2 Schools Of Thought (Which One Are You?)

25 replies
Hi,

In marketing, there's experts who say "Find out what the people want, make it and give it to them"

Then there's also experts who say "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"

Which of the 2 schools of thought do you come from? And is there possibly a 3rd... an in-between concept perhaps?
#schools #thought
  • Profile picture of the author adamreilly1997
    A bit of both i suppose
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  • Profile picture of the author Dimitris Skiadas
    Originally Posted by solidim View Post

    Hi,

    In marketing, there's experts who say "Find out what the people want, make it and give it to them"

    Then there's also experts who say "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"

    Which of the 2 schools of thought do you come from? And is there possibly a 3rd... an in-between concept perhaps?
    For me both are wrong and right at the same time. Totally depends on the niche, the situation,the client, the product, the service and the list goes on.

    "Find out what the people want, make it and give it to them"
    This is the typical marketing idea which works for years and years and will continue to work.

    "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"

    People didn't know that they wanted the television.Someone created it and people,slowly, started buying some TV's. Get the point?

    Dimitris
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by Garage667 View Post


      "Find out what the people want, make it and give it to them"
      This is the typical marketing idea which works for years and years and will continue to work.
      If there's any real "secret" to making money, this is it.

      Originally Posted by Garage667 View Post

      "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"

      People didn't know that they wanted the television.Someone created it and people,slowly, started buying some TV's. Get the point?
      I think this one is flawed. People do know what they want.

      In the case of television, they wanted access to news and visual entertainment. As television access and offerings grew, more people realized that this new-fangled box could provide both.

      Look at Twitter.

      People want to feel important, as if what they are doing matters, that someone, anyone cares. They also want to keep up and be included in the herd.

      Those ying/yang wants of exhibitionism and voyeurism are perfectly served by Twitter's ability to tell anyone willing to listen the mundane details of your life and to virtually peek into the bedroom window of anyone willing to share those details in 140 characters.

      People didn't know they wanted Twitter until they saw and accepted how Twitter delivered what they did want.

      So I guess my answer to the OP is the third option. If you truly want to build an empire and cement a legacy, give people what they want in a way no one has before. If you just want to make a pile of money, stick to option one...
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  • Profile picture of the author hockmasm
    i'm in favor of finding out what people want then making it. too many times i've come up with a brilliant idea i thought would make money and it didn't, or made only little. my new philosophy is to do market research to find a problem or need, then develop the solution since i know people will buy it.
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  • Profile picture of the author JessicaList
    Originally Posted by solidim View Post

    Hi,

    In marketing, there's experts who say "Find out what the people want, make it and give it to them"

    Then there's also experts who say "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"

    Which of the 2 schools of thought do you come from? And is there possibly a 3rd... an in-between concept perhaps?
    I don't think there's a right answer. It's the product led approach versus the market led approach.

    I think each works in the right circumstances.
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  • Profile picture of the author theory expert
    Banned
    The product led approach is the hit the lottery approach. It is the person who has this grand scheme of how said product is going to change the world whilst everyone else thinks he is nuts. Historically it has worked, but, it is not for most mortals. Those innovators are one in a million shots just like lottery winners. The market led approach is the sure shot.

    In closing:
    I am
    "Find out what the people want, make it and give it to them"
    Until I have Howard Hughes money and then I can play in a science lab and create
    "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"
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  • Profile picture of the author Long Beach Nathan
    I think that most of the time, it's best to listen to the market and find out what people want. Also, what they desire usually creates a greater emotion than what they actually need.

    Occasionally, there may be cases where people didn't know they wanted something, but the former is usually true.
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  • Profile picture of the author Troy_Phillips
    I find it more profitable to sell people what they really want as I build my own market in the background.
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    • Profile picture of the author mbacak
      Originally Posted by Troy_Phillips View Post

      I find it more profitable to sell people what they really want as I build my own market in the background.
      This is very brilliant if anyone gets it...
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      • Profile picture of the author TGOA
        I guess i just used to many words...but that's exactly right...get out there get an audience and figure out what makes them react
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  • Profile picture of the author retsced
    Okay, people don't know what they need until they see it, but, it's your job to know what needs they have - what fears, worries, desires blah blah blah. That's what you create the product around. So, you ARE finding out what they want - creating it - and giving it to them. The 2 schools of thought work in conjunction, you are just taking them out of context by applying it to a "product" rather than the "outcome"
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  • Profile picture of the author CurtisSWN
    "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"

    That simply is true for someone who got lucky, happened to be in the right place at the right time, took a shot in the dark and hit it big. It's about a one in a million shot. It's basically an irrelevant piece of sloganistic garbage.

    Find out what people want, and then give it to them. Gives you about a million times better shot at actually making it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Nubitol
      You do realize that Steve Jobs said this when he introduced iPhone (and/or iPad), don't you?

      While it's true that you have better chance to success by doing the same things successful person do, reinventing the wheel give you a better chance for huge success.


      Originally Posted by CurtisSWN View Post

      "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"

      That simply is true for someone who got lucky, happened to be in the right place at the right time, took a shot in the dark and hit it big. It's about a one in a million shot. It's basically an irrelevant piece of sloganistic garbage.

      Find out what people want, and then give it to them. Gives you about a million times better shot at actually making it.
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  • Profile picture of the author bhmseoservices
    "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"
    They really don't it's very true. A client needs a website but doesn't request it. We build them a temp. landing page then boom next thing you know we sold it for 900$.

    Let's face it people need to see it to believe it! :O
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    • Profile picture of the author cashp0wer
      I don't really feel like there's a right answer here either. I consider myself a little of both depending on the niche.
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  • Profile picture of the author TGOA
    I totally believe that there is another school of thought. I'd like to call it doing something> (novel concept really...doing something to get results...who'd a thought.

    Truth is you can try your best to create the perfect offer. You can perform your due diligence and pick the perfect audience. You can tweak your offer until it's just right and still flop.

    The key is what you learn in the process and in the face of failure. Instead of wasting a whole bunch of time figuring how to attract the right eyeballs why not latch onto a mainstream market and pick a segment in alignment with your interest.

    Slap up a squeeze, pick a solid offer, put together a follw-up sequence and buy some solos and track.

    You can always course correct later, you can always reposition your offer, re-purpose your growing portfolio of content and at least this way you'll be building a list and have some statistics and feedback to work from.

    You want to ween yourself from the GURU cycle, get in the game! You want to find the perfect offer...Get in the game! You want to identify you perfect customer...Get in the...well you get the point.

    Once you're in the game officially then track relentlessly and follow the action.

    I know I don't post alot, but just my 2 cents
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  • Profile picture of the author Walter Parrish
    Originally Posted by solidim View Post

    Hi,

    In marketing, there's experts who say "Find out what the people want, make it and give it to them"

    Then there's also experts who say "People don't know what they want until they see it... So go make 'it', let them see it and want it"

    Which of the 2 schools of thought do you come from? And is there possibly a 3rd... an in-between concept perhaps?
    I would try to find out what people want and make it.

    The second one can be more costly. I would however use the second method if I hit a knowing state, where I just knew I had a winner.
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  • Profile picture of the author networkempire
    Yes, I too believe it's based on your situation. What you are capable of giving the customers.
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  • Profile picture of the author GreatBallsOfFire
    I think the answer is pretty obvious. Do you have the marketing budget to get to people that don't know what they want, introduce it to them, get them to realize they have a need for it and convince them? Or do you "simply" offer a product that has a demand and solve people's problems better than your competitors?
    Besides, Apple is the only company I know that has advocated the second method. Any one else? And yes it has worked for them, but how many has it not worked for??
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    • Profile picture of the author Walter Parrish
      Originally Posted by GreatBallsOfFire View Post

      I think the answer is pretty obvious. Do you have the marketing budget to get to people that don't know what they want, introduce it to them, get them to realize they have a need for it and convince them? Or do you "simply" offer a product that has a demand and solve people's problems better than your competitors?
      Besides, Apple is the only company I know that has advocated the second method. Any one else? And yes it has worked for them, but how many has it not worked for??
      Every major corp I can think of has used the second method and I ain't just talking computer stuff either.

      I wouldn't just look at it as a something the big dogs do. Sometimes you just KNOW what's going to work and it goes beyond the norm.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan Grossman
    What??? Apple does not create new categories of products. They apply better design to existing categories of products.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    This one:

    "Find out what the people want, make it and give it to them"
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    • Profile picture of the author Cee
      In my opinion, unless you're a genius or have a large amount of capital, it's best to stick with something that is already proven. It takes a lot less effort and is a lot less expensive to go with what works than coming up with something unique that might not work at all.

      Unless of course you have a real passion for something. Then that's a completely different story. Like Edison who failed 1,000 times in his experiments before he finally came up with a working light bulb. I don't know if the average person is geared up to handle that much failure without giving up first.
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  • I believe that it's far more difficult to try to instill a desire in our audience, than simply serving a desire that's already rooted within. That's why I personally prefer to create products/services that address already existing problems/desires.
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  • Profile picture of the author TryBPO
    Hey OP!

    I my business, I definitely follow the first school of thought. "Ask people what they want and then build it". If you have a captive audience, this becomes MUCH easier...that's why we advocate building an audience or tribe of like-minded you can work with.

    I think the second option or the "People don't know what they want" school of thought tends to bring about some of the most innovative change, but also carries with it the most risk. Some of the best, most-innovative, most-disruptive companies have come from this way of thinking.

    In practice, I follow Option #1...but (if I'm being honest) I secretly aspire to #2.

    Coincidentally...I watched a great TED talk from Malcolm Gladwell last night on this very subject...totally worth watching if you're interested in this:

    http://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gla...tti_sauce.html

    He gives an awesome case study that's really interesting.
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