How They Use It

This post will take you about 3 minutes to read.

How do people use Coca-Cola?

I realize that this might be a wide-eyed question.

They drink it, right?

People drink Coca-Cola.

Of course, they do.

The estimated daily servings of Coca-Cola beverages is 1.9 billion.

But what if people use Coca-Cola in another way?

How do people use your product? All in the same way?

Marketing is exhausting right now. The people who describe what a product does rarely use the product.

People use acronyms and jargon.

We’re a CRM. Full-service web solutions. It’s like Groupon for clergy members.

We’re all guilty. I work with a small team on Highrise. It can be described as a CRM.

I have no idea what CRM means. Oh, I know what it stands for.

Customer relationship management.

But what does that mean?

If someone asks me how people use Highrise, I could say like a CRM.

But I try not to describe Highrise as a CRM. Because that’s not how all people use it.

Our team tries to focus on the jobs people get done with Highrise. Why do they hire it?

Highrise customers include real estate agents, nuns, and screenwriters.

Do you think all these people use it in the same way?

I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. “Why the hell are they doing that?” I asked.

If you’ve never attended a NASCAR race, I recommend you do because it will change your perspective.

You might consider NASCAR to be a hilly-billy sport. Or maybe you don’t even consider a sport at all. I’m not here to debate that.

NASCAR is a business, a multi-billion dollar one too. That’s a fact.

The access NASCAR gives fans is unreal. I had a chance to find this out myself a few years ago.

I had a Hot Pass, which means I was allowed to walk around when the garage was “hot” or cars were moving around.

Each car has its own team. The team consists of a driver, crew chief, jackman, gas man, tire changer, utility man, etc.

Lots are involved in making sure the car is working properly.

What can your team accomplish in 11 seconds?

That’s considered an above average pit stop for most NASCAR pit crews.

So, “Why they hell are they doing that again?”

I asked as I saw the pit crew pouring out full two-liters of Coca-Cola on the asphalt.

A friend replied, “Oh, that’s to keep the ground sticky for the pit crew. Can’t slip or it will cost you when making a pit stop.”

Pit crews look for any advantage they can get. 11 seconds is not a long time.

They’re resourceful. If they need more traction, they’ll figure out a way.

But I thought people only drink Coca-Cola?

I’ve seen customers use Highrise to keep track of who they talk to, what they talk about, and when to follow-up.

I’ve also seen folks use Highrise in a way that’s equivalent to pouring Coca-Cola on asphalt instead of drinking it.

After conversing with customers every day, I’ve learned people use products how they want to.

Not how you want them too. How they want to. It’s their choice.

Look around. Examples are all over the place.

Not only pour Coca-Cola on the ground, but use it to clean pennies.

There is no right or wrong way to use a product.

Because the person using the product decides how they use it.