Help Them Understand You

There’s a clever slogan on my home page, but honestly how many of you can say you’ve contemplated the weight of this statement? You’ve got a solution that could change your customers’ lives and businesses… if only they would just GET it. Over time you realize that the prospect’s excitement in what you offer just doesn’t compare to your own. Why not? They simply don’t understand.

So, as my oh-so-clever website states: “They may see you. They may hear you. Help them understand you.” And therein lays the secret. Help them. Marketing, just like sales, is a matter of helping prospects to GET it so that they can better themselves with what you have to offer.

Try, whenever possible, to define your concept in an all-encompassing term. This can be taken to a ridiculous extreme, but in general, it’s very helpful. Autodesk’s recent campaign on “digital prototyping” is a great example of using succinct terminology to describe your technology’s ability. Other companies have succeeded with similar concepts, such as 3D Systems’ V-Flash™ “Desktop Modeler.”

Another great method for helping clients to understand you is to publish more case studies than promotional material. A feature/benefit document is not bad, but people learn through stories. This is also a reality check for most companies. If they can’t find one good example of their product doing what they say it does, there’s a shortfall somewhere that needs addressed.

I’m always interested in hearing other ways that you have tried and succeeded with helping people understand you. Feel free to post replies.

Winds of Change: Q4 Technology Forecast

Press rooms and trade shows are littered with so-called innovations that either fix existing issues or add functionality to existing solutions. Amidst these glamorous product releases and heralded technology unveilings, I have made my picks for the top three emerging innovations that are most likely to catalyze changes in the design and engineering industries during the coming quarter.

#3: Browser Applications.
This new breed of software can range from simple word processors to online file management tools. They have been favored for using less system resources and offering wider platform compatibility than desktop alternatives. However, their fatal flaw has been their inability to operate when internet connection is disconnected or interrupted... until now. The latest development, Google Gears, enables web applications to provide offline functionality. Expect to see this new development give rise to breakthroughs in project collaboration, project management, and cross-platform CAD viewers and editors. See http://gears.google.com/ to learn more.

#2: iPhone Applications.
While the legal battles are still being sorted out regarding the “hacking” of the iPhone operating system, the implications of iPhone technology in the design and engineering industry is still overwhelming. ArchiCAD, a widely used Mac-based BIM solution, lends itself well to interaction with the iPhone’s Mac-based system. In August, Graphisoft reported on an architecture firm in Florida already leveraging this connection (press release). Expect to see this capability become a major battle-ground for market share among leading BIM technology vendors as developers scramble to create iPhone applications for the AEC industry.

#1: Iterative Prototyping.
Major advances are poised for impact in Q4 concerning prototyping technology. A concept known as iterative prototyping, which allows verification and testing phases to become more integrated in the design process, is becoming a reality. Autodesk recently completed their acquisition of PlassoTech, creators of cutting-edge analysis and simulation software. Autodesk has since rolled-out a wide-scale marketing campaign promoting their “Digital Prototyping” solution (press release). Simultaneously, the world awaits 3D Systems’ release of their V-Flash Desktop Modeler—announced in January and slated for release this fall. This system will make rapid prototyping available on engineers’ desktops as easily as pushing “print” and for under $10,000 (press release). Expect to see major changes in prototyping procedures within engineering and design firms with the adoption of these new low-cost, high-speed alternatives to out-sourced prototyping.

Do you have personal experience with these technologies? Please feel free to share your thoughts and feedback by leaving a comment.