In my review of
Why Your Customers Suck by Jon McCulloch
posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars.This means it is Worthwhile.
Here is my book review.
You have bad customers because of your bad decisions
This is a book mainly about pricing and positioning.
If you’re not familiar with the phrase positioning, it means your place in the market.
It’s easiest to see in terms of price and an assessment of product quality which may also include valuable exclusivity and high service. Most of us shop in the middle market, knowing that there are premium brands available together with discount brands. You often see it in supermarkets where there are discount brands which might give you concerns because they are too cheap together with luxury indulgences that are hard to justify.
As a rant, I feel this book has its uses. Business owners jump into a position too readily, often matching up with existing competitors – a Vauxhall to the existing Ford, if you like.
As a guide, I have major doubts.
First, I think it’s worth distinguishing between tangible products and intangible services. It’s much harder to compare services and even harder if you play a role in the delivery of service. That’s why intangible services can be hard to sell.
The author is a copywriter. How can you compare copywriters (or solicitors or accountants ) before you’ve received the service? It’s easier afterwards. This copywriter gave us a profit of £xk on the campaign. You don’t know if someone else would have done better but you can judge whether you’re happy with the value for money.
For something more tangible, there are clues before you buy, as well as afterwards. A packet of posh biscuits sound nice but appear too expensive until the promotion. You buy, you try them and you then know where you put them in terms of value for money.
The point I’m trying to make is that this is a complex area, before purchase, during use and before the next purchase. This book scratches the surface.
If you’re interested, it is worth looking at your own purchases. What is the positioning of these products and services? Look at your post purchase evaluations and how that feeds back into your subsequent buying decisions. Why do you pay premium for one thing and stay in the middle market for others?
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