Why Your Product Isn’t Selling—It May Not Be Marketing…

There’s the adage that good marketing can sell a bad product one time, but not twice. In fact, if there is an issue with the product, most companies are better off pulling it out of the market until the issue is resolved. At any rate, don’t make the mistake of assuming that the issue is marketing until you take another look at the product itself. Following are some product-related issues that might be affecting sales.

Target Audience Misalignment: Your product might not be reaching the right audience or there might be a misunderstanding of the target audience’s needs and preferences.
Market Saturation: The market may be oversaturated with similar products, making it difficult to stand out.
Poor Quality: The product might have quality issues, such as defects, durability problems, or performance shortcomings.
Lack of Differentiation: The product may not offer unique features or benefits compared to competitors.
Unmet Needs (this is a big one!): The product may not address a real need or solve a problem effectively.
Pricing: The product might be priced too high, making it unaffordable or perceived as not offering good value for money. The product might be priced too low, leading to perceptions of low quality.

Poor User Experience: The product might be difficult to use, confusing, or inconvenient, leading to dissatisfaction.
Strong Competitors: Existing competitors may have better products, or new entrants in the market might be offering more innovative or appealing alternatives.

If your product isn’t selling as well as you’d like, take a good look at the product itself before you make marketing changes. There are some basic methods for drilling down on the issue such as market research, product testing, focus groups, surveys, etc. but the best way is to ask prospects that made it almost all the way through the sales funnel and dropped out before buying. You’d be surprised at how few people (maybe just 2-3) you need to ask to get to the problem. Finally, give some thought to heading off certain issues with your product by giving marketing a say in product development.

For a no cost discussion of your situation and how we can leverage metrics-based marketing to grow your business call 630-363-8081 or email jeanna@smartprcommunications.com