My friend Paul Mabray told me about a book that I should read call PreCommerce. He explained that the author, Bob Pearson clearly describes how companies and customers are transforming business together When you think about it, so much has changed about buying anything today compared to the past. Whether you are purchasing a camera, a car or a bottle of wine, how you learn about your choices has undergone a revolution. Less than 1% of the purchase is the actual transactions – all the rest happens beforehand. The power of information has shifted to the consumer from the seller.
PreCommerce
Bob’s book, PreCommerce describes in an approachable style, how the Internet and social media have altered the consumer’s journey to a transaction. During Bob’s time with Dell, he came to realize the enormous power of the events, research and work that happens before a sale. Think of how much information you have today before buying a car. You can look at dealer reputation based on the opinions of customers not just based on the advertising the dealer pumps out to influence you.
In 1972, when I bought my first single lens reflex camera to
support my commercial photography business, my Dad and I had to go from New Jersey into Manhattan to visit camera stores to learn about our the options available. I had a beautiful Hasselblad camera that my grandfather, George Ginsberg, bought for me for portraits, but I needed a camera for non-studio work.
We spoke to experts at stores and spent almost an entire day visiting different retail outlets to learn about the features and benefits of the various brands and all the accessories. We didn’t even make a decision that day because it was all a bit overwhelming. So, I went to the library and did more research to look at some photography magazine and to read some articles about different lens. I read three issues of consumer reports. Eventually, we went back to the city and bought the Nikon with the 85-200 zoom lens. It only came in black and silver which worked for me. It took me two-day and a lot of miles to figure out the right camera for me.
In 2015, my daughter Fanny wanted a camera to complement her food writing with her new cookbook and other writing assignments. The process was quite different. From her sofa and while on her iPhone, she went on Facebook to ask friends about choices. She had four professional photographers in her network, and each one gave her some guidance. She looked on yelp and watched a few videos on YouTube to explain how to use the cameras she was considering. The camera she was interested in had over one thousand five star ratings on Best Buy’s site for the camera. She read a few dozen reviews and the answer snapped into place.
Within two hours, she knew what she wanted. She found the perfect camera to use for client work for recipe development, food writing and her social media activities. (follow her on Instagram or Facebook if you are into food photography). The only thing we needed to do was to go to the store (Best Buy) and make sure she liked the color in person. We walked into Best Buy and in 10 minutes, she bought the camera. The only work the clerk in the store did was to get the camera from behind the locked case so she could see the color. She bought the red Nikon D-3200.
So much of Fanny’s research happened beforehand, on a cell phone and in two-hours versus my two-day journey.
Focusing on the Pre-Sale
- How can you do a better job building a wealth of knowledge and information before consumers walk into a physical or virtual store?
- Are you connecting a community of customers who can tell helpful stories to each other?
- Do you use video to tell stories about both features and benefits of your products?
- Is your storytelling personalized to the various audiences who may learn online differently?
- Can you make the decision simpler so that your customer doesn’t freeze instead of clicking the purchase button?
- How are your stories different than your competitors both in how you tell them and the personality of your brand?
- Are you making the consumer the hero in your brand story or are you boring them with endless details?
- Finally, are you making a big, bold promise to a prospect and then, earning their trust after the sale?
PreCommerce is a book to help you think through your customer’s journey. Bob’s ideas will walk you through a path to gain a clearer understanding of what happens before the customer gets to the checkout.
Are you ready to check out now?
Need some help rethinking your marketing strategy? Like Geico, give me fifteen minutes and I’ll get you started.
This photograph was taken in 1972 at The University of Pennsylvania during my freshman year. I always had a camera with me but never a pair of scissors to cut my hair.
