I love a good book.
I stopped reading for a while this year, fiction that is. I was so engrossed in a self development cycle that I was reading stuff like Brian Tracy and Tony Robbins until it hurt. Then I realised I wanted fiction again.
Books, contrary to what some people are currently saying, will not die out. However, there is a reason why the Kindle and all of the other ‘readers’ out there are selling well. People, five years ago, would have bet against them. In fact, last year wasn’t looking too good for them either. But they have something that will allow them to share the market that printed works have carved out for themselves.
They have benefits. These benefits are both perceived and real. The perceived benefits are what enter the average person’s mind when you give a quick summary of what the product does. To illustrate…
Well, it’s this reader right? And it’s digital, and you can store thousands of full length books on it, and it’s about the size of your hand, and it has a backlight.
Got that? Well, the reason why even such a brief – and possible slightly inaccurate – description like that one sold Kindles – because, don’t forget, a lot of what they have done is word-of mouth stuff so that is exactly what people hear most of the time when they first ask what a Kindle is – is because it conjured up images of practicality and usefulness in the minds of ordinary human beings.
Kindle owners like the fact that it is hand-sized. They like the fact that it can be used at night. They like the fact that you can stick a ton of books on there. They like the fact that it doesn’t take up space.
There is, in other words, no need for the technical specifications. The thing has immediate perceived benefits that are attractive.
When it comes to the real benefits, they are those ‘oh, that’s nice’ moments when you have been using it for a few hours. You get those with mobile phones too. And they are never mentioned in the Quick Start guide. They are built in and come with medium to long term use.
But the perceived benefits can work before you even get the product out of the box, before you even see one.
It’s selling the sizzle not the steak, the benefits, not the details.
Books will survive, but the Kindle is definitely here, and it has its place. This is because there are perceived benefits that work for people.
To prove this, try selling with a slightly differently worded description.
Well, it’s this reader right? And it’s digital, and you can store about twenty books on it. It’s a bit bigger than your hand, and you can get a backlight for it, but that’s an add-on you have to pay for.
You see?
If your customers do not know what they are going to get out of your offering instinctively, they are not going to buy.
So look at what you are selling, and find that one thing that people will nod their heads to, that one perceived benefit, and make it the thing that jumps out at them before they even know what is happening.
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