Today I went boating on a small lake in northwestern Connecticut with my son and my mother. We had the option of renting a small variety of boats – 1 and 2 person kayaks, 1,2 and 4 person canoes, rowboats, paddle boats, even a motor boat. My son decided to be a lone ranger and chose a bright red kayak. My mom and I took the stalwart Coleman two-person canoe. The reason for our choice? The simple problem of portage — not dragging the boat down to the lake (frowned upon by the rental company) and trying to carry it up and down a rocky slope without dropping it. This became the key selling point for us.

Once portaged and situated, a relaxing and fun morning of boating was had by all, with my son playing chicken with his kayak across the chosen path of the canoe.

So what does this have to do with marketing, you may be wondering? Well, ponder the reasoning behind our selections. My son went for the cool looking, sleek and fast moving kayak. My mom and I, being more “old school,” went for the classic (though granted it wasn’t aluminum) forest green canoe, lumbering yet nimble in its own way. Each of us was looking for something in particular in the lake boating experience. (Here’s where it relates to marketing, so pay attention now) So, even though you may sell a particular product or service, don’t assume you understand the feelings behind why a customer selects your product or service. There could be lots of reasons, and even if you ask, you probably won’t get the real answer, because the customer may not be aware themselves.

Are you the industry standard or the largest provider? That will appeal to some. Is the competition’s just easier to buy? Like our portage problem, even though we checked out a few canoes first based purely on looks or size, the mere fact that we could lift the boat became the key selling point. If your purchase process is complicated, confusing or just long, you can lose the sale if your competitor makes it easy. Especially if you’re in a commoditized market. Even if you’re not, chances are if the purchase step is frustrating, customers may dip their oars elsewhere, thinking if the purchase process is difficult or confusing, what will customer service be like? Even after doing all the research and comparison shopping, a small glitch (it’s just too darn heavy) may make the difference between a purchase and a pass.