As a leader or a marketer, we get hyped up about our own products and services before they have even sold. We see most of the work that goes into them. We see them as a little fledging idea in the cranny of some wild-eyed engineer’s brain. And we see them grow into a CAD design and a finished product.
If so blessed, we are surrounded by a team of engineers and product development experts who know what they are doing. We see the years of experience, dozens of mistakes, hundreds of problems solved all come together to produce this little perfect widget.
And then…we take all that hype, turn it into a sales message, and start the promotion with…
“After fifty years of craftsmanship…”
It sounds royal, even elegant in its own way. The brainchild of a debonair sophisticate.
Unfortunately, it is also the equivalent of a marketing dumpster fire.
I am not saying marketing is everything. Fifty years of craftsmanship is good. And a good quality product will oftentimes win the day with little help.
But when it comes to sales messaging and advertising, the issue is your customer and their problems.
Think about this from your customers’ perspective. When they enter the market, they are not looking for “fifty years of craftsmanship” or “a rigorous commitment to fine quality materials.”
When customers are entering the market, they are looking for solutions. Not your solution, just a solution.
They care little about your brand, they care little about your craftsmanship, they care little about how pretty your website is (a fact proven by a place like Drudge Report).
“Who can solve my problem?” is the question of the day. So, with that question in mind, which is more appealing:
“After fifty years of craftsmanship and commitment to quality products…”
OR
“Do you need a quick, simple, and effective way for your employees to rinse dishes before they go through a wash cycle?”
When customers enter the marketplace they are not looking for your brand, your craftsmanship, or your products.
They are always looking for solutions to their problems. All advertising should start and focus there.
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