Technology Marketing 4-Step Value and Benefits Checklist
The danger of using technology marketing with customers is assuming that they share your love of product specifications. Many customers, especially in the SMB sector, do not.
Talking RAM size, processor speed, and APIs to managers or owners may see you ushered out and not asked back in the doors.
What are non-technical small business owners and managers interested in now?
In a word, pain. But not just any pain — their pain.
A good solution to their pain will then let you win customers because of the value they see in what you offer.
Use the following checklist to use value marketing instead of traditional, product-centric technology marketing:
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Know what customer pain points you can solve. Be sure to adopt the customers’ perspective. Their pain point might be “we lose business because our sales people can’t make quotes on site,” but it’s not “we don’t have the right network security or remote database app.”
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Find out where it hurts them. Ask prospective clients what would help improve their business, but don’t impose the pain point you’d like them to have. If you can’t help them, wrap that conversation up and look for other opportunities.
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Say how you take the pain away. Don’t talk technology yet. Tell them, for example, “With these solutions, your sales people can quote immediately to customers, confirm availability, and delivery on the spot to get the order right away.” Sell the benefits, not the features.
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Back your claims up with facts. Only talk technology here. For example, “Immediate on-site quotes are easy using this web-style interface like this, and network security software keeps it all safe, like this.”
Building business and strong relationships with customer decision-makers is what counts.
What have you found to be more effective, value or technology marketing? Tell us your opinion in the COMMENTS section.
Creative Commons Image Source: flickr warrenski