We all know we need to prepare for many things. Before you jump into the water, you better know what the bed is like, how deep it is, and what’s the water temperature. Then, you need to assess if you’re a good enough swimmer.
Multiple aspects of business life require preparations too: job interviews, client meetings, product presentations, and many other. Launching products and growing sales in new markets are no different!
Many companies downplay the process, focus on the product, and assume it’ll either float or sink on its own. The problem is that customers, due to the increasing pace of daily life and growing competition, often have no intention or time to try and analyse every new, unknown, and previously untested product. The water won’t warn you about its potential dangers either, before you make the jump.
For reasons unknown to me, companies that want to launch a new product, develop export, or expand into new niches tend to believe all they have to do is show some testimonials, run a couple tests, or arrange a couple meetings. This will expose the potential client to the product, who’ll see how great it is and will buy it right away.
These meetings often look like conversations between two stone sculptures. The meeting takes place, the client sees the product, and in the end, he leaves the business with a non-binding “we’ll let you know”.
This is all due to not understanding certain basic issue. Business clients or distributors don’t buy the product itself, or a solution, which there are many of. They buy easy-to-implement, profitable, and scalable business models! If a company is trying to win a distributor, he won’t be looking just for the product, but for a tested way to attract customers and make money that will be easy to get going.
A company that needs a supplier or a contractor doesn’t buy products or services. It buys clear, easy-to-implement, solutions that boost efficiency in its particular niche.
As far as customers were more willing to look up all the necessary information in the past, in today’s daily hustle, the one who’s better prepared to present his solution has the upper hand.
It’s best to start the preparations with the analysis of offer, target market, and goals. Keep in mind that the offer is way more that just the product or service.
That said, when we receive various products up for testing, such as dried fruits and vegetables, cosmetics, clothing, alcohol, white appliances, glasses, IT solutions, and many others innovative products or services, we do our best to run an in-depth analysis, including meeting the people behind the brands and seeing their daily work.
Preparation is the foundation of success,
Sulma & Sulma
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