The User vs. The Buyer

This week we welcome guest blogger Brandy Vaillancourt, Director of Marketing at AlphaKOR.

The User VS the Buyer…

… and how to win them BOTH over.

I have a story to share that may put this into perspective.

My son just had his 5^th birthday party.  All he wanted was Legos.  OK, I understand what Legos are – little colourful blocks used to build things and provide hours of fun.

Legos in 2012 are a liiiiiittle different than the ones I used.  You know, the plastic container of 2,500 multicoloured squares and rectangles with no instructions just imagination.  Now they have things like character-based packages with specially designed blocks and instructions to build specific and intricate structures.  There are Lego Heroes, Lego City, Lego Creators and on and on (and on).

While I had a basic understanding of Lego’s brand offering, I haven’t shopped for Legos toys for myself in over 20 years, and the value proposition surely has evolved.

Myself as the buyer, Lego was my commodity.  I knew I needed Legos to satisfy a need, but left it up to my influencer to decide which specific brand/option.

Armed with my basic understanding of the primary-coloured blocks, and a very loud and persistent (albeit very adorable) influencer, I went on a mission to purchase something I’ve never even heard of before: Lego Ninjago.

I didn’t buy it for ME, it wasn’t something I was particularly interested in purchasing because it wouldn’t benefit me personally, and the price certainly didn’t entice me either.  However, my influencer made it clear it was something he wanted/needed (depends on who you ask), and I trusted that although I didn’t value the item in this manner, that he certainly did.

Remember, that although it is critical for you to respect the buyer and establish a baseline value, it is the USER that must get the most attention.  They have the desire, the understanding, and are most receptive to hearing about the features of your latest offering.

While the BUYER may respect you, he or she trusts the USER.  It is likely the user recommendation that will confirm a purchase.

Guest Blog Post

Brandy Vaillancourt

Director of Marketing

AlphaKOR Group