"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

"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.

"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

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

David.


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

Mike


Yes! That's the saying I was thinking of.

David.

In article ,
"David \(Normandy\)" writes:
|
| 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!

And exactly why it it any better to say "This runs the latest
version of Microsoft Vista and can do everything you need"?

Putting her off computers for life is more ethical.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In reply to Nick Maclaren ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

latest version of Microsoft Vista and can do everything you need

I can spot an oxymoron a mile off.

In article ,
"Uncle Marvo" writes:
|
| latest version of Microsoft Vista and can do everything you need
|
| I can spot an oxymoron a mile off.

Sadly, Uncle Marvo, you are in a minority, being capable of recognising
an oxymoron and acting thereupon.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In reply to Nick Maclaren ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

In article ,
"Uncle Marvo" writes:

latest version of Microsoft Vista and can do everything you need

I can spot an oxymoron a mile off.

Sadly, Uncle Marvo, you are in a minority, being capable of
recognising an oxymoron and acting thereupon.

Touche, Nick!

Indeed. I have to "do" Vista now and again, but I refuse to let anyone here
load it on their machine on pain of death, until it gets to at least Service
Pack 2. And then I'll have it for at least six months on my spare laptop
first, and it won't be running anything important.

I *have* seen it, and it sucks, as they say in the USA.

"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
...
In reply to Nick Maclaren ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

latest version of Microsoft Vista and can do everything you need

I can spot an oxymoron a mile off.


Agreed. Unfortunately I need to buy a Vista pc so I can do software
installation tests on it. Beyond that it turns out Vista would be completely
useless to me as it is incompatible with most of the important software that
I use on a daily basis. I can't help but wish Vista dies before I have to
buy it.

David.

In article ,
"David \(Normandy\)" writes:
|
| Agreed. Unfortunately I need to buy a Vista pc so I can do software
| installation tests on it. Beyond that it turns out Vista would be completely
| useless to me as it is incompatible with most of the important software that
| I use on a daily basis. I can't help but wish Vista dies before I have to
| buy it.

Hasta la Vista?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Hasta la Vista?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

As nice as a termination would be, I fear Vista's dying words would be

"I'll be back!"

"David (Normandy)" writes

"K" wrote in message
...

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.

Sorry, I don't think I was clear.

I wasn't targeting you, your post was just a convenient hook for a
general rant ;-)

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.

But that's what you don't get from most web sites.

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.

Too often, there are not.

The person viewing the site
(or talking to a salesman) chooses the level of information that is relevant
to them.

That's the ideal. But too many websites don't allow you that choice. I
suppose that it's to try to turn you from someone browsing a website and
rejecting a product on the basis of the spec to someone who is in direct
contact with a salesman who can then try to reel you in.


--
Kay

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

Further to my other reply, I do agree there is a general lack of
availability of detailed specs for lots of things.
Recently I've been trying (without success) to buy a new, high spec, Vista
notebook computer that I can also install Linux Ubuntu on. It would be
really nice to source one knowing that the hardware drivers for Linux
existed for it, instead of hunting around after purchase and not getting all
the important ones.

I usually buy HP hardware and tried a pre-sales enquiry to HP asking if they
could recommend any of their hardware that fitted the bill, but they
eventually sent me a very short email saying in effect "no - we can't be
bothered". It has cost them an immediate sale and the loss of a long term
customer.

David.