So why is it that some businesses make it so hard for people to buy from them? Are you guilty of putting people off right at the start and ensuring they don’t buy from you?
Author, speaker and business mentor, Vicki Wusche, describes the three things that guarantee a potential client won’t buy from you:
1. Being unclear about what you offer, can do, or sell.
What business are you in, where is your expertise and why should I work with you? While spotting a new opportunity may bring new cashflow into your business, offering tangential products or services can make you look unfocused or desperate for money.
When a potential client visits your website or your personal profiles (if you are the figure head of the business) what does it say about you? Are you expert in one thing or do you appear a master of none, unfocused and unclear?
2. Breaking promises.
How many times have you heard the sentence “I will get XYZ to call you back” or “I will get that in the post for you” and nothing happens? Or, “I have put a brown one in the post” only to find a red one arrives.
These minor irritations really can damage your business. Not only do you annoy a customer that wants to do business with you, but you also create a story for the complainer to share with their friends (your potential future clients).
Both issues – phone calls, email replies and messages or failure to fulfil an order correctly – annoy customers because time is precious. They are contacting you and buying online, or over the phone, to save time. Annoy them and you are wasting their time and losing yourself a future client!
3. Making it difficult to give you money.
Making it difficult for a potential client to buy from you has to be the biggest sin of all. They want to spend money with you – help them, don’t hinder them.
Do you have clear instructions on how to buy or how to pay? Do you have payment options like Paypal, WorldPay, Sage, send a cheque, make a bank transfer or any other appropriate options for your target client? Older clients are often more suspicious of online banking, so can they call a human and make a payment by phone? What about payment options in terms of a staged payment for higher value goods, even monthly direct debits?
Whatever business you are in, getting money from clients quickly and easily is crucial to the life blood of your business. Even successful businesses can be killed if they ignore their cashflow.
The solution is simple; read your website and marketing material as if you were your ideal customer. How easy is it to understand, is it jargon free, consistent and clear? Once the client knows what you do, can they either place an order or ask a question easily?
If not you may find that you are losing business, and your competitors are helping themselves to money from your clients’ purses!
