How To Make Intangible Products More Tangible
It can seem very challenging to sell products and services that are not something that can be held in someone’s hand. But, they exist in droves today, so it’s getting easier to help someone conceptualize the intangible.
Some examples of intangible products and services are:
- Digital content – Websites, online games, and even social media are all intangible goods.
- Content delivered online – Downloadable eBook, music, movies and anything delivered online today can be considered an intangible.
- Patents and copyrights – Given by the government when applied for, you get a certificate but it’s not something you can really hold on to.
- Education – While you do get a certificate at the end, the product itself is not something you can touch.
Describe Them Fully
The issues involved with selling intangible goods and services are that people have a hard time understanding them and therefore trusting that it really is real and relevant. This is one reason so many people are confused by the idea that using images, music, and property of others that they found online is illegal. But, you can make it easier by using imagery to depict the intangible goods or service.
Make Them a Guarantee
If you want people to purchase your products and services, you have to ensure that you develop enough trust with the audience that they are open to making the purchase. You can do this by offering a guarantee of some kind. Since they cannot touch the item before buying, eliminating issues can go far in helping people make a purchase.
Focus on Benefits
Any good marketing always focuses on benefits over features. This is even more important for selling intangibles because they cannot actually touch and feel the product. If you’re a virtual assistant, are you selling customer service or are you selling more time to your clients? How can you best explain this to them?
Show Success Stories
Collect testimonials from satisfied customers and put them on your sales page, in your marketing literature, and commit them to memory for talking about in one-on-one calls and events. Knowing other people had success will calm their fears and make them more apt to try.
Green Is the New Black
Explaining that intangible products and services are better on the environment can go far in helping your customer better visualize what they’re receiving. For example, if you sell software, downloading it means the cost is lower because there is no longer a need for manufacturing like there is with CDs and DVDs.
Connect with the Person in Charge
Knowing who is in charge of the purse strings makes a huge difference in your success of making any sale. Only spend time talking to the person who can make the decisions, so that you don’t have to end up giving your sales pitch to multiple people only for no one to be able to make a decision.
