From a marketing and proposal point of you, the business owners tend to divide the offer into two categories – products or services.
This article aims to clarify if there’s a difference when it comes to selling a product or a service. Stay with me!
But first things first. What’s a product and what’s a service in the online world?
Products are offerings that can be sold to customers and they are associated with physical items.
Services are offerings that derive value from intangible elements. They are associated with experiences or management.
Is one easier to sell than the other?
I don’t think so.
Yes, a product is tangible; they can feel it in their hands, test it, hold it. A service is intangible and it’s tight to the person or organization delivering it.
Why don’t I see any difference in selling a product or a service?
Because regardless of what it is you’re selling, your focus should always be on the pain they solve. Start by speaking to the problem, the gap between where your clients are and where you want to take them.
Talking only about the service or the product you’re selling means you’re focusing on you. Talking about the solutions you bring to the table, your focus is on the client.
Now tell me, if you go to a website where you only see how awesome that person or company is and they never mention you, is your visit pleasant, or long? I doubt.
So you tell us to sell solutions, Andreia?
Well, yeah!
When your prospect found you, and after they are convinced that they found a solution, then whether it’s a service or a product will not make a big difference.
You don’t need to sound too dramatic, either. There are ways to shed light on a problem without implying that the world will end tomorrow.
My rule of thumb is: regardless of what you sell, always facilitate a transformation.
Let me show you what I mean
Let’s look at these two outdoor brands: Patagonia and Yeti. Both are selling physical products, things you take with you on an outdoor adventure. Their taglines sound something like this:
“We’re busy to save our home planet” – Patagonia
“We help you to stay out longer, travel farther, and live harder” – Yeti
As you can see, none of them are mentioning their cool clothes, their resistant boots or their fancy tents. However, they want you to live harder and join the quest for protecting our beautiful planet. Aren’t these things going straight to our hearts?
The clients I serve are mostly service providers. While their services have proper descriptions and names, when we put them out there on the website, we highlight the benefits of using the services.
I’ll get a bit more technical now. My fantastic client, Elodie, offers Gyrokinesis® and Tango classes. When her students leave her classroom, they don’t go home with a new set of moves and steps. Instead, they’re building strength, calm their minds, and gain body and energy awareness. Isn’t it why we are looking for physical exercise? The way students feel after Elodie’s classes is the most relevant aspect to highlight on the website.
Your intuition might be right – I go towards building a brand which isn’t necessarily connected with what you’re selling. Stay tuned for the next articles on branding and finding your voice!
So next time when you peek into other’s businesses and feel like their selling process is more straightforward, maybe they’ve already understood that solutions are what a client wants.
Now it’s your turn. What’s your solution?
Hi! I’m Andreia, I help entrepreneurs to launch their business online. I do that by building well-designed websites and content strategies. Get in touch today and let’s start and grow your online presence.
