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Benchmarking
Making Your
Product Memorable
Being Remembered
We all want to be remembered. We feel great pleasure when it
happens; and hurt when we’re forgotten. While this may be
unpleasant or even insulting when it happens to us personally;
if it happens in business it spells disaster. The world moves
so fast with so many things competing for our attention, it is
really difficult for any information to ‘stick’. And yet, if you
can’t find a way to make your product, service or business
memorable in your chosen marketplace you will struggle to
survive.
Making Your Message ‘Stick’
This is something we have to take into
account when talking to clients or potential clients. We have to
make a special effort to make our information sticks in
their minds. They might talk to several of your competitors
while ‘shopping around’ and you want to be sure that you are the
one that they remember. Large businesses (with marketing
budgets to match) can spend millions in their quest to be
remembered by customers. Billboards, television advertising,
product placement in feature films are methods they use – but
they are way beyond the reach of most businesses. Yet, the same
level of memorability can be created in a customer’s mind with a
relevant benchmark.
What is a Benchmark?
A ‘benchmark’ is a standard by which all competitors are judged.
It is a key factor that a customer includes in their decision
making process.
A Benchmark is Not a USP
Your business should have its Unique
Selling Proposition (USP) that is promoted by every staff. This
is the factor or factors that make your business unique in the
marketplace (eg ‘The local family business with 30 years
experience.”) While it is important that every customer is
aware of your USP – it is NOT a benchmark.
Why Benchmarks
‘Stick’
A benchmark is adding to your client’s knowledge – not just
about your product, but about all products. That’s the
difference. You are adding to the customer’s total knowledge –
so they’ve got a reason to remember it.
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If you can establish a benchmark in your
client’s mind, you have given yourself a significant advantage –
determining how your customer shops and making yourself more
likely to be remembered.
How Benchmarks Add to Your Image
If you can be the one that sets this ‘benchmark’ for a
client then you will assume a unique position of trust in that
client’s mind. You have helped them by giving them some
definitive method of evaluating offers and, if they are
‘shopping around’, you have given them a reason to come back to
you.
Creating
Benchmarks
What do you use as a ‘benchmark’? The ideal ‘benchmark’ is some
feature or service essential to a successful outcome – if
possible one often omitted by your cheaper competitors.
Benchmarking Ideas
Some factors that might provide benchmarks for you and your
clients –
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Features of your organisation: longevity,
reputation, structure
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Features of the product (with benefit)
- Features
specific to the customer
Every Product has Benchmarks
There is no product or service that
you sell that you cannot identify a benchmark (or two) for. If
you make the effort to mention these whenever you are talking to
customers, you are giving yourself the best chance of making the
sale, being remembered and having the customer return. |
© 2005
Ryan+Associates Australia. Ryan+Associates Australia is a member of
Synergy Partners. |
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