Yesterday morning, I received a typical call from the sales representative of one of the cell phone service providers.
The proposal, which was quite interesting, suggested that I, as a private user, switch to an unlimited data plan, with multiple benefits for me and my favorite contacts.
While the consultant was explaining the advantages of her plan, I wondered: Why do I need unlimited data? Although the price was excellent, I already had a plan that cost me half as much, and I couldn’t use up all the data because I could connect to Wi-Fi wherever I went.
It was clear that the value proposition was not tailored to my specific needs.
But anyway, the opportunity that I began to appreciate, without the sales advisor warning me, was that having unlimited data could solve connection problems for me and my team when the power failed or when the fixed Internet service was insufficient. Now bandwidth became one of the key specifications, due to the possibility of turning my phone into a Wi-Fi modem during emergency situations.
After asking for details about the specifications, I asked the advisor to call me back the next day at the same time so that I could take some time to compare those specifications with others in my plan, as well as with other plans offered by competitors.
Here’s the key point: Today’s customer knows they have access to information, and they will use it to make decisions. If you don’t have it on hand, they will ask for time to find it themselves.
If you have difficulty developing value propositions that highlight your differential for each of your buyer personas, don’t hesitate to request a free consultation with us by clicking here.
When I asked for a second call, the advisor replied: “Mr. Guillermo, it is important for you to know that this offer expires today. You can still sign up for the service tomorrow, but it will cost you an additional 50%.”
At that point in the conversation, I didn’t care if it was true. I had received an unexpected call with a sales pitch I hadn’t requested, which didn’t address my real needs. Furthermore, I had asked for reasonable time to compare and validate my options, and I wasn’t being allowed to deliberate. So it was clear that my advisor was not really advising me, she was not seeking to meet my needs, she was only seeking to manipulate me into making a purchase decision, so I decided to thank her, say goodbye, and hang up.
I am sure that this strategy, which is designed to cover a population of millions of people, has a very low conversion rate. But it doesn’t matter, the consumer base is huge, which will ultimately generate a juicy sales volume.
In B2B, it’s a different story. We usually deal with more specific niche markets, with more complex purchasing processes that involve not just one but multiple decision-makers. Differentiation and a focus on solving customer needs are fundamental to commercial success.
But if you sell to the end consumer, and your product is not a mass-market, essential item, or you don’t have enough budget to reach millions of people, I recommend that you don’t make the same mistakes.
Are you interested in developing digital marketing strategies that really attract interested customers with a high conversion rate? Schedule a free diagnostic appointment with me.
