04/05/2019
How to create a product that people can’t refuse? (Read the story...)
Juan joined a 21K marathon. He wanted to finish strong but by 16K he was already dead tired, focusing entirely on putting one foot in front of the other.
As he trudged along, he spotted a volunteer handing out fresh orange slices on the side of the road ahead of him.
Tired as he was, he made sure to change his position, slow down, and gratefully accept the gift.
Obviously, the piece of fresh orange was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Even though it was free, I believe Juan would have gladly paid for it if he had the money and was in the right frame of mind to have a conversation.
Two kilometers ahead, he saw another volunteer handing out a different gift: halves of Krispy Kreme donuts.
Unfortunately, the offer did not excite him (or any other runners I saw) at all.
Juan loves eating donuts. But three kilometers into the longest race of his life was bad timing for a sugar rush. The offer was unattractive and a poor fit for the context.
A compelling offer is like a slice of orange.
Remember, you need to sell what people want to buy -- give them the fish.
Then make sure you’re marketing to the right people at the right time.
Sometimes you can have the right crowd at the wrong time. Marathon runners are happy to eat donuts after the race, but not at 16K.
Then you take your product or service and craft it into a compelling pitch … an offer they can’t refuse.
It should be something that people want and are willing to pay for.
Credit: Jon Orana
