Mary Kay knows a thing or two about selling cosmetics …
According to their Facebook fan page, “Mary Kay is one of the largest direct sellers of skin care and color cosmetics in the world. Mary Kay® products are sold in more than 35 markets worldwide, and the company’s global independent sales force is approximately 3 million strong.”
Their LinkedIn page reports “$4 billion in global annual wholesale sales.”
So, yes, Mary Kay knows a thing or two about selling cosmetics.
I believe they’re so successful at selling their products, because they don’t focus on their products when selling.
“They’re so successful at selling their products, because they don’t focus on their products when selling.”
That’s right. Because they don’t focus on their products.
Let me explain …
People Don’t Want to Buy Your Product
Theodore “Ted” Levitt, an American economist and professor at Harvard Business School, once said, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole.”
This is so true!
Likewise, do you want to buy a large rectangular mass of fabric, springs, foam, and air? Or do you want a good night’s sleep?
Do you want to buy an air-tight glass enclosure with a filament of tungsten wire inside? Or do want the safety and security of having light in the dark?
Do you want to buy a tube of wax, oil and coloring? Or do you want confidence?
Look at what the Mary Kay social media managers posted to the company’s Facebook page on a Monday morning recently:
Monday morning confidence boosters. This is what I meant earlier when I said that I believe they’re so successful at selling their products, because they don’t focus on their products when selling.
Instead, they focus on emotional benefits.
Successful Marketing Focuses on Benefits, not Features
The kind of wax, oil, and coloring … the slanted tip … the shiny case … these are all features of the lipstick in the Mary Kay photo above.
But the marketers at Mary Kay — smartly — focused instead on the benefits of wearing the lipstick. Namely, the confidence boost that it gives women.
Even better … confidence is an emotional benefit. This is important because the more emotional the benefit, the more persuasive and powerful it is to the buying decision.
Successful marketing focuses on the benefits … on the solutions to the problems that customers have.
Because that’s what customers really care about, and why they buy.
“What’s in it for me?”
Savvy marketers always answer the buyer’s “What’s in it for me?” question by focusing on an emotional benefit … the more emotional, the better.
Mary Kay’s stated mission is “Enriching Women’s Lives” (stated on their Facebook page, in their corporate video on their website, and many other places). They carry that theme throughout their marketing as well.
So the Mary Kay answer to the “What’s in it for me?” question is “an enriched life” … and Monday morning confidence.
No wonder they sell $4 billion of their products each year!
Michele Peterson is a direct response copywriter who collaborates with creative entrepreneurs and business owners to help them tell their stories and make more money. If you’d like to contact her about working with you on your marketing, send an email or call 559.286.0106.
