Don't sell the steak - sell the sizzle

In business, it’s all too often too easy to sell the steak rather than the sizzle. That is, to focus on what people are buying rather than why they should buy it.

Most consumers will purchase your product because it’s functional and fulfills a need in their lives. If you want your products to fly off the shelves, you must also give them an incentive- an emotional benefit- that doesn’t come with just any purchase of your product. Don’t just tell them “here is our newest release” or “our product lasts longer”.

Even a humble compression spring has a sizzle to be sold

When you look at humble compression springs it can be hard to see beyond the fact that a spring is springy. How can you look at a spring and come up with a story to sell it?

A compression spring’s history

It’s history for a start. In 1763 by R Tradwell filed the first patent for a coiled spring which was used to replace the leaf spring in automotive suspension systems. Another interesting patent for a compression spring was filed in 1865 when the use of a compression spring in a mattress was patented.

Comfort is the common factor in both patents. So why not build on this history? It’s all about knowing what makes people buy. The proof is in the history books. People want to buy comfort while they sleep, they want to be able to go on a long journey without the fear of their car breaking down, and they certainly don’t want the risk of their body being uncomfortable in any way at home or at work.

A sizzle to support your steak – ease of use

The next product sizzle that you may be able to build around is easy of use. Ballpoint pens offer writers a clean writing experience that has been improved by the inclusion of a spring that allows the pen’s nib to be stored with the pen ensuring fewer leaks.

As you can see, even a humble spring has features and benefits that can be used to create a sizzle to sell.

Creating the sizzle

To create a sizzle that is going to sell, you must ensure that everyone on the development team, from the marketing and sales teams to the engineers and the QA testers, are all part of the process. If you don’t do this and try it all yourself or go at it alone you won’t be able to build a product with a good enough sizzle.

It’s important to build a product with a good sizzle because in today’s competitive market if you want to succeed you need to stand out. To stand out, you need an edge that is going to make your product sell.

To come up with a good product idea, break down the composition of your product, or the process behind it. From there draw on the history of your business and its products. You may be able to find something that has gone before that can help you create a story about your new product.

Every new product is an opportunity for you to give customers an added benefit that they won’t get from anyone else.