7 replies to this topic

[DJKay]

Hi,

Like many others, I use google alerts to track our trademarks and brand online. One of my google alerts came back where our company was mentioned in a blog post about an individual that was in the process of evaluation the type of software we sell. This person writes a blog on our industry, but its not one of the heavy hitters in our segment. In fairness, he was positive about our product from the perspective that he said it was feature rich and he liked it.

He said he went with another company's product because of the price. He stated he did not want to pay for features he did not need. The way he put it was, "if money were no concern, I would have expanded the scope of the widget and gone with [my company's product].

The problem I have with this is that it puts our product in a light that its expensive. The thing is, its enterprise software that competes directly with the tier (1) software providers in our industry. It is very robust and feature rich. When you compare it to the tier (1) software providers in my segment we are 1/3rd the cost. So, for our positioning and spot in the marketplace in terms of what we offer, we are in no way expensive.

So, I am looking for feedback here. I could go on his blog and comment on it, saying something to the effect of what I talk about above with links pointing back to my website [great linking opportunity here ]. I don't want this to become some sort of war, from a marketing perspective, I just want our product and its position in the marketplace accurately depicted.

So what do you think, any and all opinions appreciated! Thanks, DJKay

[amabaie]

What a wonderful PR opportunity. Yes, by all means engage in conversation. Get a good discussion about your product. As long as you are careful to be polite and to focus on your product, it's a sure-fire hit. Do something like this:

Thank him for the positive comments. Tell him it's enterprise level, with features for enterprise, that it was not design for his niche, and that of course you understand why he as an individual would neither need nor want to pay for the features that are so critical to a large company. By the way, as far as enterprise software is concerned, our is actually 34% less expensive than the average...just thought you'd like to know. Thanks again for taking the time to review our software and for the positive comments.

There is nothing he can argue about, you've been grateful, you've repositioned your software as not just meant for a different market, but that the features he wouldn't pay for are important for your real market to pay for (establish value) and you've repositioned the price. The cream on the cake would be if you could get one of your customers to write a post...

We use this software at our company and wee agree that it is simple/powerful/whatever the blogger wrote. It's also saved us a ton of money, by doing this/that/other thing . We shopped around before buying this software, and we are glad we did.

Just my usual two cents. :-)

[Randy]

I hate to say Me Too, but David pretty much already said it all.

I wouldn't do any link drops on his blog (50/50 there that he might just delete whatever you have to say because of the link), but I would be polite and thank him for test driving your software. Even if it's not designed for his specific need since it's enterprise level.

If you're nice enough and get him on your side, he'll link to you himself. With a glowing review for those who really need what you sell.

It's a wonderful opportunity for some free, totally relevant publicity.

[nethy]

I think this is a good point to be raising. A lot of companies have a hard time with participating in a discussion that they do not really control. Even if it's positive or neutral on the whole, downsides will be mentioned. But then that is why it is powerful.

The reason these blog posts & reviews & comments have such strong impact on customers decisions is because unlike sales materials, paid reviews & polite press coverage of 'old media' these can be very critical & casual. I know that I often Google blog search the name of a product when I look into it. Apart from general good/bad worse than etc. it often tells you what the snags are. Better if money is no object.. Worth it if you xyz.. Doesn't do abc... Handles 123 badly... etc. etc.
Now people are not always dumb. They take everything with a grain of salt. But that applies doubly to info from vendors.

The point is that these discussions go on anyway. These influence your customers opinion of you products & their actions. You can participate but you can't control. You can go on the comments & call the blogger an idiot. You can thank him for the review & point that it is actually affordable for its category. If you choose to participate (say with the latter) you run the risk of a claiming that if you think you compare to your competitions' product & can price yourself based on that, you're dreaming. Chances are that you will end up better off participating though. But you need to be prepared for the possibility that you won't & live with it.

If you take this forum, you'll find all sorts of discussions about keyword rank checking software, CMSs, shopping carts, books/resources & various other tools. These discussions go on & rarely is there a visit from a vendor.

[DJKay]

Yes, I its a pr opportunity, I just want to handle it in a way that is auspicious for us. Amabaie, I was thinking about the same sort of approach, thanks for helping me to articulate it.

I agree Randy that doing a post with lots of links (think you called it a link drop) would look insincere. I really think that is the key here -- to be courteous and sincere.

Nethy -- you are right, these discussions certainly go on any...Any other war stories or annecdotal tales out there when people have had situations like this and responded.

thanks to all for posting, DJKay

[Nueromancer]

Hi,

Like many others, I use google alerts to track our trademarks and brand online. One of my google alerts came back where our company was mentioned in a blog post about an individual that was in the process of evaluation the type of software we sell. This person writes a blog on our industry, but its not one of the heavy hitters in our segment. In fairness, he was positive about our product from the perspective that he said it was feature rich and he liked it.

He said he went with another company's product because of the price. He stated he did not want to pay for features he did not need. The way he put it was, "if money were no concern, I would have expanded the scope of the widget and gone with [my company's product].

The problem I have with this is that it puts our product in a light that its expensive. The thing is, its enterprise software that competes directly with the tier (1) software providers in our industry. It is very robust and feature rich. When you compare it to the tier (1) software providers in my segment we are 1/3rd the cost. So, for our positioning and spot in the marketplace in terms of what we offer, we are in no way expensive.

So, I am looking for feedback here. I could go on his blog and comment on it, saying something to the effect of what I talk about above with links pointing back to my website [great linking opportunity here ]. I don't want this to become some sort of war, from a marketing perspective, I just want our product and its position in the marketplace accurately depicted.

So what do you think, any and all opinions appreciated! Thanks, DJKay

But its hardly negative is it if you dont need the fetures of a RED Camera its too expensive at 17k but compared to an Ariflex D20 its very cheap.

Also some peopel are just cheap and wont spend what is required to do a professional job open office being a case in point

[Randy]

How do you handle it is the real question isn't it?

From the few details we have here I'd use it to differentiate the two types of products, which will help you to better position your product for the market it serves. Heck, you could even agree with the blogger! Off the top of my head, and needing some work.

Dear Blogger,

As a representative of <your company> I agree with the gist of your assessment. Our product probably isn't the best fit for someone with your unique needs because you don't need a ton of features that allow you to <insert an example of something your product does that the other doesn't do well>. So you've made a good choice by saving a few bucks.

Our product is designed and built to service the Enterprise market, who need and use the more powerful features we make available. While <insert other product> was the right choice for you, for an Enterprise user the features it offers simply won't cut it. Power users need more <insert something else your product does that the others don't>, and including this extended capability comes at a cost. We have spent a lot of time and money making <your product> robust, yet still easy to use. One that is tailored to the needs of our business-class users.

Thank you for including <your product> in your review, and for pointing out some of the differences. It will help those unfamiliar with the products understand that there are different choices available, and that the correct choice often hinges upon the unique needs of each individual.

[DJKay]

Great stuff, really, thanks Randy.

I posted yesterday on the guy's blog and did something similar to what you wrote in your post.

Nueromancer-yes, that is true. Here is the thing, I am trying to protect our brand and reputation as much as I possibly can. Our product is not like buying and selling cameras. Our sales cycle can be anywhere from 1 months to 2 1/2 years to close a deal. These are large software sales. You're selling through several internal organization in a company both vertically and horizontally (vertically related to hierarchy, CIO, Director of IT, IT Manager - horizontally related to peer to peer working relationships, so the training manager that works with part of the system and the IT specialist that works with them.) It is not uncommon to have to sell through and get sign off on 15 to 20 plus individuals at a corporation.

Generally speaking, a company goes through some sort of evaluation process when buying products like ours, it can be informal or formalized with a vetted RFP process, so price really becomes one of those things that can be used to knock of vendor out quickly in the process. Purchasing people and people at the lower ends of the scale can look at price very quickly and knock you out. (kind of like if someone sees typos on a cover letter or resume).

I hope this fills out the picture a little and clears it up. I will report back and let you all know how it goes.

DJKay