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Creating Demand
Interview with Rick Ott, author of Creating Demand -
Move the Masses to Buy Your Product, Service or Idea

(Just updated. It's on my recommended.)
sl: It almost goes without saying, but what does it mean to create demand?
RO: A marketeer creates demand the same way a comedian creates laughter. It stimulates what is already a strong desire in peoples' minds. Laughter and demand are in people. We simply need to know how to activate it.

Here is one of several techniques you can use to create demand. You create demand by matching a person's influence type with style, art and fashion (SAF). There are four different influence types. For example, type 1 people are receptive to newness. They want the latest. The four types are:
Type 1 - is receptive to newness. Often create it. (10% of the population)
Type 2 -is receptive to newness but at a lower level (20% of the population)
Type 3 - don't reach out to embrace newness (40% of the population)
Type 4 - is adverse to style, art and fashion. (30% of the population)

It basically comes down to the difference in preferences between the new and the traditional. Some products are SAF-intensive. Examples are clothing, home furnishings, music. Some products are SAF-light. Examples are life insurance, groceries, dry cleaning. But the marketing of all products and services has everything to do with SAF. Marketing is SAF-intensive.

It isn't necessarily true that all young people are type 1s', but we tend to drift to type 4 as we get older. As we grow older we tend to want to put forth less effort to get the latest SAF.

sl: For people who want to change their marketing, what do you suggest?
RO: I would start by identifying the type of people I am trying to attract to my product or service, types 1, 2, 3, 4.

sl: What mistake do people make in attempting to create demand?
RO: Staying too niched. If you are launching a new product or service, you want to be niched initially. If you continue too long you need to widen your appeal. You forfeit a lot of sales. You can continue to serve your core and spread it out. For example, Amazon.com. is still serving book buyers very well. Arby's started out selling Roast Beef sandwiches. Now they have chicken and sub sandwiches. The key is to continue to provide a top product or service in your original niche, what you started out doing well.

sl: How can salespeople apply these concepts?
RO: Salespeople must decide what types they want to appeal to. We appeal most to people most like ourselves. To appeal to other types, we need to adjust our appearance somewhat to lean in a 1 or 2 direction or a 3 or 4 direction.

It opens up a world of possibilities to understand people and to appeal to their preferences. A big part of creating demand is understanding the people you are selling or marketing to and how to appeal to them.

Interview ©1999 Performance Achievement Systems,. salesleaders.com

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