The Best-Known Product

For many years Simon Hares of SerialTrainer7 was the person I trusted to train and develop my commercial teams; I highly recommend you seek him out if you’re looking for sales management training & development  (Simon / SerialTrainer7) … And no, I will not receive commission 😀.

Simon says…

One particular statement from our training always rings in my mind:

“People do not necessarily buy the best product.
They buy the best-known product.”

Though the specific phrase may not seem like it always applies (for example, with niche and/or complex technologies), the core messages should still resonate:

1. The power of marketing as a function should never be underestimated (despite that often being the case).

2. Every single person in an organisation – from the top to the bottom – must play a role in marketing in its broadest sense (despite that rarely being the case).

The right kind of visibility

In a recent post, we asked if your marketing was worthy of critical review, with a focus on creativity and personality – two aspects that can fall by the wayside in the pursuit of quality and consistency.

In a world of colliding and competing priorities, what happens if marketing campaigns are not sufficiently creative to stand out? Well, even the most innovative and brilliant products will struggle to achieve “known” status let alone take the diamond-encrusted crown of “best-known.”

When it comes to healthcare-adjacent science and technology products and services, quality is typically non-negotiable and customers tend to expect “the best” from their suppliers. In other words, the bar is set very high, which means market penetration and sales cannot escape a strong relationship with (the right kind of) visibility.

But you don’t need to be visible to everyone. Focus on snapping up attention anywhere (everywhere!) your target audience spends time. Show that you care about their ambitions and struggles. Make valuable, authentic contributions to ongoing conversations and attempt to initiate new discussions.

Question time

Do you think the “best-known” adage applies in your segment or not?
How do you convince your leadership team to back marketing efforts that direct you towards best-known territory?
What tactics do you currently employ to take ownership of your niche?

We’d love to hear from you.

Richard Hodson is a Founding Partner at Mondo Create.

Human intelligence (Hi) is a series of thoughts, talks, essays and events for the changing world of science marketing and communication.

Shared only when there is something interesting to say.