One article will clarify the product’s pain points, itching points, and selling points!

What does marketing rely on to start?

In the field of marketing, there have always been three key words that have been enduring, and marketing professionals and business experts from all walks of life have been supporting and advocating for these three words.

These three words are: pain point, itch/point, and selling point (excitement point).

In fact, these three words are not only the incentives for all marketing, but also the fundamental driving points of all businesses and all products. If the core value of your product does not point to any keyword, if you want to achieve real commercial success, then your ideas can only be like flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water, which can be seen but not touched, and have no real meaning!

What is a pain point?

As the name suggests, pain points are the problems, entanglements and complaints that users encounter in normal life. If this problem is not solved, they will feel uncomfortable and miserable. Therefore, he needs to find a solution to urgently resolve this problem, untie this tangle, and soothe this complaint in order to achieve his normal life state.

For example: Is getting angry a problem? A food lover who is fond of spicy hotpot may be afraid to eat it for fear of getting a sore throat, which will affect his appetite and affect his normal life needs. Therefore, Wanglaoji discovered this common problem, and then rightfully told consumers: "I can help you solve this problem", and thus achieved great success!

For example: stomach pain, stomach acid, and bloating, is it a problem that needs to be solved urgently? If you have stomach problems, can you still smile? Can you still live a normal life? Can you still work normally? All you face is pain! Therefore, you urgently need to solve this problem: "For stomach pain, stomach acid, and bloating, use Stashu!"

Unfortunately, later on, Starshu changed such an effective and powerful slogan to: "Conscientious medicine, safe medicine", and thus gradually faded out of consumers' cognitive field of vision. Because this sentence does not directly address the consumers' problems, that is, it does not directly reach the consumers' pain points!

For example: I have a client who works in the elderly health industry in Chengdu. They found that the elderly are becoming more and more tired of taking medicine when treating chronic diseases. In order to solve this problem, the medical products they make focus on the concept of "smart acupuncture." Its brand slogan is: "If you are afraid of taking medicine for chronic diseases, come to Wen Shutang." It is so direct and efficient. A physiotherapy card costing 3,000 yuan a year and a piece of equipment costing 18,000 yuan can also sell well, just because they have solved the biggest complaint of the elderly in treating diseases!

For example: Why has 360 Security Guard become the leader in the field of Internet security? It's not just because of its free profit model, the more crucial reason is that it clearly solves and maintains the problem of "computer security". One "security" is better than N "antivirus"!

For example: One of my clients, seeing the troubles that parents and teachers had in teaching their children languages, gathered a group of language experts to jointly develop a set of classic teaching materials called "Bilingualism Without Teaching". From the name alone, you can tell that this product is used to liberate parents and teachers physically and mentally. From now on, when children learn English or Chinese, they only need to read along with the recordings. It doesn't take so much effort and it is really convenient. They ran advertisements on CCTV for four years, and with the popularization of Internet promotion, they easily earned 20 million yuan a year.

For example: Why is Melatonin so successful? The reason why Melatonin has been successful is that its business gene is to solve the dilemma of gift-giving for the general public. When a consumer goes to a supermarket to buy a gift, he thinks about it over and over again and doesn’t know what to choose. It is really a dilemma, and the dilemma itself is an obvious pain point! Melatonin discovered this common dilemma, stood out from the fiercely competitive nutritional supplement market, and became the first or even the only choice for gifts in users' minds.

So, to sum up, the worries, troubles, inconveniences, and physical and mental health issues that consumers have in their lives are called pain points. What we need to do is to find a problem, then solve it, and finally raise it openly, righteously and bluntly, and tell consumers: I can help you solve this problem. If you have this problem, choose me!

What is an itch/spot?

Pain points are problems that consumers must solve, while itch points do not necessarily require something. The itch point is what makes consumers "want". When they see or hear about a product like yours, they feel itchy and are particularly interested in and yearn for it. Just like many working people with poor economic conditions yearn for Apple phones. When they see the pleasing appearance and super cool performance, they become extremely excited and want to buy an Apple phone even if they have to grit their teeth and sell their kidneys!

Therefore, the pain point corresponds to solving consumers’ problems; and the itch point corresponds to satisfying consumers’ desires!

Why do we say that we don’t feel any pain or itchiness?

What it means is that if your product cannot solve the consumer’s real problem and cannot satisfy his desires, it will be difficult for him to consider buying it.

For example: For housing, why do people usually buy houses? It is to solve the problem of housing, to have a warm nest, no matter it is a golden nest or a silver nest, you must first have a nest to live in. Therefore, buying a house is a solution to the pain point problem. Buying a more upscale, luxurious and stylish house is what people yearn for.

Seeing the unique European-style buildings, leaning against the green mountains, surrounded by green waters, and bathed in sunshine... who wouldn't be yearning for it, who wouldn't feel itchy, wanting it, longing for it!

Such as: Vanke City Garden; Xixiao Manor; Country Garden, giving you a five-star home. It is to stimulate the itch/spot in people's hearts. You can live in an ordinary house, but doesn’t a five-star hotel give you a better taste of life?

For example, Yu’e Bao can bring you returns that are 14 times higher than a bank’s current account. Doesn’t it make you want to?

This itch/spot is the reason why you transfer money from the bank to Yu'e Bao.

For example: iPhone 6 is more than just big! Does it itch?

Therefore, giving people a better sense of satisfaction emotionally and psychologically is called itch/spot.

What is a selling point (also called an excitement point)?

The selling point is from the seller’s perspective!

In a narrow sense, selling points refer to our own characteristics, but this characteristic may not be discovered in the conscious mind of consumers. Only when the merchant mentions it, if consumers suddenly feel excited about the characteristics of your product, then the selling point you have created is successful. A truly lethal selling point can impress people in an instant.

For example: Take hotel stays for example, how can I instantly impress 80% of business people?

"Five-star treatment, four-star price", once this sentence is uttered, at least 80% of business people will surrender, because normally, a five-star hotel should be priced at a five-star price, but now it only costs a four-star price, which is really great value. Do you want to live here?

For example: Baiqueling skin care products. Just by listening to the name, you can’t tell what the characteristics of this brand are.

Another example: Wanglaoji, which was first established during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, already had a selling point because it has so much historical and cultural value.

For example: Why are Tibetan eggs so expensive? Why are they sold at 5 yuan each? What’s the selling point? How to shape?

You have to tell consumers that this is not an ordinary egg.

You tell him that this kind of egg is not laid by ordinary chickens. This kind of chicken is raised on Tianshan Snow Lotus and Cordyceps sinensis. It lays one egg every seven days and is raised in the wild environment of Tanggula Mountain. Because of its extraordinary source, its value is extraordinary!

Another example: Xiangpiaopiao red bean milk tea - milk tea with red beans tastes better;

For example: Nongfu Spring is a little sweet, Six Walnuts, and Wuliangye all have obvious selling points!

The above three points are my simple interpretation of pain points, itch points and selling points. These three points are also the fundamental foothold of any business form, the inducement of all marketing activities, and the business gene of all successful products. If any one of them is missing, it will be difficult to succeed.

Does your product focus on pain points? Still an itch/spot? Or a selling point?

Please start thinking immediately and find the pain points, itch points and selling points of your product, so that you can stand out in the market and achieve fission in business!