Your product requires some minimal level of knowledge or understanding by the customer. As a marketer, you must communicate that prerequisite to prospective customers.
A few weeks ago my wife convinced me to take a dance class with her. We don’t know much about ballroom dance so we decided to take an entry level class at a local community center.
We thought that a beginner’s class would be ideal to get started with our new dancing skills.
The night of our class arrived. Once we located our classroom at the community center, it took one minute to dash our hopes to pieces.
The instructor began by asking if this was the first ballroom class for any one. We were the only ones of more than 20 that sheepishly raised ours hands.
No big deal, right? We had signed up for Viennese Waltz 1. The beginner class. The easy stuff, right?
Wrong. Acknowledging our hands, the instructor said that the Viennese Waltz is one of the most difficult dances and is best attempted only after learning other ballroom dances.
Needless to say, the night didn’t go so well. We were over our heads and ended up leaving early.
Prevent Customer Confusion
Courses in college have prerequisites that communicate to students what they need to know before they attempt the new course. Your product may require similar warnings. Up-front communication will prevent confusion once it is too late.
Pre-Sales
Your marketing, advertising, and packaging should make it clear what a customer needs to be successful with your product. Our “Viennese Waltz 1” class looked on paper like a beginner course. After all, it was a level one class. Your products may appear benign but really may need some expertise to use or operate. You need to filter prospective customers based on these requirements or train them on how to use your product.
Point of Sale
By the time your customer is paying for your product, it isn’t too late to help them be successful. You can reiterate what they need to know to use your product. You can offer training materials or courses.
Post-Sale
Once the customer gets your product home and starts using it, how can you help them succeed? Quality documentation, step-by-step guides, and examples will help.
Learning Curve
No matter what you do, there may always be a learning curve for your product. That is fine. Just make it as easy as possible to learn and you open up the possibilities of the number of people you can call customers.