B104.2 - New Customers |
In a competitive marketplace, gaining new customers is typically hard in the beginning. If it was easy, everyone would be in business for themselves.
Getting new customers is hard for several reasons:
Getting new customers is hard for several reasons:
- Novel Product/Service -- It is rare to come up with a new product or service that has not existed prior. If you do, the intellectual property mine field can slow things down if you pursue it, and if you don't understand that you have to have money to defend all encroaching on your intellectual property, it can be very misleading. The world is filled with small army of sharks, and this is where they swim.
- Buyer Attention -- If you have a novel product/service, if you are selling a commodity or if you are selling anything in between, the attention of buyers right now is scattered so far and wide, it's hard to gain anyone's attention, much less create the call for action to use your service or buy your product. If that person already buys a competitive product or service, getting them to switch to you is also typically very difficult, as most are buying from their current vendor because they like them OR they view the devil they know as being better than the devil they don't.
- "Educating Customers" Generally Sucks from a New Client Acquisition Perspective -- It is typically a long and arduous process to educate customers. If you are using logic and reason to "convince" someone (possibly appropriately) that they should buy/consume your products or services, you could find out it's generally an uphill battle. One problem that most don't forsee --- after they feel they are educated, they may use their education to compare you to others and fall for emotional and cognitive traps laid by others just for the purpose of sales.
- The "People buy on emotion" thingy -- An old buddy would say people bought on emotion. And while many of us don't like that fact, it is still a very relevant aspect of many buyer decisions and one that is used by many folks in an unhealthy (but often times profitable) manner. As a society, we need to either modify this to include some foundational information or we need to present the truly healthy items with even greater emotion than those that are wiping out the economy one emotional trick at a time.
- Marketing vs Sales Balance and Strategy - An Art -- Understanding the paradigm between marketing and sales, and applying it properly to optimize your energy and efforts for obtaining new business is an Art. Often times it takes someone years to figure out what is best for them and their niche, and unfortunately, once they do, others can copycat them without having any clue of how many different iterations the creative one went through to figure out the magic recipe. The competitors benefit dramatically until an underlying variable in the marketplace shifts and alters success. At that time, the person who derived the magic recipe has a hand up for a period of time as they should have the ability to re-engineer the recipe for continued success (if possible), where as the others just know their recipe is broken and they often times get sucked into the category of failed business person, without really being able to explain what happened.
- People buy from People -- People do generally buy from people they feel a connection to in some for or another. Some business owners who aren't naturally wired to connect to others really struggle with this energetic component of commerce. For someone who doesn't connect well, one needs to determine if they need to consciously learn and practice the art of connection more or if they just need to target those they connect to well and realize the others are not a good match, or some combination there of. If you don't have that "sales" personality, it's not the end of the world. You may start off a little slower than someone who has it, but chances are you have things that person does not have that might be good for long term success. You just need to figure out how to use the gifts you do have in a proper manner to achieve your desired results.
The New Customer Experience from the Customer's Perspective
The number of people who don't naturally try to vicariously experience things is shocking. The TV show "Under Cover Boss" is an interesting show related to this concept. How the heck did those Boss's not take time to pay attention to all that stuff prior to deciding to do the show?
If you can't put yourself in the Customer's shoes (or that of your employees) and walk through all aspects of your new customer process and experience, ask a few friends to pretend they are new customers of yours, from beginning to end, and tell them to make it tough with blinders off. See what comes out.
If you work in a brick and mortar place, have them start by looking at info or directions online and have them start the review from the time they leave their home heading for your place of business.
This is something you need to know intimately well, and it is something you need to routinely monitor to ensure consistent or intended experiences for clients and customers.
If you are in a digital business, you can do the same thing starting with an ad or an internet search and progressing to the website and through the check out process.
If you can't put yourself in the Customer's shoes (or that of your employees) and walk through all aspects of your new customer process and experience, ask a few friends to pretend they are new customers of yours, from beginning to end, and tell them to make it tough with blinders off. See what comes out.
If you work in a brick and mortar place, have them start by looking at info or directions online and have them start the review from the time they leave their home heading for your place of business.
- What was the approach to the building like?
- How was parking?
- How was building signage?
- How was the appearance of the facility?
- Were there any strange sights sounds or smells that were good or bad?
- What was the very first impression walking in the door?
- Was there any greeting system or mechanism?
- How was the ordering and fulfillment process?
- How was the payment process?
- How was the departure?
- etc etc etc...
This is something you need to know intimately well, and it is something you need to routinely monitor to ensure consistent or intended experiences for clients and customers.
If you are in a digital business, you can do the same thing starting with an ad or an internet search and progressing to the website and through the check out process.
Salesmanship Consulting
As a sole practitioner, buying Sales Consulting is very very tricky. The majority of Sales Consulting Programs offered are geared towards training folks on how to capitalize on one particular cognitive or emotional trigger point or another for big profits that don't always truly have the consumer's best interest in mind They are in fact classes on hypnotic techniques, although few recognize that.
For some of us, sales consulting is about helping someone realize the techniques which they are comfortable with which enable them to communicate properly with clients in a manner that results in increased business. Admittedly, your business may grow slower as you figure out what works for you vs taking up other techniques that might be slightly less mindful of the consumer's true needs, and one will need to find the ethical balance they need to feed themselves and build their own business.
Some of us enjoy providing input on Sales related consulting when someone is trying to find their own way. It can be an incredibly insightful part of a small business persons growth process. Some of us have a very high degree of faith in transparent, technical sales, but that requires education on not only your product/service but also that of your competitors. Admittedly, it also requires an understanding of the cognitive and emotional triggers taught by others. Those of us skilled in these sales technique try to make sure not to pull those triggers unless we feel it's really a win-win situation and that requires both discernment and trust that the universe will bring you a more fitting new customer if you allow one to go by that you "could get" but probably shouldn't for one reason or another.
Learning how to stay right on the edge of your perspective clients focal range during a sales process is one key to successful selling. If you are familiar with applied kinesiology or muscle testing, this is similar to finding the threshold at which the body accepts or rejects something or reacts to something.
For some of us, sales consulting is about helping someone realize the techniques which they are comfortable with which enable them to communicate properly with clients in a manner that results in increased business. Admittedly, your business may grow slower as you figure out what works for you vs taking up other techniques that might be slightly less mindful of the consumer's true needs, and one will need to find the ethical balance they need to feed themselves and build their own business.
Some of us enjoy providing input on Sales related consulting when someone is trying to find their own way. It can be an incredibly insightful part of a small business persons growth process. Some of us have a very high degree of faith in transparent, technical sales, but that requires education on not only your product/service but also that of your competitors. Admittedly, it also requires an understanding of the cognitive and emotional triggers taught by others. Those of us skilled in these sales technique try to make sure not to pull those triggers unless we feel it's really a win-win situation and that requires both discernment and trust that the universe will bring you a more fitting new customer if you allow one to go by that you "could get" but probably shouldn't for one reason or another.
Learning how to stay right on the edge of your perspective clients focal range during a sales process is one key to successful selling. If you are familiar with applied kinesiology or muscle testing, this is similar to finding the threshold at which the body accepts or rejects something or reacts to something.
Marketing Consulting
Buying Marketing consulting is very, very tricky. The "majority" of Marketing Consulting are down right crooks (but that is a gross generalization). The Search Engine Optimization realm as it relates to websites is one in which small business people can be grossly mislead.
When it comes to providing Marketing suggestions, start with the obvious suggestions and make sure all obvious, simple, low hanging fruit has been covered. After that, a good consultant provides cautious insight into more options and then he encourages the small business people to try to engage in more face to face networking and sales vs "marketing' whenever possible.
Many times it's about "who you know", not "what you know".
Having made bad media buys and having heard stories of others who have made bad buys and had bad experiences, many of us have had a negative experience with PR firms. The problem with these types of expenditures is that 1) you only get one swing to spend your money and 2) the marketing firm can always come up with some reason why the campaign did not go off as expected.
Tread carefully in this realm.
When it comes to providing Marketing suggestions, start with the obvious suggestions and make sure all obvious, simple, low hanging fruit has been covered. After that, a good consultant provides cautious insight into more options and then he encourages the small business people to try to engage in more face to face networking and sales vs "marketing' whenever possible.
Many times it's about "who you know", not "what you know".
Having made bad media buys and having heard stories of others who have made bad buys and had bad experiences, many of us have had a negative experience with PR firms. The problem with these types of expenditures is that 1) you only get one swing to spend your money and 2) the marketing firm can always come up with some reason why the campaign did not go off as expected.
Tread carefully in this realm.
Your Website as a tool
The very first thing to get people in business to do is to build a website, and to do it/have it done on a platform which enables them to modify the basic content without the support of an outside programmer.
This is generally NOT done initially to "attract" new customers. This is done to help first and foremost with "operations", and if done properly, it can provide information to new potential customers about one's business. The difference here is that the website didn't "attract" the customer, it helped them decide to buy.
If you are in a business where just listing your product or service on a website brings in new business regularly, congratulations, as that is in fact somewhat rare. Most often, potential customers reach out to their network of friends or other resources when looking for a product or service, and they don't just blind dial into search engines, and thus your website is most frequently found by warm leads in one form or another, although times are changing. That said, so are search engine algorithms to help you show up when there's a good match with very little effort.
This is generally NOT done initially to "attract" new customers. This is done to help first and foremost with "operations", and if done properly, it can provide information to new potential customers about one's business. The difference here is that the website didn't "attract" the customer, it helped them decide to buy.
If you are in a business where just listing your product or service on a website brings in new business regularly, congratulations, as that is in fact somewhat rare. Most often, potential customers reach out to their network of friends or other resources when looking for a product or service, and they don't just blind dial into search engines, and thus your website is most frequently found by warm leads in one form or another, although times are changing. That said, so are search engine algorithms to help you show up when there's a good match with very little effort.
2 Case Studies in Wellness
This website and this educational system was in fact inspired by two wellness professionals practicing in Prunedale CA. Both men were in their late 50's. One was an Acupuncturist and one was a Chiropractor. These two men were both very intuitive and very well liked by their clients. They were also both very well experience in their fields of expertise. It's a good thing because they weren't bringing in new patients due to their business prowess and in fact, there is no doubt they were losing as many as they were bringing in because of it.
One of the compilers of this information agreed to work with them primarily because no matter how much they screwed up a sale or a sales process or the business side of a transaction, new patients who loved them kept finding their way to each of them weekly. It was mind boggling in one way, but in another way it was not. This isn't that uncommon if you look at folks in wellness who have a magic touch. If you can make it in business long enough, eventually business just finds it's way to you. Period and that was the case for both of these gentlemen.
One of the reasons these folks all worked together was because there was no need to get into their "marketing" for new patients immediately. If someone needs that from the get go, it could be a no go.
One of the compilers of this information agreed to work with them primarily because no matter how much they screwed up a sale or a sales process or the business side of a transaction, new patients who loved them kept finding their way to each of them weekly. It was mind boggling in one way, but in another way it was not. This isn't that uncommon if you look at folks in wellness who have a magic touch. If you can make it in business long enough, eventually business just finds it's way to you. Period and that was the case for both of these gentlemen.
One of the reasons these folks all worked together was because there was no need to get into their "marketing" for new patients immediately. If someone needs that from the get go, it could be a no go.
Warren Buffet and Business Investing
One thing that is fascinating about Warren Buffet's investment system was the he generally only bought companies that were already profitable or productive, AND he tried NOT to get involved in their day to day processes.
One of the biggest, magic formulas for any business is their new business acquisition process.
Often times once businesses start calling business to themselves it is the result of the entire FAMMMSOIT/bELS recipe... and if you start messing with one thing in one area well away from sales and marketing, it is always possible for you to screw up the sales funnel.
That, in fact, is what was derived from Buffet's investment approach to investing in businesses without getting involved in the details.
One of the biggest, magic formulas for any business is their new business acquisition process.
Often times once businesses start calling business to themselves it is the result of the entire FAMMMSOIT/bELS recipe... and if you start messing with one thing in one area well away from sales and marketing, it is always possible for you to screw up the sales funnel.
That, in fact, is what was derived from Buffet's investment approach to investing in businesses without getting involved in the details.
Summary
This website and the info in it is primarily designed for people who have already figured out some magic recipe for calling in new customers. It is designed to help one do everything they need to do after customers are coming in and it helps one prep for recipe changes that might increase new customer count.
If you need help with attaining new customers, this website can still be beneficial, as part of your problem may be related to a subconscious knowing that you are not ready for customers or that you could not handle them properly if you attracted them, so in that sense it can be incredibly valuable too. This website has been geared towards those who have too much going on more so than not enough, as they are the ones who can most immediately put this information to use in a practical manner.
If you need help attracting customers, make sure the most basic process are in place and that your technology is generally aligned for support and growth, and then start focusing on sales and marketing, with more of a focus on sales, in most cases, unless you have access to money you can lose with marketing campaigns.
If you need help with attaining new customers, this website can still be beneficial, as part of your problem may be related to a subconscious knowing that you are not ready for customers or that you could not handle them properly if you attracted them, so in that sense it can be incredibly valuable too. This website has been geared towards those who have too much going on more so than not enough, as they are the ones who can most immediately put this information to use in a practical manner.
If you need help attracting customers, make sure the most basic process are in place and that your technology is generally aligned for support and growth, and then start focusing on sales and marketing, with more of a focus on sales, in most cases, unless you have access to money you can lose with marketing campaigns.