Painkillers vs. Vitamins

Brad Feld points to an entrepreneur's story about folding an online publication that rated winery web sites.  As Brad says, "The lesson here – well articulated by the author – is that he failed to address a point of pain."

A colleague of mine, smart in the art of marketing, frequently reminds me that people are much more likely to buy painkillers than vitamins.  So you better be sure that you can effectively relieve pain with your product -- and communicate that to your target audience.  It's not to say that you can't sell vitamins, but it's a much more up hill battle, as The Winery Web Site Report discovered.

Put another way, consumers and businesses will open their wallets much more easily for needs, not wants.