Welcome back... Michael Kay Research Director HBB Research The Five Great Ideas in Marketing Web home-based business is about marketing. Pure and simple! Yet few home entrepreneurs are versed in marketing. We all get caught up in the latest techniques and give little thought to the simple but immensely powerful ideas that sit behind those techniques.  There are many ideas floating around, but only five that are truly profound. The Unique Selling Proposition Under the USP theory you identify some feature of the product and you use that as a lever to distinguish it from its competition. So products are stronger, faster, sharper, and they wash cleaner, and so on. USP thinking is product-oriented thinking, totally focused on the ‘functionality’ of the product. Product-oriented thinking is very common on the web, understandably as people become very wrapped up in what they produce.  It is also a death-trap for the unwary, as it ignore or simply assumes – the customer. Customer Orientation Customer orientation shifts the focus from the product to the customer. It recognizes that the customer puts very little value on a product’s functionality. Cars are SUPPOSED to work and not rust. No-one is willing to pay a cent more for one that doesn’t rust, though they may be charged more! We are looking at a range in what the customer values i.e. what the customer is ‘willing to pay for!’  At one end are the basic things the product is supposed to do, next to that are various additions – say, support services, warranties, guarantees, and so on.  People are willing to pay a little more for these additions but they largely resent them. At the other end are the psychological factors – reducing fear, increasing safety, more status, children’s advancement and so on. People are willing to pay almost anything for these AND, even better, positionings based on customer psychology are extremely difficult to copy and it is difficult to dislodge the leaders. Despite an overwhelming quality advantage, it took decades for the Japanese to create a truly high status car – the Lexus – and dislodge Cadillac and Mercedes. Solution Marketing The solution approach is an evolution of customer orientation. The primary insight is: People buy things to solve problems. Those problems may be simple, requiring an equally simple solution. Or they may be ‘systemic’ requiring many products working together to solve them. So the ‘ring around the collar’ image that used to sell detergent in the 1950s has morphed into a system solution of detergents, dryer cloths, and different types of machine and so on. Solutions are a return to product orientation as the human psychological elements tend to get lost. Experience Marketing Experience marketing puts the psychology back into solutions thinking. In experience marketing, your market approach moves into the skin of the consumer and asks the question: What is the value I gain from the experience of buying and owning this offering?   It moves marketing into the world of theater and the choreographing of the sales and delivery process to add value to the consumer. The classic examples are Disney (rides become family), Starbucks (a cup of coffee becomes a refuge from a hectic world), Bass Outdoor World stores (rods, lures, and guns become oneness with the fishing and hunting world), Harley-Davidson (motorcycle transport becomes being a rebel and dangerous), Guinness (a beer becomes community), and Club Med (a holiday camp becomes a journey of self-discovery). The essence of experience is to create a story around the offering, to build adventure, passion and help people to a reason for being.  Sound very grand? But it’s hugely profitable! Dream Marketing The dream is the super-charging the experience approach. (For an impassioned look at this subject go to Tom Peters Re-imagine, Dorling Kindersley 2003) “A dream is a complete moment in the life of a client. Important experiences that tempt the client to commit substantial resources. The essence is the desires of the consumer. The opportunity to help clients become what they want to be.”  Gian Longinotti-Buitoni (ex-Ferrari) Wow!  Longinotti-Buitoni defines Dream Marketing as: Touching the client’s dreams The art of telling stories and entertaining Promoting the dream not the product Building a brand around the main dream Building ‘buzz’, ‘hype’, a ‘cult’... Dreams create an explosion of passion, a release of pent up frustration. This is beyond a good experience it is almost orgasmic! From product orientation to selling the opportunity to realize a dream; that’s a long journey!  But it’s a useful way of thinking about marketing your product. Ask yourself: Am I really just selling a USP into a mass market; generic marketing? Can I find the customer fragment and understand what they want? Does my product solve a problem? If so, who has the problem? Can I create one that does? What experience am I offering the customer? Does the theater surrounding the purchase decision add value? Is there any way I can tap into their dreams and deliver on it? As you move down the list your margins and profits rise! Michael Kay   Thoughts to Chew on...   99% of web businesses are about marketing. Making stuff available so people can search it out and then buy it. If you aren't comfortable with this reality, stick to investment vehicles and surveys.  Here are some other thoughts you might consider: Marketing is not generaly understood. People flood into web businesses without appreciating the very basics of marketing. If you were to take a single course Marketing should be it! If we look at the history of marketing as the information age has crept up on us, it has been about the shift from mass markets to focusing on the individual. From mass production to mass customization. People want what they want, their way!  The starting point of all marketing is understanding the customer, then positioning yourself in the market to attract that customer. To do this effectively you need to think in terms of fragments; of tiny bits of the market that you can own and defend. HBB Research's latest report picks up the theme of about marketing and positioning and explores it in depth.   If you want to find out more, you should get hold of The Gold Rush: Realizing your Dreams in the Coming Web Home-based Business Bonanza.  This 260+page book will give you a deep understanding of what it takes to be successful. If you want to find out more about The Gold Rush: Realizing your Dreams in the Coming Web Home-based Business Bonanza click on the text below. .  Take me to The Gold Rush.  Warning! If you arrived at this site through a search engine, you need to know where you are. You have landed on a subscriber page for HBB Research's Insights Letter or of the HBB Review. HBB Research is one of the first research programs into web home business linked to a business school. The Insights Letter and the HBB Review are FREE newsletters that provide ideas and insights to mostly new web entrepreneurs Subscribe to "The Insights Letter" Now!! Sign up for HBB Research's FREE "Insights Letter" and receive a long series of FREE insights into the coming boom on web home-based business plus your FREE subscription to HBB Review.  No obligation Enter Your Name: Enter your Email: Copyright Michael Kay HBB Research 2006

The Gold Rush...To Invest in Your Future Click Here Now! The GoldRush is HBB Research's first Report on its research to date. It is possibly the first overview of web home-business on the web and will form the first generation of HBB Research's research program. At 260 pages of single space it contains the equivalent contentof 5 ebooks. A Unique Approach that Delivers Value on a Continuing Basis... The Gold Rush is a LIVING BOOK. As HBB Research's research is on-going, we decided to offer a year of updates with the book. This means a stream of new materials that will arrive as created - FOR FREE. This is an amazing offer -- it is like getting a regular shot of insight for nothing and no effort. This is just the start of the exciting developments at HBB Research. Another FUN Research Invitation... What do you know about business? Web home business is simply a unique branch of general business. It has developed its own jargon, largely derived from direct selling. But many concepts in general business apply as well. Click on the link below and try our FUN Questionnaire that exposes you to some of the core concepts of business. Get the answers and see how well you did! Go to the Business Questionnaire Latest Headline Articles On Web Business From SubmitYourArticle. These automated feeds are valuable tools for building web site content automatically For more information go to SubmitYourArticle See the SubmitYourArticle "Editor's Pick" of the best article submitted this week.  Editor's Pick Read the articles captured in our continually updated articles section. These Guest Articles are from some of the best minds writing on the web today Guest Articles Marketplace Note:  Sources on Continuing Education... As one of our regular features we recommend a source of information - that is essentially free. Typically these are newsletters provided by people trying to interest you in their product.  Our focus this issue is List Building and our suggested Guru is Glen Hopkins. HBB Research uses Glen's List Builder service to promote this newsletter. To sign up for his newsletter Glen Hopkins Summary of the Sources of Knowledge mentioned so far: Storefronts: we recommended you go and look at the materials provided by the two leading Clickbank offerings CBMall and 1st Pro Storefront. Both have excellent materials. SEO search engine optimization by Brad Callen. Perhaps the leading thinker and practioner on the web XSite Pro a report on how to find products that sell. This report is credited to Paul Smithson. Note SiteBuildIt also has tons of information on driving your business Revenge of the Mininets a brilliant concept for driving search engine position by tying mini-sites together. The author is Michael Campbell eBay Profit Pill Newsletter a solid newsletter stuffed with interesting facts about making money on eBay Stuart Elliot a seriously good introduction to the issues involved in writing sales copy Glen Hopkins one of the top list builders on the web and runs an excellent co-registration program Search Clickbank:  Did You See This News Flash? HBB Research Selects "Internet Marketing" Program HBB Research has finished its evaluation of internet marketing offerings already on the market to recommend as the primary textbook in its offline/online programs. Go to the News Flash HBB Review Last Reminder... The second article is available at HBB Review, the subject is SUCCESS AND YOUR PASSION. This long article links personality issues and web success in each of the seven web domains Click Here to go to the Article Of Scams and Passion Enjoy!   Under Construction HBB Research's Web Home-business eBook Store is currently under construction. It will focus on books, tools and Specal Reports for the web home entrepreneur.   And Finally... At HBB Research we believe in the value of feedback. Each Letter we will ask you for your thoughts on what you are looking for..Here's the question for this issue "What would you like HBB Research to investigate and write about?" Send your thoughts to insights@hbbresearch.com Thanks in advance for your ideas, they are much appreciated. Prior Letters Letter#1: The Web Business Boom includes Personality Questionnaire and FREE Report. Learn about yourself and your chances of success Letter#2: The Long Tail Economics includes Personality Questionnaire and FREE Report. Learn about yourself and your chances of success Letter#3: Seven Sources of Web Wealth includes Personality Questionnaire and FREE Report. Learn about yourself and your chances of success Letter#4:  Seven Keys to Web Business Success includes Personality Questionnaire and FREE Report. Learn about yourself and your chances of success Letter#5: Setting up Your Own Web Business includes Personality Questionnaire and FREE Report. Learn about yourself and your chances of success Letter#6: Assessing Business Opportunities includes the Business Knowledge Questionnaire with Answers - a great learning experience