"David (Normandy)" wrote in message
...

"K" wrote in message
...
"David (Normandy)" writes
A timely reminder! Years ago on a marketing course I was taught to sell
"benefits" not "features". However, it is so easy to slip into the trap
you
mentioned. I was just thinking about a website I am going to design,
promoting some software I'd written recently. The problem being of course
my
detailed knowledge about all the wonderful details of how the software
works
and all it's technical features. The design I had in mind would have
"bored
the pants off prospective customers" instead of teasing them to buy
because
of "what it can do for them".

Yeah, and those of us who want to know more than empty promises get
really frustrated because there's not a spec in sight. It's a sad state
when you have to resort to review sites and other users to find out
factual info that the seller should have told you.
--
Kay

Sorry, I don't think I was clear. Allow me to elaborate. I'm not saying
there should be no details or facts and information, it is a case of where
they are positioned. Take the following scenario for example:

A lady goes into a computer shop and says "My son's family live in
Australia. He says if I get a computer I will be able to talk to him free
of charge on the telephone, send something called "e-mails" and read
something he's got called a "blog".

What the lady wants to buy is not really a computer but a means of
communicating with her family. A good salesman would realise this and
appreciate from her description that she is not computer literate. He
would not just plunge in with something like "Well you've come to the
right place, we've got the latest hardware with choices of Vista, XP, Macs
and even Linux. Pick AMD or Intel processors 32 or 64 bit with anything
from 500 mega bytes to 4 giga bytes of RAM, internal or external or
external high capacity hard drives with fast seek times and more USB ports
than you can shake a stick at!

While the detail should be given if necessary or required, the above would
just confuse the hell out of the lady. If I was the customer my
requirements would be entirely different and a detailed technical
discussion would be appropriate.

With software (or anything else) it makes sense for the opening page (or
sales pitch) to say in a very short summary what it is for and what
benefits people would get from buying it. There can be links (or
discussion) to deeper and deeper levels of technical details. The person
viewing the site (or talking to a salesman) chooses the level of
information that is relevant to them. A good salesman has both detailed
technical knowledge of his products (often lacking in many stores) and the
ability to listen to what the potential customer actually wants and help
guide their buying decision.

I think there is a saying something along the lines that a good salesman
uses his ears more than this tongue.

David.

When I am approached by an Association to organise their reunion, I ask a
lot of questions as to what they want. 'No two Association's reunions are
the same' http://www.iowtours.com/whatwecando.asp refers ;-))

And I quite agree with you about the old lady who 'just wants to send
emails', my point with my example of the Telephone salesman.

"You have two ears and one mouth. You should use them in the same
proportion"

Mike


--
www.rneba.org.uk for the latest pictures of the very first reunion and
Inaugural General Meeting. Nothing less than a fantastic success.
The Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association.
'THE' Association if you served in the Electrical Branch of the Royal Navy
www.rneba.org.uk to find your ex-Greenie mess mates
www.iowtours.com for all ex-Service Reunions. More being added regularly
"Navy Days" Portsmouth 25th - 27th July 2008. RN Shipmates will have a Stand