Are You Marketing What Your Customers Want?

Are You Marketing What Your Customers Want?

I’m driving past a cemetery yesterday and there’s some construction going on which has me stopped dead (sorry) right at the entrance.

I look over and there’s a sign beside the gate that says, ‘Premium sites available.’

Hmmmmmm. Let’s see. You’re the guy in charge of filling the place and that’s what you come up with?

I get it if you’re selling parcels of land on Lake Tahoe or corporate tents at the British Grand Prix or something like that.

But a burial plot.

Maybe it’s just me, but I start channeling Larry David.

Would I care if I was buried in a premium spot? Doubt it. A nice view over the river won’t mean much to me at that point.   

My family? Not likely. They love me dearly but they know I’d rather see them use the extra cash for a big send off party.

As I was sitting there in my car, I thought of what the cemetery owner could have used to get me thinking about going all in. Maybe something about “resting” close to where my loved ones lived so if they ever did visit they wouldn’t have far to go. To me, that’s kinda thoughtful. And, if they were doing the buying, they’d probably eventually think about that without the sign coming right out and saying it.

The whole thing just reminded me of how often marketers market what they sell instead of how they can make a difference.

Remember, our customers don’t want our products and services, they want us to make their lives better, grow their businesses and make them happier.