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Subject: Offer As Much Quality As Your Market Niche Can Afford

Author:
Dennis S. Vogel

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Date Posted: 22:18:00 06/29/14 Sun
In reply to: oops 's message, "ready aim or be fired" on 18:41:35 06/29/14 Sun

Thank you for posting your question here.

I've thought about the issue but I never thought of it enough to determine an answer.

I hope my answer is better than "It depends ..."

Seriously, success relating to this issue depends on various factors. What I've written below are some factors I consider to be relevant.

Thinking of what Clayton M. Christensen & his co-authors wrote about innovation issues, I think consumers' satisfaction depends on their experiences with similar products or services. Sometimes consumers' lack of experience matters a lot.

If you hired me to wash your windows, you might be satisfied if the quality of my work would be 50% better than the results you get from your efforts or other professionals. It would depend how you'd perceive my results compared to the value I provided.

You might evaluate it in more than just monetary terms. Since you could do other things while I cleaned windows, you might be less stressed (especially if you hate washing windows) & you'd have the satisfaction of accomplishing other things.

But if you think you could easily do it better than I did or get better results for less money from another cleaner, you wouldn't want to pay my higher fee.

Windows Without Glass
Though each version of Microsoft Windows has disappointed some people, there are few alternatives because of the big variety of Windows based applications developers provide.

Other operating systems don't have the same variety of programs as Windows. Plus, even similar applications in other operating systems would require users to learn how to accommodate the differences. Changing operating systems sometimes means switching to different computers.

I've been frustrated with new Windows & Microsoft Office versions, but Microsoft still has me as a customer because new versions of the applications are similar. The documents & spread sheets are compatible with future versions.

Because of competitors' software suites, I could replace the MS Office suite, except for OneNote. The applications link together well so information can be easily transferred.

As Good As Consumers Demand Compared To What Competitors Offer
To some extent, business success is like a Navy joke. If we have to abandon a sinking ship in shark infested water, we don't have to swim faster than sharks. To survive, we just have to swim faster & longer than other sailors until each shark is satisfied.

Your business startup doesn't have to be the best it can possibly be. To achieve success, you need to be sure you market a value to a profitable niche. As consumers determine which benefits are important, you can improve the quality of those kinds of benefits.

Here's an example in the early 1960s -
A middle class couple had some teenagers (baby boomers). The couple enjoyed classical music played by orchestras. They detested rock 'n' roll & didn't allow their children to listen to it.

The couple had enough money to afford a radio set. Back then, radios were big because they used vacuum tubes (which produced a lot of heat). Because of the size of vacuum tubes & the necessary space between tubes to allow heat to dissipate, radios were big, heavy, expensive & required frequent repairs.

Transistor radios were smaller, lighter & cheaper. The sound was inferior compared to the quality of vacuum tube radios.

Classical music played by orchestras has a wide range of tones from many instruments. High quality vacuum tube radios were good for orchestral music listening.

Rock 'n' roll was recorded in low quality studios (compared to today's standards) & played with few instruments.

Teens, who rode bikes, couldn't carry heavy radios. They also couldn't afford the high priced vacuum tube radios.

They bought transistor radios & were satisfied by the sound 'quality'. They could use their radios where their parents wouldn't hear the rock 'n' roll.

Their parents wouldn't bear the bad sound of rock 'n' roll. They also wouldn't tolerate the bad sound of good music that came through transistors & cheap speakers.

If transistor radios were better & more expensive, teenagers wouldn't have been able to afford them. The Baby Boom generation was growing, so stores could profitably sell transistor radios.

Similar situations exist & others are created regularly. These factors can be applied to those situations.

Dennis S. Vogel
thrivingbusiness@email.com
Business success depends on optimally marketing the benefits consumers want & need.
Please click here for free information.
http://www.lakefield.net/~thrivingbusiness/

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