Even in the age of empowered buying, I am still a big advocate of going back to basics and looking at a solutions approach. Understand your target audience and their needs. It’s about what they need, not what you want to sell them. Craft the product according the those needs. Providing a true solution to why they need it. Check out what the competition is doing (but do not be tempted to just replicate and improve). Identify key differentiators, but always refer back to why the product is needed by the target audience and what solution it is providing.

My most successful product launches have been in BIG categories with Major Brands like Mattress Category with the 3 S’s Sealy Serta Simmons in the 1990’s A new startup company with memory foam material in pillows & mattress came along from Sweden A pillow & mattress is a Commodity product that consumers buy based on Brand name or price I found a very niche memory foam material an it was all about MARKETING this new material with Credibility (ie Chiropractors) it worked Then I created the HAND PRINT image in the foam showing how it Conformed to your body which is what DIFFERENTIATES the product Then we launched it at Brookstone as a quality specialty retailer as a $100 pillow 3 times the price of other foam pillows Contact me to learn more

Make sure your offering is meaningfully unique. Then overtly communicate the benefit your offering will provide customers.

How to pinpoint your unique selling points: - Conduct competitor analysis: Compare your product's features, benefits, and pricing against competitors to find gaps and opportunities. - Gather customer feedback: Directly ask your customers what they value most about your product. - Highlight unique benefits: Focus on the specific advantages your product offers that competitors don't, such as exclusive features or superior quality.

1. Conduct Market Research: Analyze competitors and identify gaps in customer needs or underserved areas. 2. Define Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Highlight what your product offers that others don’t—whether it’s a unique feature, better customer experience, or price. 3. Leverage Customer Insights: Use feedback to uncover what resonates most with customers, revealing valuable differentiators. 4. Test Your Positioning: Experiment with messaging that highlights these unique benefits. For example: If other products emphasize features, and yours excels in usability, brand it as the most intuitive solution in the market, directly addressing a common user frustration. This makes your product memorable and relevant!