Often you will hear or read a sign that says sorry.

If you have you know it means you have to wait until it is available or having to look elsewhere. This can add time and stress which you do not want.

If you decide to look at other brands then you know you have to go through the purchase decision making process, which can be a hassle.

The same thing goes with your customers. If you are a service business and have the sorry I am fully booked sign out it adds complexity to your customers’ experience.

If you sell a product and they have to wait longer to buy the product or find it is out of stock, competitors may become attractive.

To retain customers is not always easy. However using simplicity can help keep your loyal customers.

Avoid customer disappointment

Part of using simplicity to keep your customers means you seek out ways to cut costs. While some customers may be happy to wait it doesn’t send a strong signal that they are important.

The unfortunate aspect is they may never tell you their disappointment so you could be unaware that it may harm future purchases. Reliability is one important aspect as it means it lessens the time and stress for customers.

Use your database and sales reports

These are essential, as patterns appear over time that you can use to be proactive if you know when your products or services will be in demand. This then lets you be proactive to ensure you can deliver to retain your loyal customers.

Have alternatives on hand

This is an old technique large businesses do with products. By having different flavours, packaging alternatives, styles etc they worked out that customers would prefer to keep buying within the brand and not go for a competitor’s product.

It simplifies it for the customers and reduces loss of sales for the business.

The same may be able to done with services and it is about the oldie but goodie of having a DIY product of your service. If this can’t be done then by having a customer care program in place means you are in touch on a regular basis that you will know when they will need your services.

Today minimising any aspect that could put a dent in your customers’ experience only adds complexity to your business and who wants that.

So why not take a little time to see how you can ensure your customers keep buying and not have to worry about saying sorry.

As always over to you: do you have processes in place to ensure your products or services are available for your current customers.
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See how I can help your business use simplicity to retain customers.

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This means to look at it from your business’s perspective.

And from your customers’ perspective.

This was highlighted last week discussing with a small business owner how to use simplicity to grow his business.

A simple idea that was too complex

He has a hairdressing salon and recently put in an area for customers to get their nails done. Since the launch, it wasn’t going too well and he was thinking of removing the service.

His objective was to sell this service to current customers. Customers said it was a good idea and will think about making an appointment when they have more time.

The concept looked like it could add growth however, there was one complexity stopping it. Some customers didn’t want to spend more time than they currently do to get their nails done.

So the question is what would be the simplest way for current customers to get their nails done while they are in the salon.

Answer – at the same time.

A simple solution

As customers wait a while when they get it coloured before the hair is rinsed, the opportunity to get nails done at the same time doesn’t take up any more of their time.

From early days, this simplified way of adding an additional service seems to be appealing to customers and extra sales for the business. Especially as a large number of their customers get their hair coloured.

This concept can be applied in a number of ways and it is about saving time and creating a great experience for the customers. You see it in shops where a good sales person will have the right accessories on hand to show the customer, whether it is a bag, or tie etc that will go with clothes they purchase.

Where you can combine products or services that are complimentary why not show your expertise to give the customer a better experience. If you can save them time customers will remember and it can be a competitive advantage.

Business growth

Using simplicity to grow your business can benefit your business and customers. The key is to look at the idea from both sides and search for a simple solution. If this had not been explored in the hairdressing salon and dismissed out of hand then the opportunity would be missed.

It is a matter of looking at additional things customers want to achieve.  Then see where your business can improve the customer experience and grow your business.

It does not have to be complex. If a task can be ticked off, the customer’s to do list that competitors do not offer in the same way it is a good start to getting additional sales from customers.

Over to you: have you combined products or services that save customers time to grow your business? Please share your story.

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It can be if you look at the whole picture and think of all the possible changes you need to make.

But if you chunk it down and do it one step at a time it is suddenly less daunting. It is the little things that can make a difference when you want to get more customers.

By making one simple change can help your business grow and attract customers especially if you compete in a crowded market.

Reviewing my website a while ago gave rise to the “Duh” moment.

The moment came when I looked at the questions I received about my services and the usual answers I gave.

I realised the way I went about answering the questions were making things more complex for my potential customers and my business than they needed to be.

What the website did not have was a Frequently Asked Questions page.

Customers seeking information

Today as we know customers seek out information before they buy. They want to make informed decisions before committing money. So it makes sense to provide the answers to their questions when they are on your website.

Many product and retail websites have a FAQs page. Yet doing research for this article I found many service businesses do not.

If your business does not have this page the customer has to contact your company and ask the questions. This takes up their time and yours.

Some may contact your business; others may click out and continue their search, which can lead to lost sales.

Also today you may have customers in different time zones and even if you respond via email it can be several hours for them to get an answer. This complicates what could be a good relationship with new customers and increased sales.

A simple change to attract customers

One of the few sites that have a FAQs page is Belinda Weaver’s site copywritematters As you can see the answers are written in a friendly manner and there is a transparency with the answers.

Having a FAQs page does not have to be long or complicated.  Have the page in the navigation where your services are highlighted to make it simple for potential customers to click on them.

To attract more customers the more complexities you remove will be welcomed by them.  And can help grow your business.

Using simplicity when attracting more customers to your business can give your business the edge. Instead of asking them to contact your business for further information, why not give the FAQs page a go.

Over to you: Do you have a FAQs page on your website? If you do have this page, please share your tips how to make it effective.

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I can help your business use simplicity to attract customers.

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It is as if they at your side make life simple for you.

If you like businesses that make your life easier, there is a good chance your customers do too. After all, simple is the new black to retain customers.

When you use simplicity so customers don’t have to think, especially when they should repurchase can lead to increased sales and profit.

What are their needs?

If you have mapped out their needs you would know over the year when your products or services can help them achieve their outcomes. The customer may not remember because they have others things on their mind.

Some products or services are obvious such as when your favourite chocolate if down to one square. For others there may not be obvious signs or they may not be aware of the need to repurchase your product or service again.

Tell them when they need to repurchase

To retain your customers don’t leave it up to them to remember to keep buying your products or services.

For an example look at the servicing of cars. In the manual it tells you when your car needs servicing. Garages that service cars put a sticker on the drivers’ side that you see every time you drive when you need to bring the car in for the next service. To keep it simple they put the date on the sticker so you can’t forget.

For products it can be as simple as having reminders on the packaging or built into the product such as Oral B electric brushes. Other products such as the Dollar Shave Club supply their customers with new razors each month.

Often it is the little things that can keep customers happy and help grow your business. Anticipating your customers’ needs and building in ways to keep them buying means they may not be tempted to go over to the dark side and buy a competitor’s product or service.

Over to you. Have you built in ways to keep your customers buying your products or services so they do not have to think about it when they should?
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 Want to use simplicity to retain your customers? To find out more Click Here

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It doesn’t help your business to grow.

If you are presenting a proposal to potential customers, do you follow what other businesses do?

Or do you simplify the process for customers.

Jeannette Paladino from Write Speak Sell has made a number of comments over the years on this blog.  And one that kept running through my mind was her approach to getting new customers.

I asked her to expand on her approach with an example.

Jeannette presented to a highly successful building consulting company. The proposal covered a number of areas she broke into modules.

Each module detailed what they would get and the price. The company could choose the modules they wanted depending on their budget and other considerations.

They chose two of the modules.  And the beauty of this approach is if they want the third module, they have all the information and price.

Another company lumped all the work into one proposal with a flat price.  There was no indication where the money would be allocated.

She had a new customer.

Jeannette’s approach is a great example of how simplicity gets your business new customers.

Her approach benefits the customer:

• As Jeannette mention customers like this method because they can see what they get for the price
• Saves them time working through the proposal trying to work out the information and value
• They can see how their budget can be allocated.
• They are in control of what they go with depending on their priorities
• Makes their decision making process simple
• They can proceed to implementation quicker
• Saves them time going back and forth for further detail
• Provides them with clarity of all elements of a project or projects

They have the details of each module rather than general information that they may need to clarify

For the business owner benefits include:

• Jeannette she said it organises her thinking and she is able to price her services better
• Reduces or eliminates price negotiation
• Can lead to higher overall price and sales revenue
• Differentiates businesses from others who give one all in one proposal
• Simplifies the process to gain further assignments

Simplicity in your approach whether with a proposal or any step in the buying decision process can be a competitive advantage to grow your business.

And customers will remember it.

Over to you: what other benefits can you add from using this approach? Do you have a way when offering your products or services that using simplicity?

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I can help your business use simplicity to get new customers

 

 

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And you may be actively looking for growth opportunities.

Looking at what competitors offer can seem the easy way to grow your business.

If they add a product or service to their offering, you may think you should too.

The reality is this approach adds complexity.

And not likely to get the growth you are looking for.

The reason is following their lead may not be right for your business or customers.

Another way is to use simplicity to find and deliver opportunities.

What is the opportunity?

The first step is to identify the possible opportunities first. They may be:

• New products or services that achieves a customer outcome

• Repackaging of features that increases the buying frequency

• Packaging of different products or services to create a new one that satisfies different outcomes

• Strategic alliances that builds your business

• Premium products or services added to your range

• Products developed from the service you offer

As you can see many opportunities could get the business growth especially if you have a deep understanding of your customers.

How big is the opportunity?

These days you can develop some products or offer additional services quickly. However before you put in extra time or costs you need to see if it is worth it.

You need to make sure there are enough customers who have a desire to buy, otherwise you don’t get a return

• If customers currently buy a competitors product why would they switch? What is different about yours?

• Will the opportunity make running your business more complex?

• Is the desired customer outcome growing in demand?

Working out ways to discover opportunities to get business growth doesn’t have to be complicated. And you do not need to copy what competitors do to get your customers to buy more from your business.

Keep simplicity top of mind when you look at opportunities and you could get the business growth you desire.

Over to you: Do you follow a similar approach? If you have another way please share them by commenting below.

Looking for ways to use simplicity to get business growth. To find out more Click here.

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And it easy to do what others suggest as the best approach.

This can lead you to use the wrong process that may not achieve results.

The reason why is it depends on what works best for your business and customers.

It also depends on your customer retention marketing strategies.

On a blog there was discussion about this topic. The author strongly advocated providing information as the way to go.

Yet as one person commented if a shoe retailer only sent emails about good discounts and free shipping they would be very happy and loyal.

As customers buy many products or services can you imagine how stressed they could get if every company interacted in the same way.

Customer preferences

Customers have their preferred way to interact with businesses. One of the worst ways to interact is to assume.

• Some customers want information via email each week or month

• Some only want the latest deals

• Others don’t want to hear from you and will still buy

• Customer may want you to be proactive to achieve their outcomes

• Others want to interact only on social media platforms

• Some may want to hear of new products or services and get samples

While the differences could make you shake your head and think it is too difficult to work out, it doesn’t have to be complicated.

The key is to first realise that they will have preferences which when known can improve your customer retention communication quickly.

Remember the communication preferences will depend on what you sell and the repeat purchase rate.

Customer feedback

The simplest way to improve your customer retention is to ask your customers for feedback. Ideally this is when they purchase your product or service.

However it is never too late to ask current customers.

Work out the different ways and options that you can provide and get the feedback from customers. They are likely to appreciate your approach and it can lead to strengthening the relationships as well as business growth.

Depending on the number of customers you can segment your customers and set up the process.

Once you have the feedback you should be able to set up your process quickly.

It is a smart way and simple way designed to take the complexity out of customer interactions to improve customer retention.

Over to you: do you have a tailored process with current customers?
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Does your pricing compliment other parts of your marketing strategy? 

Or is there a disconnect?

Each element of your marketing strategy plays its part when you want to get new customers.

If they are in perfect harmony, it makes it simple for potential customers to move along the buying decision process.

When they aren’t it makes it harder for you when attracting customers.

And it adds complexity to your business and for your customers.

The disconnect and complexity creeps in when you look at the different elements in isolation and forget to see if they work well with other elements.

For example, it is not uncommon to see businesses offer quality products or services. This quality sometimes goes overboard to develop the relationship with new customers.

However when the same businesses have a low price or lower price than the rest of the market it doesn’t fit well with the high quality products or services.

To potential customers it may look like a bargain, however problems can arise when you want to increase your price later on. Naturally customers would expect the quality or other aspects to increase as well.

As well with a low price and high quality you can be attracting the wrong type of customers.

Are they in harmony?

High quality + low price = complexity

When you develop your marketing strategies you want to get rid of any complexity as it can affect your business growth.

If you find there is a disconnect you may want to ask yourself why.

Is your pricing is one of those funny things especially in services. And it can be your perception of what customers are prepared to pay versus the reality of the market.

For some of you the level of your pricing may be a sensitive issue and if it is you may want to ask why that is. If you sell a service ask yourself if you would be as sensitive if it was a product you were selling.

When you want to get new customers price plays a part, it always has and today as customers are savvier they do look at what they will get.

The main thing is do not let your own perceptions dictate what your price is.

There are ways to be flexible with your pricing to get new customers and one is to offer different options. It can still fit well with your strategy and attract customers.

Be objective when you develop your marketing strategies, make the necessary changes and you may find you have the business growth you are looking for.

As always over to you. How do you set your price and do you look at all factors?

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I can help your business use simplicity to get new customers 

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This leads to procrastination and putting potential ideas are put off.

When you look at finally developing them, you may find another business already has.

Yet time is not the real issue.

The answers to new ideas to get customers to buy more from your business are often in front of you if you look.

Customers give hints everyday that can lead to the development of new products or services to increase sales.

The hints are about the outcomes they want to achieve. And how satisfied they are with current available options.

Think strategically

One of the simplest ways is to look at your strategic focus as your starting point. The reason for this is keeps it simple and it is an effective use of your time.

For example a cake and cookie business in my area has a strategic focus on products they make and their customer service.

Over the last year customers kept asking for stands to place the cakes and cookies on. Realising this was a way to get business growth the company looked at this as an opportunity to increase sales simply.

They look at what stands were offered and they ranged from cheap cardboard stands to high quality china stands. As they didn’t want to go the cheap route they looked at options and got customer insights.

They found most of the customers didn’t want to pay for a high quality one that they may use once or twice a year.

To get over this they looked at hiring out quality stands that satisfies the customers, and means they do not have to buy stands and have inventory.

Ways to get into action to increase sales

• Set some time aside to work on your business. Or get help to identify the business growth opportunities.

• Look at other tasks your customers want to get done or achieve.

• Investigate the options and identify ones that benefit your business and your customers.

• Survey your customers about their satisfaction in obtaining their results. 

One key thing to remember is not just copy what your competitors do as you want to differentiate your business.

Business growth does not have to be complicated and taking simple small steps does not have to take up a lot of time.

Over to you. What is your approach to get business growth over and above what you currently offer?
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