Product Promotion Silver Bullet #1

Updated for clarity on 9/25/2023

Today, I will share a secret weapon in promoting your product to new consumers. Either to introduce the item to others, or gain marketshare. As you read it, it will almost come across as a "No Brainer." In many years of promoting thousands of brands, fewer than 100 customers have properly implemented my guidance. The results were amazing. I am even willing to share this with my competitors, because honestly, if we don't start holding brands accountable to this one pillar of success, the business will be gone in 10 years. This is one of the three, but the other two, are closely guarded secrets internally that really make the magic happen. One is even a person (not me) and no you cannot take them! The person knows who they are! In a nutshell, the topic is about "Training." Below we will go over the sub-pillars of success. Story of the brand, three main selling points, and common objections and misconceptions and how you would like the ambassador to overcome those objections in a non condescending, educational way.

Story of the brand. Sounds easy doesn't it? FOUNDERS come to my team every day and can not tell their story in an authentic meaningful way. Why did the brand come into existence? Why did you leave your stock trader job to go start a better for you plant based company? What about ingredients make it special? Did you source an ingredient in a fair trade way? Does your brand have a purpose other than selling your NON GMO, Gluten Free, Non Dairy, Vegan, Waffles? If you're promoting a Ready to Drink (RTD) product, what about your vodka is premium? Everyone claims to have premium ingredients, but what is it about your ingredients that make is truly unique?

Three main selling points should be a slam dunk. I am working usually with fellow sales people! They have to have great selling points for my talent to be able to share with customers to knock it out of the park....Right? More often than not wrong. Now, to be fair, sometimes we do not know what the customer wants yet, and that is a great reason to sample, but established brands in the growth phase should have a better handle on what customers want, and how to sell in three main ways.

• What can you say about your brand, that differentiates you from another brand, phrased positively but does not put down the other brand. An example being. "Our product is made with fair trade palm oil to ensure a quality product without contributing to the deforestation of the rain forest." vs. " Our product is made with Fair Trade Palm Oil compared to Competitor B who helps deforest the rain forest." Finally, does the product do something to make the customer's life easier, more efficient, or provide them with utility? Education is key.
• What makes your product unique? Does it have a specific function, taste, spin, nostalgia, or some reason that will help make a personal connection with the masses.
• Finally, where does your product rank when it comes to value? Is it a discount product, or is it a premium product? Somewhere in between. Why is it there, and why should the customer care?

The last Pillar is the most important and truly is the hardest for new brands, but is critical to find out quickly when going to market. Hopefully, you have done some market research and have anticipated this in some way before investing in a new product. What are some common objections and misconceptions about your brand. Most importantly, how would you like the person interacting with the customer to respond. The goal will be to educate the customer in a non condescending way, Drive value and exposure of the brand, and create a great experience to benefit your initial customer (the retailer) by giving the consumer a great experience.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first article. I plan to do more in the near future. I am very open to feedback. Please reach out to me if I can be of assistance or can answer any questions you may have!

Enjoy your day!