The "WOW" factor...
 

As I sat reading the latest issue of "Catalog Success" magazine, I found a short article titled "How to Generate Product Concepts That Sell" by Andrea Syverson.

The article of course talked about product development. What really caught my eye was a mention of a book titled "Lightning Strategies for Innovation" by Willard Zangwill. In Zangwill's book he mentions the Kano Model as a way to develop new products.

Product development (from the customer's viewpoint... is there any better way of viewing it?) deals with the three types of features present in any product or service. I'm "borrowing" from the article on these points:

1. Presumed features. These are the features the customers assumes to be there and typically appear in all similar products or services.

2. Expected features. These are features the customer examines as part of the buying decision. These features can vary a great deal from one product (or service) to another.

3. Delightful features (or as I refer to it, the "WOW" factor). These are the features the customer does not expect. They are the ones that truly knock the socks off your customer.

It's the "WOW" factor that most 99% (or higher) of products and services don't have. I see the lack of a "WOW" factor off-line, I see a lack on-line. It's going to be the "WOW" factor that determines how successful (i.e. profitable) your product or service are going to be.

Yeah the "WOW" factor could be considered the same as the USP (unique selliong proposition). You know it's funny we hear/read/discuss the validness of the USP being the most important part of any business and/or product and service. But with all the forums I visit, I very seldom read anyone's post where they really talk about the USP of their product or service. That means either we really don't understand the USP process (or how to apply it), which I doubt. We have too many people visiting boards like this that are brighter than I and have an even better understanding USP's. OR we're all trying to sell products and services that really don't have the "WOW" factor. That I would believe.

Over the past couple weeks I've posted questions on this board concerning a product line of mostly natural skincare and haircare items I'm working on--with a small manufacturer, who has been creating these products for the past seven years.

Granted "natural" and "organic" are good features... but they aren't "WOW" features. I could probably carve out a small section of the marketing with these features but it would cost a lot of marketing dollars. With the lack of a "WOW" factor, I know I couldn't get the free publicity I would need to really drive the product.

"Natural" and "organic" are like "new" and "improved". In other words they are nothing more than line-extensions of existing products (or concepts). Are the skincare and haircare products I'm working with good? Very good as a matter of fact. They are thick, fragrant and 98% natural. Their effectiveness can be attributed to the many customers who have already used the products and continue to reorder.

But I haven't found the "WOW" factor yet for this product line and that will determine its ultimate success. It drives me crazy that I have't found it yet. And it drives me crazy that so many others have fallen into the same trap with their products and services. And until we find our "WOW" factor we'll continue to fight for sales and profits.

Take care,

Mike Winicki

Mike great post but...
 

Let me ask you about the WOW factor you haven't
found yet.

You talk about the great features but what about
the great benefits. WOW

What sold you on the product. Was it the features
or the benefits.

I also struggle with USP. I can feel but can not
always express in word the WOW factor as you have
said.

I am learning every day and working at focusing
on benefits even though features are important.

I hope others will post on this subject and shed
some light that will be helpful to the rest of
us that want to do better with our USPs.




Starting With A Marketing Plan - The SWAMP

Re: Mike great post but...
 

> Let me ask you about the WOW factor you
> haven't
> found yet.

> You talk about the great features but what
> about
> the great benefits. WOW

> What sold you on the product. Was it the
> features
> or the benefits.

> I also struggle with USP. I can feel but can
> not
> always express in word the WOW factor as you
> have
> said.

> I am learning every day and working at
> focusing
> on benefits even though features are
> important.

> I hope others will post on this subject and
> shed
> some light that will be helpful to the rest
> of
> us that want to do better with our USPs.

The difference between a standard USP and a WOW factor is often in the way it is phrased. For example:

Standard: This product is designed to overcome the tangles that make your hair pull and snarl with a vengeance.

Wow factor: (testimonial) I can comb right through my hair with no snarls and pulling. (product) makes my hair combing ouchless!

Find the benefit then phrase it as a remarkable benefit in some way...not just a standard, blah, this does this and will do that for you. Make your copy sing to the reader.

Hope this helpful.

Sandi Bowman

And after all is said and done...
 

After all the brainstorming of names. After all the think-tanking of USPs. After all the paid and unpaid focus groups and surveys of the "man on the street." And after all the studies of color and what's in (are the bottles lime green by any chance). After all the niche-market considerations as the ideal target market. There is absoluitely no guarantee the product will take off. And if it does, there is no guarantee it will take off in the direction you had figured.

After all is said and done, it might come down to some quirky thing you can't put your finger on. Some blind luck. Fate, if you will. Some cosmic randomness. Right place right time.

You asked for name suggestions when you were really trying to figure how to get free press, or looking for the mythical WOW factor.

Perhaps, Mike, you are being a bit myopic about this. Too compartmentalized. Looking for one single thing.

Maybe you need to step back and look at this in a wholistic way. As an entire package. It's not just the name. It's not just the color of the bottle. It's not just the shape of the bottle. It's not just the font face. It's not just the font size. It's not just the font color. And it's not just the marketing. It's everything working together in some quirky way that makes the thing jump off the shelves.

Like a book, Mike. What is its "pick-me-up-for-a-closer-look" ness?

If it doesn't look good on the shelf, no-one is even going to bother picking it up. Regardless of what it's name is.

Fashion and Books are two industries whose sales depend on the pick-it-up-for-a-closer-look syndrome. So it has got to look good in the shelf (rack).

Granted, there is some name recognition. BUT, that just takes care of the fans. The others. Those who don't know one name from another. They need to be enticed to grab that sucker and hold it in their hands. And while one single thing might be able to achieve that. It is more likely going to be a combination of things.

Michael Ross




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Good points...
 

I should have clarified my post a little better. The purpose of posting wasn't to prod others to think of a "WOW" for the product line I'm working on but to get them to look at product development from an angle I rarely see from entrepreneurs, i.e. the customer's perspective.

Over the course of any week I generally talk to half-a-dozen entrepreneurs over the phone and another half-a-dozen in person. Rarely, and I mean rarely do folks look at their product or service from any other perspective than their own.

By the way I have come up with a couple potential "WOW" factors for my product line... I'll discuss them as I get further into the project.

You made some good points on your post. Sometimes you just have to "do it".

Take care

Mike Winicki

A terrific "WOW" feature quite often...
 

doesn't have to be rewritten or run through a gauntlet of copywriters.

If anything "WOW" features are "WOW" features because they are so easily understood by your prospects. They need no testimonials, no dynamite headline. A potent "WOW" factor doesn't need embellishment by a good copywriter to be effective.

Now don't get me wrong I certainly understand the power of good copywriting and how it can affect sales. But, with many products and services out there even good copywriting isn't going to get you anywhere. There are just too many "me-too" products. With everyone singing the same song the prospect has no reason to select one product over another except for price.

Gary Halbert struggled for years before he hit upon his "family crest" business. The truth is even his terrific copywriting skills did him little good until he uncovered a product with a "WOW" factor. Yes, his copywriting was good but the "WOW" factor was better, much better. Then he had enough brains to roll it out nationally but that's another story.

In another post I'll talk about what I perceive to be simple, yet powerful "WOW" factors that even a 3rd rate copywriter like myself can use to set your products and services apart from the competition.

Take care,

Mike Winicki

Question re: the "WOW" factor
 

Now, I've never tried to find the "wow" factor for any product, so the following question may just reflect my naiveté. However, couldn't you just ask current customers what they think the "wow" factor is?

After all, if people are buying and continue to buy they are doing so for a reason. I think it would be nearly impossible for us to guess what their reason is, but you may be able to find out by asking (or better, by watching them or listening to them think aloud while comparison shopping).

--Phil

Good Question...
 

Phil,

The difference between a "WOW" feature and just any old feature is what the affect the "WOW" feature has on sales. If you have a product/service that is #1 in your industry you probably have a "WOW" feature of some type. If you're #5, you probably have a decent product/service but nothing really special. Sure you sell a few of them but you don't have anything that is appreciably better than anyone else. You can ask customers what the "WOW" factor is for your products/services but most probably won't give you anything beyond some generic phrases like "it works better", "it's cheaper", "I buy it because I like the sale's person", stuff like that. Statements like these don't signify the presence of a "WOW" factor.

Domino's 30 minute guarantee was a "WOW" feature. It was demonstrateably superior to what the competition offered, which at the time was no guarantee at all. The power of that one simple "WOW" feature created an empire.

Now not everyone is trying to build an "empire" but having one cash cow certainly makes life much easier.

Yeah, Phil you could ask customers what "WOW" features your products have, but if they aren't telling you already (or you already aren't aware of them) you probably don't have them.

Take care,

Mike Winicki