The Shifting Sands of Business Growth

Our markets can be like the shifting sands of the desert.  They change and evolve - yet we may not notice because they still appear to be the same 'desert' landscape.  Yet ahead of years have changed significantly beneath the surface.

I was chatting with a potential new client last week.  I listened as they told me all about their target audiences and the problems they were solving.  They were right on in their analysis of their value and its application to market needs.

So what's the problem?  Their market has shifted - not in its problems, but in the way customers buy their solutions.

You see, traditionally buyers sought out individual products from a variety of vendors and then put them together to create an overall solution.  NO MORE.

In this market, today's buyers have shifted that behavior.  They buy from a single vendor - who creates partnerships with those individual products and offers them as part of a complete solution.

The old Gravity ways of selling an individual product directly to the customer are gone.  Yes, there are a few customers who are still approaching their solutions in that manner.  But for the majority of the market, that approach simply won't work - not if you want to grow your business.

If my new client wants to be successful - they need to shift how they sell to their customers.  Their value is right on; their market focus is on target.  But their approach to selling their product is gravity bound.

It just goes to show you.  Market shifts can come in all forms.  That's why it's so important that we understand all the aspects of our markets. 

You can have the best product with the best value, but if you don't intersect the way that your audience buys - your product won't see the success it deserves.