Why does some products sell better while others don’t?

Developing a cool product is one thing but finding the right commercial applications to go mass market is another.

We tend to think one is a byproduct of another.

People assume that when you create a good product, the product will sell by itself.

There are no such thing as an automatic sales.

Sales and marketing don’t happen overnight.

That’s one of the myths that is proven not to be true.

For example, remember the palm pilots? On paper it looked like a groundbreaking product. Everything was perfect with this product. It had all the right specs. And early adopters where heralding and marveling at the device. It was as if the product would bring next gen mobility dreams to life. It was supposed to enhance one’s productivity by allowing professionals to be mobile with their work.  

But you know that happend. None of it came true.

Truth be told, we never saw that dream be realized.

If you want to create the right commercial application/product to go mass market, making something in the bleeding edge might not be the correct approach.

People aren’t as tenacious nor have voracious tastes for the latest technology. Let’s face it, we love hearing about the advancements of technology and the stories behind it, but its different when it comes to opening our pockets – the results don’t always go in favor of the technology.

This is because we are rational. Human beings are designed to think rationally, especially when it comes to spending something finite as money.

Its like this: Would like to buy the latest Laptop is leading edge technology for $3,000? or would l suffice for something in the range of $1,500 with less computing power but for memory and storage?  For a writer and a sales expert like me, I’d always go for the latter.

I work in the technology industry and I’m a huge gadget enthusiast. However, when it comes to purchasing a computer, I always opt for the more affordable option. This is because I’ve found that the latest technology doesn’t always meet my needs. Oftentimes, these computers offer a plethora of features that I don’t actually use

So, what does this mean for marketers striving for momentum with their new product? It highlights the importance of understanding your target audience, your ideal buyer, your future customer, as the most crucial step in your business journey.

Yes, technology will not sell by itself.

The product will sell when the people in the buying end of the market deems it relevant to 1. solve their inconvenience factors or 2. enhance whenever they are doing with their lives.

Then with that in mind, I guess the question we should be asking is who are we addressing this product to? What are their needs? Are they dissatisfied with the status quo? Are their anything we can do by intervening and offering something better? Are lives going to be improved from our efforts?

When all the above answers can be answered in a straightforward way, then we can begin to make products geared so satisfy such demand.

I am not saying innovation is less important. It’s the cornerstone of human progress and every entity or enterprise should embrace technology at their maximum. On the other hand, I also don’t mean that only striving for the leading edge will pay handsomely.

As much as we invest in our innovation, we much invest our time and effort on understanding the people we are addressing and how to solve and attend their unmet needs.

Chong