Clairvoyance is a hard sell without something to show but hops of faith sustain a venture.
In an age of
instant gratification, impatience and distraction, consumers swim against the
tide of noise to fish for signal. How then does a marketer attract a following
and retain the interest of early adopters for an offering that won’t show
results for a while?
For a
product that takes years to manifest, building a brand becomes mission critical.
Convincing early adopters to keep faith requires visible milestones worthy of
celebration along the way to delivering on the brand’s promise, like med
schools which ship out a ‘Certificate of Admission’ after an emailed offer.
Imagine a
product, perfecting which, takes generations like the Sagrada FamÃlia in Barcelona
that is expected to be completed in 2026, after 144 years. How does a brand
that is years ahead of its time develop the stamina to stay the course until
the market recognizes its value?
A few years
back I had the opportunity to design a summer workshop for middle-schoolers on
developing an entrepreneurial mindset. Unlike Kumon or SAT prep, such alternative
programs take multiple years to bear fruit and a different level of patience in
the customer. Alternative learning works when the environment extends home, which
makes it a family affair. Expectations that 11-year-olds will go into launch mode
without figuring out what can make them self-motivated was a challenge. Usually,
about half-way in the duration of the workshop one could see parents’ complete
buy-in. It still required a leap of faith on the part of the parents.
What does
selling delayed gratification look like, especially for a product that takes a
long time to yield results, or a tough training or certification program? For an alternative
education program that isn’t like SAT prep where one can see measurable results
after each practice test there are lessons to be learned from horticulturists
who must sell a small bag of dirt promising a flowering plant, or universities that
promise future professional success. Let’s break them down.
· Strength in numbers: External validation needs a community
of believers lined up to cheer participants along their long arduous path like
the cheering crowds lining a marathon route.
· Validation milestones: In learning and development programs,
milestones like completing market surveys or interviews of industry stalwarts provides
intermittent feedback and reinforcement that encourages participants to sense
progress.
· Celebrate micro success: Recognize success as soon as the
first plant yields flowers or the first student has a story worth sharing, with
a reward or a social media re-post.
· Foster peer-support: Remove hurdles for customers to
share their progress with one another.
· Gather multi-generational audiences: A multi-generational gathering with successful
alumni helps current participants to keep faith with a long-term view. Hence,
user conferences.
As many of
the alumni will say, in the end it all works out. However, entrepreneurs
and investors need more patience than what they expect of their customers for
products with long gestation periods.
