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Poll: Vitamin or Pain Killer?

5 points by satyajit ↗ HN
The common wisdom (of VCs) says, sell a pain killer not vitamin! In PG's words, "make something people want" - but isn't people's need limited by their experiences (the famous Ford saying). I don't necessarily believe human life is so pained that all one wants is a pain-killer. Facebook, Twitter aren't! So what are you wkin on? PK or V (or either/neither?).

3 comments

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satyajit
Additional thoughts: you can be successful selling a vitamin, but can't convert success to $$ (think Facebook & Twitter again). At the same time, not all famous pain-killers are easily translated to monetary success! Think youtube (they killed the pain of online video), but where is the moolah?
OperaLover
At risk of stating the obvious: sell the "vitamin" to the health-conscious market. Sell the pain-killer to the fun-loving, dare-devil, etc markets.

Yes, the second of those probably is the larger market, but there are thousands of companies doing quite well in the niche (literal) "health-conscious" markets".

You just have to know which market you are reaching (or need to reach): matching product to market.

pasbesoin
Short term versus long term benefit. If you are selling something with a long term benefit, you need to find a way to make that appealing. For those who live more in the moment (for whatever reason; not necessarily as a zen master), you will need to make that benefit seem immediate. I guess the trick is to do that without being dishonest.

Perhaps that's why the "path" and "journey" metaphors are so common. The destination is some ways off, but you can set your foot on the path immediately and "enjoy the journey" all along the way.

There is also the negative sale: Stop doing what you don't like. (Implied: My product is part of what you like. Start doing it.)

Perhaps the constant advertising is then what continues to make it seem immediate, in lieu of immediate effects of the product itself. The pill doesn't cure you overnight, but the advertising keeps telling you it will, eventually. Keep popping it. The advertising is the immediate, Ersatz payoff.

Just off the top of my head.

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As for me, I don't have a specific product I'm marketing, but I tend to push both aspects in my interactions with others, e.g. when helping/training them. I quickly fix an immediate problem. I then, and concurrently to the extent possible, explain what I did, how it works -- enough for them to see that they might be able to do this as well. Push/encourage them to run through the process as well; reinforces memory and convinces them that they actually CAN do this. Provide references and my continued availability, should they wish to pursue this further.

I fix their problem: Pain killer. I show them how and that they can do this for themselves: Vitamin.

For those who refuse to take the vitamin, the trick is to cut them off from the painkiller (your assistance) before they become addicted.

Unless providing the painkiller forms the basis of your relationship, e.g. your continued employment. Just beware that such a relationship can turn turn pretty unhealthy. There's a difference between collaboration and dependence.