I know a few companies where marketing outpaces the product’s user experience and services. I’ve seen sales demos where the rep won’t open the application, instead working off a bright, shiny, photoshopped mockup. That’s not an issue when your product is advertised, but I’ve seen it tear some companies apart when the marketing overhypes the reality of the product.
RC Glow
While this is some solid product marketing humor, over-marketing or premature marketing can significantly negatively affect a company’s reputation and customer retention in the sales and marketing landscape.
When marketing outpaces the actual product’s user experience and services, it can lead to customer disappointment and damage their trust in the brand. Here are some detailed tips on how to avoid these issues:
- Alignment between Marketing and Development Teams: Ensure the marketing and development teams are in sync. Regular communication and collaboration are essential to avoid overhyping features or capabilities that may not be delivered on time.
- Realistic Promises: Marketing should make achievable promises based on the product’s current state. Avoid making exaggerated claims that cannot be fulfilled in the given timeframe.
- Underpromise and Overdeliver: It’s often better to set lower expectations than exceed them. This approach can pleasantly surprise customers and build trust in your brand.
- Transparency: If there are delays or changes in the product’s development, be transparent with your customers. Communication is key. Provide updates on the progress and any challenges that might impact timelines.
- Manage Stakeholder Expectations: When dealing with key clients or stakeholders, be honest about the product’s status and any potential roadblocks. They will appreciate your transparency and will be more understanding of delays.
- User Testing and Feedback: Before launching a product or feature, involve real users in testing. This helps identify issues early on and ensures the product meets user expectations.
- Internal Alignment: Ensure that the entire organization, from sales and marketing to development and support, is on the same page regarding product capabilities and timelines. This avoids mixed messaging.
- Customer-Centric: A customer-centric approach involves delivering a great user experience, prioritizing customer feedback, and making improvements based on customers’ needs and preferences.
- Iterative Development: Adopt an agile approach to development. This allows for regular iterations and improvements to the product, ensuring that it evolves according to user requirements.
- Post-Launch Support: Provide excellent customer support and updates after launching the product. Address any issues promptly and maintain open channels for feedback.
- Monitoring and Analytics: Use data and analytics to track user satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. Adjust your marketing and development strategies accordingly.
- Employee Training: Train your sales and marketing teams to represent the product accurately. Ensure they deeply understand its features, benefits, and limitations.
Marketing sets the expectations, sales affirm them and collect the commission, and the client has invested based on those expectations. The problems roll downhill to the account management and customer services teams. Those teams have retention as one of their key performance indicators… so when the companies leave or don’t renew, the account management and customer service teams are held accountable. Accountable for something totally outside their control.
I don’t believe misrepresenting your product is ever the right thing to do. However, some of the companies that do it tend to grow well. By growing rapidly, they can win market share, accelerate outsider investment, and then use that cash to catch up to the image they’ve portrayed. When some of these companies make tens or hundreds of millions of dollars, it’s difficult for me to say it’s a bad tactic. It’s just something I don’t like. I don’t want companies that do it. And I wouldn’t say I like recommending those companies to my clients.
Image Credit: Bing
