Persona-based pricing: Find the pain
All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price.—Juvenal, Roman poet
There are a number of tech support organizations for consumers but the one I hear about the most is Geek Squad®. They’ve got the product right. They appear to offer support and service for anything that has a chip in it. Today's seniors (ie.,"old folks") encounter problems with all of these—phones, appliances, computers, and more.
Everything I read about Geek Squad online sounds good to me—although I imagine some might be confused when they end up on a Best Buy page. Oh, and there’s no pricing info online which probably make buyers cautious about engaging.
But here’s the question: If Geek Squad is so great, why do my friends and family call me?
I’m tech support for everyone who has ever met a member of my family. It’s a role I suffer. I don’t use many of the programs or devices I’m asked about. I no longer own a Windows computer but I’m often asked to help fix Windows problems. Because I’m a tech hobbyist, I can usually figure things out. (Hey, Dad, I’m still glad to help with your computer).
I think firms like Geek Squad are missing the boat. They’re focusing on the wrong buyer.
Instead of focusing on the people with the technology problem, they should focus on the people who are solving those problems. People like me. (And probably like you too.)
They should focus on the reluctant tech support guy.
One of the tricks in product pricing is to determine 1) who has the pain and 2) who is willing to pay for a solution. The problem with seniors is they have the pain but don’t want to pay for a solution (“I’m living on a fixed income!”). They look for no-cost ways to solve their technology problems. And that means calling Steve or Sonny or whomever.
If they can’t get seniors to buy, Geek Squad could offer a subscription pricing for the reluctant tech support guy. How many of us would pay a monthly subscription fee to redirect all of our support calls to someone else?
The Buyer is the one who pays: in this case, the reluctant tech support guy.
The User is the one with the problem: mom, dad, family, and friends.
That's the question: Which personas have a problem they’re willing to pay to solve? Focus on the pain point—not necessarily the user.
About Steve Johnson
Steve Johnson is a product management process coach, author, speaker, and advisor. His approach is based on the belief that minimal process and simple templates result in a nimble product marketing and management team. Before founding Under10, Steve was a Pragmatic Marketing instructor for over 15 years and personally trained thousands of product managers and hundreds of company senior executive teams. Learn more at www.under10playbook.com
In his spare time, Steve enjoys making music, and has an album available on iTunes. Check out Steve’s music at notExactlySteve.com