How do you test market a product or service? How do you find out if people are actually going to buy it?

First, make or get a prototype. Create or get a sample. If it's being manufactured somewhere else, get a sample of it. If you're going to manufacture it yourself, create a prototype so that you can show it, demonstrate it, photograph it. So that you can let people see it, touch it, feel it, and get an opinion from it.

User Experience

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Sample Job Descriptions

Product Strategy, Strategic Product Design

1. Show It To Potential Buyers

When we brought the Suzuki 4-wheel drive vehicles into North America, we bought three of them. We brought them in and drove them around to about 30 dealerships and let people look at them, test drive them, see them, touch them, smell them, feel them. And went on to sell thousands of vehicles. So get a prototype or a sample. That's the starting point.

2. Determine the Correct Prices

Second is to get accurate prices and delivery dates from your suppliers. If you're going to show the prototype or sample, if a person says how much is it, or how long will it take to get it, be sure that you have the answers.

Pricing

3Bs

Psychology

Price Negotiation (example)

3. Ask a Buyer

Get a buyer's personal opinion. In other words, go to somebody who you will want to buy the product or service and get their personal opinion. Say, would you buy this? And at what price could you sell it? And always call on the individual who makes the buying decisions. Always call on the person who can sign the check.

4. Compare Your Products With Others

Number four, compare your product or service with other products on the market. And be sure to ask this question, "Why would someone buy from you instead of from someone else?" If it's a retail product, try a 1-store test. Go and see if you can't find a store who will carry the product on a limited basis and see how customers respond to it.

Competitive Differentiation

STAND OUT from your Competition

Marketing Slogans

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5. Start With a Great Idea

Try to find one customer who will use your product or service. Ross Perot who built one of the most successful businesses in America was able to sell his first customer on paying him in advance for the services that he was going to sell them. With the money that he got in advance, he was able to deliver the services and to prove that they were cost effective.

6. Take It To a Trade Show

A sixth way to test market a product or service is take it to a trade show. Sophisticated buyers go to trade shows and they will tell you rapidly whether or not you have a winner.

Virtuoso Marketing

Experiential Marketing

The Law of Heart

ACTION EXERCISES

First, get a sample or prototype of your product or service and show it to as many people as possible, especially to potential buyers. This will give you fast feedback that can be very helpful to you.

Second, look at all of the other competing products or services on the market and be very clear why someone would buy from you rather than continuing to buy from someone else. This can be the most important question you ask and answer.

Rapid Experimentation and Beta Testing

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