What Is "Selling A Commodity"?

A commodity is what suspects and prospects aggressively try to simplify your solution to.

Thus the important of a Unique Selling Proposition.

You have to have a edge that your target market appreciates and biases them towards doing business with you.

"Commodity" has overtones of "mass-produced", "cheap" "one-size-fits-all". A bushel of wheat is a bushel of wheat with the only differentiation being price in fractions of a percentage.

That's a good thing in some cases - just ask WalMart

However if you you're trying to position yourself as a purveyor of cusotmised, quality, differentiated product then commidty is not a word you want used about you

Toilet brushes solve a specific problem - but try differentiating.

I just saw you answer BAYO in my thread here ==> http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...e-leads-2.html

he edited and posted a much more lengthy reply to your reply.

I have camtasia on my machine, and I am not camtasia guru and some of my videos are even just ugly, but I cannot tell you how much money this awesome piece of software has made me, especially as I am several clickbank niches as well. One of them entirely video based!!!

I use to trade commodities on the stock market John. I was what you call an average trader. I never did that well, however I never lost out big time or blew up my accounts like you hear those nightmare stories.

But with the commodity market you are trying to buy low and then sell higher.

With the commodities on the offline world you offering a seo package, design service or whatever for a good price point, and if you know this is going to help enrich or make a business money you can put a nice price tag on it.

Where I think the real power comes in, is to use FRANK KERNS online tactics offline. YES! shock...you can actually do that? WHOA!? LOL....yes you can!

Its call results in advance.

So you have your commodity, it does not matter what it is....anything at all. But if you can show them value in your stuff, by giving them real examples..... I use.

1) Nice customer testimonials (video, audio and straight text)

2) Show them processes or your thing in action.

3) GIVE THEM PROOF! This is a big one for me, because proof is where the BIG MONEY LIES!

4) The price of your commodity (what you have no offer) is going UP AND UP AND UP!! Each day.

Do this, and you are making it harder for them to say NO!

I sell web design and VERY EXPENSIVE seo packages myself, and these are actually a commodity and do solve a problem faced by many. I think the real power with this lies in showing them RESULTS IN ADVANCE.... remember every one these days have at least a bit of skeptical mentality... so if you can show them proof, how good your commodity is, show them what others (your current customers) are saying about your commodity, then you are half way there!!!

I have learnt over the years, we should have an issue with the commodity itself. And say one commodity is better than the other! You should be trying to put the shine on your commodity, doing things in your day to make that commodity easier to sell!

I am serious, my sales quadrupled, when i got my commodites and went hard core in not trying to sell them, but to show PROOF and give leads RESULTS in advance (just like KERN DOES)

Most of your clients have one question rattling around upstairs. That is "Sure! But is this really gunna work for me, where is the PROOF!"

Well show them! Take that question out of their head. You have this commodity, but show them its TRUE VALUE with hard core PROOF!

I do not care how good you are at selling a commodity, or writing copy for your commodity...that means chit when it comes to getting a sale. If you can show them proof your commodity is actually a commodity i.e. worth something, and can prove it is gunna help their business just watch how much easier it is to get a sale.

We all wants results in advance right? we all want to know, "hey if I buy this stuff, is it gunna work"

The power is in the PROOF of your commodity. Too many people get caught up in the commodity itself, or tell themself that a certain type of commodity will NOT SELL.

That is PURE B.S. I have sold many things, here and there, but when I concentrated on SEO and DESIGN packages on the PROOF SIDE! WOW the results were staggering....it is a commodity, and what makes it such a better more powerful commodity is that I can show proof that is works, with customer testimonials, show examples, and give them proof that what I have on offer works.

As I said KERN calls this "results in advance". its not WHAT YOU SELL....the power is THE PROOF that what you are selling is (a) gunna work, and (b) make them money or (c) help and enrich their lives.

Take your pick!

I think I got sidetracked a little here....ha ha LOL, but You get my drift! Get your commodity and work it, and show people proof (that yes it actually does work) and watch what this does to your sales. Makes it harder for them to say NO! And more YES'es mean more sales and profits for you! *insert cheeky grin here please*

Selling commodities is always possible... the more marketing volume, the more will be sold. But better positioning just improves return on time invested. Perception is a huge sales tool.

You guys are looking at it all wrong.

*** YOU ***

the sales person, the consultant .. the whatever you call yourself.

You are the commodity. You are the solution.

Sell yourself.

Your knowledge and your application of the knowledge is the key.

but they will never know that, until you sell yourself.

then and only then will they be open to the obvious.

and you will be wealthy.

For me,

selling a commodity is when you present yourself as a salesman and what you HAVE to offer. There's very little to differentiate your offer from others. Many promote their "commodity" on broadcast mode such as email, telemarketing or direct mail and place little or no emphasis on their pain solving USP.

people often turn what they have to offer into a "commodity" when they stop asking questions in their marketing and keep telling people what it is they HAVE (for sale.)

Very few take the time to ENGAGE with the client and want to fully understand their needs to tailor or personalise their offer specifically for a prospect's needs, no. In the main, they tend to sell on PRICE, (features and benefits) and NOT take time identifying prospect's pain or the value of what they offer.

They tend not to have a pain based selling approach, and it tends to be a numbers game, by broadcasting it all out there with little targetting.

(but thats only my take on it, and I could be wrong of course )

regards


Fraser

Commodity is a ubiquitous product or service widely available - especially with the supply of said product or service being relative to the demand for it. The more widely available a product or service (in category), the more of a "commodity" it becomes. Particularly when the primary differentiation becomes price-focused (buy more of it, get a cheaper price... buy mine and I'll charge you less...)

If you're selling a "commodity" product or service (like SEO or web development), there are indeed ways to differentiate yourself to stand above the crowd... which is the "augmented product". That's the extra value-add you get when you buy a particular provider's rendition of the core, commodity product or service. Then, over that layer is brand. Brand is the embodiment of the customer's unique experience with the combined package of core commodity product or service, along with the value-added stuffs, wrapped in a tidy package with a pretty bow.