Greenville Business Magazine 2010 March issue : Page 16››columns Sell the Steak, Not the Sizzle Real or No Deal BY MARTY FLYNN | PHOTOGRAPH BY OLIVER YU FOTOGRAPHIE “ ” “I t is what it is,” is an oft used statement that I quietly hoped would be archived among worn out phrases by the time we trudged into 2010. While I wait, I under- stand that this phrase, which came on the heels of state- ments like “you’re not all that,” and “keepin it real,” represents a conscious shift in customer attitude away from listening to “how great you think you are,” and toward asking “how great your product actually is.” We have been jingled and jangled for too long now, and brands which remain tethered to their customers on the strings of buzz and pizzazz are one tug away from separation. The modern day shopper is not a hand clapping enthu- siastic viewer patiently awaiting the next sales performance. The purchaser has stepped into a lead role, executing a buying ritual that is self-choreographed, personal and confident. Selling is the supporting cast that complements purchasing decisions through information, customization and continuous engagement. Yet, in a buyer’s market for almost every purchase option that exists, many sales pitches are still trotting out the same old cast of “how great are we” to entice customers. I’m sure in previous eras of less choice, fewer suppliers, and a less 16 GREENVILLEBUSINESSMAG.COM | MARCH 2010 The small business does not have to change course to give us an authentic experience. commercial resistant consumer, this soap opera style of selling was a lot more effective. The soul of advertising was once the great promise embedded in the husk of a product. Today, the power is in the product itself, and value is conveyed in the experience delivered by the product. The sizzle, swish, and swagger sisters, once key players in the selling mix, have been relegated to unnecessary accessories that most buyers don’t care about, and aren’t willing to pay for. Consumer to consumer alerts about an inferior product can travel at far greater speeds, reach more people, and impact more transactions than any commercial advertising campaign. It is common now to hear advertisements acknowledge some shortcomings of their representative products, and corporate websites often reveal the negative customer responses in addition to the glowing reports. Big business has endorsed the concept of self reporting, less they be called out in the consumer arena where products are pitted against each other by well informed experts who attest to the success or failure of the product in real time. Enter the small business which has always had to rely on substance and word of mouth referrals to turn a table or ring up an order. The small business does not have to change course to give us an authentic experience. The small business never wandered down the path of allure and entrapment when it came to engaging the customer. The small business was “keep- ing it real,” while we were being waltzed down the shopping aisles of showy suitors preying on our purchasing physique. Braggadocio and grandstanding are garments the small business could never afford to wear, and so remained humbly shrouded in the threads of honest exchange. Authenticity is that little hardware store you frequently pass up, where the owner won’t just sell you a part, but will gladly spend twenty minutes explaining to you how to do the job. Authenticity is that unique hand woven gift that the artist gives to her friend in the hope that such work might be purchased some day. Authenticity is that slice of homemade pie that trig- gers fond memories for the sweet tooth that sustains the little diner. Authenticity cannot be valued in dollars and cents, but in conversation among familiar faces, smiles, and the knowledge that your purchase is an endorsement of success, hard work, and keeping it local. It just is. ■ Marty Flynn is the head of the Greenville Tech marketing department. >>columns - Sell the Steak, Not the Sizzle: Real or No DealMarty Flynn“It is what it is,” is an oft used statement that I quietly hoped would be archived among worn out phrases by the time we trudged into 2010. While I wait, I understand that this phrase, which came on the heels of statements like “you’re not all that,” and “keepin it real,” represents a conscious shift in customer attitude away from listening to “how great you think you are,” and toward asking “how great your product actually is.” We have been jingled and jangled for too long now, and brands which remain tethered to their customers on the strings of buzz and pizzazz are one tug away from separation. Publication List |
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