It is marketing’s job to create and sustain the perception of need.
There are three stages of customer perception of need:
- Nice to have
- Want to have
- Need to have
Moving customers from 1 to 2 and then from 2 to 3 requires significant investments of time, energy and resources.
If you start with customers who already believe they need what you are selling, you have a much more efficient, scalable sales model.
If you have to drag customers from nice to want to need, it is a very slow, painful and expensive process.
Even worse, it takes a lot of time.
Time is the most precious resource.
You must create a marketing message that engenders a perception of need.