Soap Tote = A Niche Market

I talked to someone today who was like, "No offence, but...." and then she proceeded to run down my product. "You can get it at the dollar store," she said. No, you can't. "People just use hotel soap." Really? All people use hotel soap and there aren't any people out there who have special needs and preferences who would like to take their own soap? Or even people who would like something to take that wonderful hotel soap home?

I've heard those arguments before, and while I acknowledge that while the soap tote is not for everyone, it may not be even for most people, but it is for some, and it is for those people I make the soap tote. 

In fact I have heard from those people; they happen to be my customers. Here's another comment from one.

The real question I am now asking is, why did I stay involved in a one-sided, unfruitful, conversation for so long?

Interpreting Criticism

Michael Iva's 100 Ways to Kill a Concept; Why Most Ideas get shot down has been a great inspiration to me. Also Seth Godin's Interpreting Criticism blog post. Even the gatekeepers and successful tastemakers don't always get what your product is about. As Seth points out, they may not understand the niche market that your product is for. In the case of Reader's Digest, the niche market had yet to be created, so the editor of the magazine could not see a chance of Reader's Digest being successful. Good thing they didn't listen to that critic!

Whenever I hear criticism about something like my Soap Tote, I reread these types of articles and remind myself of all the things my enthusiastic buyers have said about the product. And then I get another coffee and keep going. (Yes, it is a niche product, maybe even a "niche-niche" product.) Before, I gave my critics too much power. Now my opinion is just as important as the critics' in the evaluation process.

Update: here's another gem from Seth Godin: I need you to see things my way