Thursday, September 1, 2016

Next New Concept Testing V Food Export Seminar

New Hope has trademarked (ungh!) the tern "Next" (really?!) They offer a "Concept Test" to tell you if your B2B initiative will be successful "before you invest."  This is not possible I think, but they are giving 20% off through October.  Maybe because it is not possible.

It's not possible for three reasons: 

A. A study can never predict the future.  Coca Cola spent one billion dollars circa 1985 introducing new Coke, only to have the most famous fail in marketing history.  Show me statistically significant proof of the "Concept Test" and "Success."  I say it cannot be there.

B. The study is invalid to begin with, since the population surveyed is consumers, and the customers for B2B are businesses.  What consumers say, and what they will do with their money, are two different things.  The businesses to whom they should address their surveys will say "Who knows? Gotta test it."  I am sure the reason they do not survey B2B customers is any such survey would be impertinent to the sales process.

C. To be successful, you must do the work.  This is so self-evident, in the thirty plus years I have been lecturing on the side I have never said "I will make you successful."  I say only, "here is what I learned, here are the steps."  The steps are valid and reliable. Whether or not someone takes the steps is not up to me. I can only offer email support to those who are taking the steps and may have questions or need more coaching.   

I have never made anyone successful, at best I can save entrepreneurs time and money getting to their goals.  Indeed, you can get to your goals with virtually no money and little time, if the steps are followed.   If anyone says they can do more, I'd like to see how.  (And if their claim is false, I can quickly see how too!)

I guess I have two advantages:  I don't teach for a living, so I don't need to oversell this; and my entire career is trade for a living, so I know what you actually have to do to get customers.

The only way to know what a market thinks is go to your customers, B2B, and ask for an order.  If no order, then you have practical feedback upon which you can act.  You spend your time and money on adjusting based on what professional buyers say, not consumer surveys.

At some point in the game you must face a customer, even if you have paid your Next Concept Test fees.  There is no reason why the first thing you do cannot be face a customer.  Indeed, there are easy tactics to get in front of buyers before you put a dime into your idea.

You have to turn over a lot of information before you find out what they charge for the New Hope Next Concept Test, so I have no idea.  I bet is more than the $89 I charge for a seminar to find customers, that goes to customers first.  And I just need an email and a billing address, email for the course, billing address to bill you after the course.

Yes, my seminar is about exporting food and beverage, either as a principal or an agent, but the tools tactics and attitudes work anywhere, anytime.  Even domestically.  Indeed, in one part of the seminar you will compare domestic to overseas potential.  Check out assessing domestic potential based on current sales.

My seminar is online and open to anyone on planet earth, and indeed, I get people from all over.  I lead the live, online seminar. Your next opportunity to attend is:

Tuesdays, 6-7pm Pacific Time, Oct 11-Nov 1, 2016.

And you can register now and I'll bill you later, after the course begins.

http://www.johnspiers.com/Export_Agriculture/Register%21.html

Get in front of customers first.  Then adjust as necessary.

Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.


1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Concept testing? This sounds like the popular Gallup polls or the Iowa caucus, the only problem is that most people that I know don't live in Iowa nor do they get a call from Gallup. The test results are invalid even though everyone is quick to accept them.