a purchasing decision in your favor.
At Norris & Company, product differentiation and positioning are essential components of all the advertising we produce.
