Dear Agriculture, We Need A Villain
Give the problem a name, a personality, and identify the emotions it elicits. Most importantly of all - make it REAL.
Dear agricultural marketer,
You have an issue. YOUR business needs you to talk about the PROBLEMS your customers face every day…
You are busy, preoccupied with your feature lists and your suite of products, and annoyed that you’re not growing as fast as you want. Your invested capital won't be patient—or last—forever, and your to-do list keeps getting longer. It’s exhausting.
Who has time to think about someone else's problems? (two-thirds of companies fail within the first ten years, and customers stop doing business with companies because they perceive we are indifferent to their needs).
On the customer acquisition side of things, the problem is essentially the same…
86% of consumers list authenticity as a critical factor when deciding between brands. They want to know you understand their problems and care enough to solve them.
For you, fellow marketer, I have a SOLUTION!
Start talking about your customer's problems.
And then vilify them.
Give the problem a name and a personality, and identify the emotions it elicits. Most importantly of all - make it REAL.
Example: It's not simply that being unable to see your entire operation can be a frustrating way to live and manage your crop…
… it's that lurking in the shadows are evil forces battling against yields, foiling your best-laid plans…
Then you could say - our product allows you to FIGHT BACK against the unknown with complete visibility into what's happening in your fields.
Sound too dramatic?
Let's say we were to give your customers a choice between watching your best salesperson provide a product overview for 30 minutes and the first 30 minutes of the Bourne Identity—which would they choose?
"But this is business; it's not about entertainment…" you say.
"OK, they may be bored out of their minds, but using our product will save them money," you think.
Sure, but they don't know you exist.
Quit phoning it in. Quit being boring for the sake of being boring. Be polished, but have something interesting to say when you open your mouth.
TELL A STORY!
We are in business to make the world a better place, make our customers successful, and make money, but getting attention is a precondition for all of these things!
You owe it to your product and to your customers to ensure they are aware of the fantastic innovation you're bringing to market.
Don't simply run ads and hire a PR firm…please. Have something to say first.
Final Thought: Consider how you could make a movie about your customer...
Cast your CUSTOMER as the hero and the main character...
Your COMPANY as the sage or guide...
Your PRODUCT is the tool they wield...
And the PROBLEM they face as the villain to be defeated.
Make something different. Make people care. Make fans, not followers.
Pharma is the villian