Right now, people want to know how what you sell can save them money. Your marketing message needs to demonstrate this head-on. Period.
I don’t mean price. I mean saving money. I mean creating value that far exceeds the price of what you sell.
Cisco introduced Telepresence about a year ago: meeting rooms that include HD monitors and video cameras that create a hyper-realistic presence of people anywhere in the world, as long as they are in another Telepresence room. At a price of $100,000 to $400,000 per room. Not an inexpensive proposition. Yet, these babies save money by reducing travel. And saving money is at the beginning, middle and end of every sales message Cisco sends. As it should be.
Telepresence is also a huge “gotta-have” for egotistical top management at big companies. But Cisco doesn’t position it this way; as leading-edge technology for leading-edge companies. Save me money and I’ll buy from you.
Pentair introduced a variable speed pool pump. You can set it to run longer, at a lower horsepower level, with short full-power intervals. The bottom line, you’ll spend 90% less on electricity to keep your pool clean. For me, that saves $90 a month. It costs $2,200 (a premium for pool pumps) and pays for itself in less than two years, after rebates. Save me money and I’ll buy from you.
The pump also has other important benefits. It filters your pool water more effectively, maintains water chemistry better, you’ll end up using fewer chemicals and a pump running at lower RPMs lasts longer. But Pentair puts cost savings front and center in every sales message. As it should.
Here’s another great thing about the Pentair saving money positioning. In the history of swimming pools, you replace your pump when it breaks. Now, it makes sense to toss your current pump and start saving money!
Figure out how what you sell saves people money. Show it. Demonstrate it. Prove it. Start with it. Makes sure it’s front and center.
Does this apply to everyone? No. Frankly, there may not be a good argument for how what you sell saves money. I’m not sure how you demonstrate that buying a $100K Steinway piano saves you money, for example. And no, “it’s the last piano you’ll every buy” doesn’t work (see “tortured logic” below).
My advice here is consider how you can collaborate with another company to demonstrate a cost savings.
But here’s the deal. It needs to be real, not a stretch. You can’t just change your headline. No tortured logic either, please, just because I say it’s important. Get feedback and input from customers to help you craft your money-saving message.
Then show it. Demonstrate it. Prove it. Start with it. Makes sure it’s front and center. And, save me money and I’ll buy from you.
