Archive for February, 2012

Why mobile is much more than just the same content in a different format

February 9th, 2012

Mobile users have mobile problems and need different solutionsAs market driven products are all about resolving real (quantifiable) market problems so when I talk about mobile I am going to talk about mobile problems. However,  when we see what companies offer for mobile users it appears that they are not taking into consideration the new problems that mobile users face, it just seems to be all about a new format for the same content?.

Mobile offering cannot just be about format

When you go to a lot of websites today the great majority have a mobile offering and some, unfortunately, do not even have that. But what is this mobile offering? It is basically the exact same information presented in a different way, something easier on the eye and easier to navigate from a mobile device.

Ok, visual aspects are a problem with mobile devices and the change needed to come, however how many companies are really addressing the other real problems mobile users are having, or at least how many are asking their mobile users what problems they are having? Not many, at least nobody is has asked me:-(

Just give me what I want please, I am in a hurry!

Let’s think about it. If you are using a mobile device and you connect to an airport website what is the most likely problem you are going to have? You are going to want to know when the next arrivals or departures are, if it is a train company you want to know the arrivals and departures times for the nearest train station more than likely.

It is unlikely however that you want to know about the companies Mission, Vision and Values, something that you might be interested in reading when you connect from a desktop from your home when you have more time and leisure.

My problems define my preferences, mobile is not different

Companies use cookies to remember users preferences which is a way of understanding problems. For example I like marketing and tech information so when I go to Forbes.com I want them to bring me to the content I like. If the companies take into consideration my preferences I also want them to take into consideration my new mobile problems and respond to them, give me the option to get straight to the point as quickly as possible.

I am not sure if the problems that I presented above are real as I haven’t quantified or qualified then what I am sure of however is that the mobile user, taking into consideration location and the website in question, has generally got a distinct reason for engaging with websites to the desktop user.
What do you think? Are your needs the same when you are mobile as to when you are at home in front of the laptop? Can you think of any companies that are doing this well? Address the mobile users specific problems, I would love to see some good examples?
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Posted in Market Driven, Mobile

The buying process is seldom the selling process

February 2nd, 2012

Buying process is seldom the same as the selling processI am presently working on defining a buying process and as always when I am working on projects I like to write posts as they help to structure my ideas and put them to the test. To start with; a buying process is the process (series of steps / actions) that a buyer follows to purchase a product or service.

The general misunderstanding in most companies is that the sales process is the buying process. Unfortunately this is seldom the case. The selling process is how your sales teams sell the product (create interest (telemarketing e.g), do a demo (live e.g), negotiate price etc. However that does not mean that the sales process coincides with how YOUR customer actually buys the products (buying process) unless you have investigated it and mapped your sales process with the buying process. So your customers maybe do not like telemarketing and prefer to go to straight to your website, they prefer to try the product before seeing a demo etc.

Get to know your buying personas, the selection process is their’s!

What generally happens in the majority of companies is they create a sales process generally based around the experience of it’s sales force, sales directors, from the previous companies they worked in etc. In a lot of cases these sales process have very little to do with how YOUR customers actual buy the product.

To be able to understand the buying process you need to know who engages in the buying process, when they engage and how they engage. For example, you may have the economic persona, who runs the numbers; ROI etc and also a Technical persona who ensures the product is aligned with company policies, process etc and so on and so forth. You also need to identify the barriers they encounter in the various stages during the selection process.

Once you have that (and a lot of other) information quantified and qualified you need to then make sales actions to respond to the buying steps and create tools which enable the sales team to help the prospect in each step of HER / HIS selection process.

Another key to creating outside-in market driven products

Understanding the commercialization of products from a buying perspective before the sales perspective is key in creating market driven products as you are once again focusing on the problems being faced by your market (outside in focus), this time the problems your customers have in selecting the right product instead of the problems you have in selling the product to your customer (inside out thinking).

 

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Posted in Human behavior, Market Driven, Marketing