The 2am Test Every Founder Faces: The Real Reason Your Amazing Product Isn't Selling

Many brands are haemorrhaging money on the wrong customers, often without even realising it. While marketers obsess over age groups, income brackets, and geographic data, they're missing the fundamental psychological divide that actually determines buying behaviour.  Today's guest, Dr Ross Honeywill, has spent many years uncovering why traditional demographic segmentation fails so spectacularly – and what smart businesses should focus on instead. Dr Honeywill is a consumer psychologist and the architect behind the NEO (New Economic Order) framework, a research-backed approach that segments customers by mindset rather than demographics.  After surveying hundreds of thousands of consumers and working with major brands like JB Hi-Fi and David Jones (back in their heyday), Ross has proven that understanding whether your customers are emotion-driven NEOs or price-focused Traditional buyers can be the difference between explosive growth and costly customer acquisition disasters.  For example, his work helped transform JB Hi-Fi from a small music retailer into a retail giant, with 80% of their revenue now generated by just 40% of their customer base – the NEO segment. Whether you're struggling with high customer acquisition costs, low lifetime values, or feel like you're constantly competing on price, this episode will fundamentally shift how you think about who your customers really are – and why getting it right matters more than you ever imagined.   Links mentioned in this episode: If you’d like help to achieve your goals, I invite you to have a chat to find out how we can make that happen together HERE By booking a Free Growth Strategy https://productpreneurmarketing.com/lets-talk Podcast Show Notes: https://www.catherinelangman.com/episode-281/   Other Ways To Enjoy This Episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Youtube  

It's 2am and you're lying awake, mind racing through endless to-do lists, wondering if you've invested everything into a dream that's slowly becoming a nightmare. Sound familiar? You've created an incredible product – something you know could change people's lives – but somehow the customers aren't beating down your door.  You're working every night and weekend, straining relationships, watching your savings disappear, and starting to wonder if maybe everyone was right when they said you were crazy to try this. The worst part? You thought having the best product would be enough. In this episode, I'm sharing a story that will change how you think about building a product-based business forever. It isn't about talent, funding, or even market timing. It’s something much more fundamental that many productpreneurs completely miss. If you've ever wondered why some brands seem to effortlessly attract devoted customers while others struggle to get noticed, this episode reveals the uncomfortable truth about what separates million-dollar brands from failed dreams.  More importantly, it shows you exactly what to do about it. Because your vision can become your customers’ newest obsession – but only if you understand the real game you're playing.   Links mentioned in this episode: If you’d like help to achieve your goals, I invite you to have a chat to find out how we can make that happen together HERE By booking a Free Growth Strategy   Other Ways To Enjoy This Episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Youtube  

Here's a challenge for you: go to any brand's website in your category and read their "About Us" page. Then go to their competitors and do the same before comparing them all to your own. I'll bet you that 80% of them sound very similar.   "We're passionate about quality." "We use only the finest ingredients." "We're committed to sustainability." "Our products are handcrafted with care."   Blah, blah, blah. Everyone says this stuff. It's become industry wallpaper – technically there, but completely invisible because it's everywhere.   Here's the problem: when you're trying to stand out in a competitive market, competing for the same customers, your story isn't just marketing content. Your story IS your differentiation.    So if YOU want to be the brand that is absolutely crushing it in your category, you need to figure out how to tell stories that are impossible to replicate because they're authentically, uniquely yours.   In this podcast episode, I'm sharing the Strategic Story Framework that transforms boring brand positioning into compelling narratives that your customers can't resist.       Links mentioned in this episode: If you’d like help to achieve your goals, I invite you to have a chat to find out how we can make that happen together HERE By booking a Free Growth Strategy   Other Ways To Enjoy This Episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Youtube  

Here's a sobering statistic that'll make you rethink everything about your Black Friday strategy: 80% of Black Friday customers never purchase from the same brand again.    Let that sink in for a moment. Four out of five people who bought from you during your biggest sales event of the year will never come back.   But here's the thing – it doesn't have to be this way. How do you ensure those new customers don't just disappear into the ether, never to be seen again?   In this episode, I'm going to share a framework with you that transforms Black Friday bargain hunters into your most valuable long-term customers.    Because here's what most brands get completely wrong – they think Black Friday is about sales volume. But for premium brands, Black Friday should be about customer acquisition. The real money isn't made during the sale; it's made in the months that follow.   I'm going to walk you through what I call an "Advocate Activation Framework" – a systematic approach to turning one-time Black Friday buyers into passionate brand advocates who not only buy repeatedly but become your most powerful marketing asset.   Links mentioned in this episode: If you’d like help to achieve your goals, I invite you to have a chat to find out how we can make that happen together HERE By booking a Free Growth Strategy   Other Ways To Enjoy This Episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Youtube  

What if I told you that the most successful Black Friday campaigns aren't about slashing prices by 80% or screaming 'EVERYTHING MUST GO!' in bright red text? What if the real winners are the brands that actually increase their perceived value during Black Friday whilst everyone else is racing to the bottom?   Here's what most ecommerce brands get completely wrong about Black Friday: they think success is only possible with massive discounts, which equals damaged brand equity, razor-thin margins, and training your customer-base to only buy during big discount sale events.    But there's a massive opportunity here that most premium brands are completely missing.   I'm sharing an overview of the 5-pillar framework for running a premium Black Friday campaign that protects your margins, elevates your brand, creates momentum beyond the weekend, and most importantly – doesn't contribute to that discount burnout that killed sales for so many brands last year.     Subscribe & Review In iTunes Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes! Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favourite part of the podcast is. Thank you!   Other Ways To Enjoy This Episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Youtube  

Today, the final episode in this mini-series, we're tackling something that every brand thinks they're doing, but honestly? Most are getting spectacularly wrong.  And frankly – I’ve had so many conversations in recent weeks where pretty much every single brand is making this mistake. We're talking about true omnichannel marketing in 2025. Most brands think they're doing omnichannel because they've got a website, an Instagram account, maybe they're on TikTok, they've got email marketing happening, and if they're really fancy, they might have a physical presence somewhere. Chuck in a chatbot and boom – omnichannel, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. True omnichannel in 2025 isn't about being everywhere. It's about being everywhere seamlessly. And there's a massive difference. If your marketing is giving more multi-channel chaos than seamless experience, you definitely need to tune into this episode! I’ll show you how to create one seamless customer journey that flows beautifully across every single touchpoint and how to make sure every brand interaction helps your audience fall in love with your brand and products so much that the price becomes almost irrelevant, just the cost of falling in love. Book a free eCommerce growth strategy session ($297 value) here: https://productpreneurmarketing.com/lets-talk-2

Today in episode four of our core trends mini-series about the Great Ecommerce Realignment, we're diving into a force that's not just changing ecommerce—it's completely redefining it: The Creator Economy Takeover. Here's a stat that should wake you up: the creator economy is now worth over $104 billion. That's not just big—that's bigger than the entire GDP of many countries. But here's what's really mind-blowing: this isn't just about influencers getting paid to post pretty pictures. This is about individual creators building billion-dollar businesses, disrupting entire industries, and fundamentally changing how consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase products. Let's start with a story that illustrates just how seismic this shift is. In 2019, Emma Chamberlain was just another teenager making YouTube videos in her bedroom. By 2023, she had built a coffee company, Chamberlain Coffee, that's generating tens of millions in revenue. She didn't just promote coffee—she created an entire lifestyle brand around it, complete with packaging design, product development, and a community of millions of loyal customers. Now, a single creator can launch a brand and reach millions of potential customers in months, not years. Creators are bypassing traditional gatekeepers and building direct relationships with consumers. If you’re an introvert, don’t worry – I’ve got you covered. I am too, so I’ll be sure to share some strategies you can stomach, that don’t involve you fronting the camera, recording daily TikToks or YouTube videos! Find out more: https://www.catherinelangman.com/episode-275

Today we're tackling something that's fundamentally changing the game for every ecommerce business: Privacy-First Marketing. If you're still relying on the old playbook of tracking pixels, third-party cookies, and invasive data collection, you're not just behind the curve—you're setting yourself up for failure. Apple's iOS 14.5 update in 2021 wasn't just a software update—it was a declaration of war against traditional digital marketing. When Apple gave users the power to say "no" to tracking, over 75% of them did exactly that. Facebook's revenue took a $10 billion hit. Small businesses watched their ad costs skyrocket overnight.  This wasn't a hiccup—this was the beginning of the end for surveillance capitalism as we knew it. Here's the thing most entrepreneurs miss: the privacy-first movement isn't just about compliance or avoiding regulatory fines. It's about fundamentally rethinking how we build relationships with customers. It's about moving from extraction to exchange, from surveillance to service. And, it’s about the most important concept in modern marketing: the trust economy. In a privacy-first world, trust isn't just nice to have—it's your primary competitive advantage. Let’s talk about how to set yourself up for success in this privacy-first business environment.   Episode’s Show Notes: https://www.catherinelangman.com/episode-273/   Other Ways To Enjoy This Episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Youtube  

Today, we're talking about something that's going to make some of you very uncomfortable, and certainly many of my industry peers!  We're talking about the death of digital advertising as we know it.  And I don't mean it's struggling or evolving – I mean the Facebook ads, Google ads, and programmatic display advertising that built the eCommerce boom of the last decade is dying. Right now, there’s a perfect storm of changes that are fundamentally reshaping how people discover and buy products. Before you panic and think "But what about my Facebook ads?" or "My Google campaigns are still working!" – stick with me. Because yes, some digital channels are still generating revenue, but the writing is on the wall. And the smart brands? They're already building what comes next. And what’s coming next is actually incredibly exciting! So tune in to this second episode in my mini-series The Great Ecommerce Realignment to discover the 4 strategies replacing traditional digital advertising AND the steps you need to take to make this shift without tanking your business in the process! Episode’s Show Notes: https://www.catherinelangman.com/episode-273/   Links mentioned in this episode: If you’d like help to achieve your goals, I invite you to have a chat to find out how we can make that happen together HERE By booking a Free Growth Strategy Try Our Ecommerce Sales Growth Diagnostic Quiz   Other Ways To Enjoy This Episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Youtube  

If you're anything like me, you’ve seen and felt how different the online business and marketing world is, how different consumers are reacting to your marketing and not responding to buy in the same way they might have in years gone by.  You're watching the eCommerce world transform right in front of your eyes and thinking "What the hell is actually happening?" Well, that's exactly what we're going to unpack in this new podcast mini-series. And today? We're starting with the big one. The one everyone's talking about but most people are getting completely wrong. Artificial Intelligence. Now, before you roll your eyes and think "Oh great, another AI podcast," stick with me. Because here's the thing – while everyone else is freaking out about robots taking over, or getting distracted by ChatGPT writing their Instagram captions… The real AI revolution in eCommerce is happening quietly, behind the scenes, and it's already changing everything.    Episode’s Show Notes: https://www.catherinelangman.com/episode-272/   Links mentioned in this episode: If you’d like help to achieve your goals, I invite you to have a chat to find out how we can make that happen together HERE By booking a Free Growth Strategy The Ecommerce Sales Growth Diagnostic Quiz   Other Ways To Enjoy This Episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Youtube