Selling Shoes at Shelby's Pro Shop
Fried: When I used to sell shoes at Shelby's Pro Shop in Illinois, the brands would send reps in. The Nike rep would tell us the difference between normal Nike Air and Zoom Air. The Wilson rep would talk about their Goodyear rubber outsole, the midsole, the EVA. All this technology so they could arm me as a salesperson.
That's what the company thought was important — because they sent reps to tell me, so I could transfer that to the customers.
The companies would send reps to tell me about all the technology. That's what they thought was important.
How People Actually Buy Shoes
Fried: Here's how people actually buy shoes. They put the shoe on. Walk around. Do this bouncing thing to see if it's cushioned enough. Then there's a low mirror — they look at what it looks like. Walk around a little more. Ask how much it costs. Then they either buy it or they don't.
They want to know — does it look good, is it comfortable, can I afford it. They don't want to know about the EVA, the Nike Air, the gel from Brooks. They don't care about that stuff.
Does it look good? Is it comfortable? Can I afford it? That's what people want to know. They don't care about the technology.
The Same Pattern Everywhere
Fried: I saw the same thing with tennis rackets. I'd talk about graphite versus fiberglass, natural gut string versus synthetic. Here's how they'd actually buy — they'd pick it up, look at it, and say 'do you have this in purple?'
I've seen the same thing in websites. The same thing in software. I keep seeing this pattern. Yet companies keep talking about the specs, the technology, the features. They're missing the boat. They're not speaking the same language as their customers.
I keep seeing this pattern. Companies talk about specs. Customers just say — do you have this in purple?
Nail the Basics
Fried: When you're trying to sell something — watch how people buy it. Listen to what they're saying. You'll find out they just need a few things done really, really well.
That is the secret to all this stuff — figuring out the basics and nailing the basics. Not worrying about all the other stuff that's possible.
They just need a few things done really well. Nail the basics. Not the specs.