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ans Serif">Several client situations and a recent book have caused us to reflect on another basic marketing issue - understanding what it is that you are actually selling. In this article we will explore the issue of what you think you are selling as against what the customer thinks they are buying.

ans Serif">The commodity or the product?
In his book "The E-Myth Revisited", Michael Gerber asks the question, "What business am I in?" He goes on to say, "Ask anyone what kind of business they're in and they'll instinctively respond with the name of the commodity they sell. 'We're in the computer business.' Or, 'We're in the hot tub

business.' Always the commodity, never the product.

ans Serif">What's the difference?

ans Serif">The commodity is the thing that your customer actually walks out with in his hand.

ans Serif">The product is what the customer feels as he walks out of your business.

ans Serif">What he feels about your business, not what he feels about the commodity."

ans Serif">We really need to get this straight. The customer is buying a result from you. The commodity is only part of that result. The rest of the result is in the service they receive, the ease of doing business with you, what your business does to make them feel great.

ans Serif">Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon, once said, "In the factory Revlon manufactures cosmetics, but in the store Revlon sells hope."

ans Serif">The commodity is cosmetics; the product is hope.

ans Serif">What is your product?
So what is the product of your business? What feeling will your customer walk away with? Peace of mind? Control? Order? Power? What is he really buying from you?

ans Serif">The truth is, people buy feelings!

ans Serif">First you need to understand how they feel about the transaction that they're considering, they result that they're seeking, and what gratification they'll get as a result of completing the transaction. Sure, the commodity will form part of the result or solution, but it isn't the total product that you sell. Most of the experience comes in the service and the ease the customer experiences in completing the transaction. If your internal needs dictate how you do business, without understanding how they impact on the customer, you will be limiting whom you can do business with. Each market segment has different needs, even for the same commodity. The more you are aware of this, the better you will be able to meet your customers' requirements.

ans Serif">Start by listing all of the common objections you hear from customers when you try to sell them your commodity. Then ask yourself, "What do I need to do to overcome these objections so that the purchase becomes a fulfilling experience for the customer?" It may well result in changing the way you do business, but is that really a bad thing - given the results you've been getting up until now?

ans Serif">Clients engaged in the E-Myth Mastery Program learn how to distinguish what the true product of their business is, and develop strategies that provide real solutions to their customers' needs.