There are tons of ways to get rid of a few customers, lower your income so you can pay less taxes, or prompt a “going out of business sale.” However, if you instead want to sell products and services, make more money, and grow your business, you should avoid driving you customers away.
By knowing how to lose customers, you can easily avoid it. Here are three perfectly effective ways to lose customers.
1. Let Your Customers Procrastinate
Procrastination has stolen millions of dollars from the pockets of many businesses. The longer this quality works on the customer, the less likely they will be to open their wallet and hand over the money they’ve been hanging onto.
Here’s how it works. First, the customer leaves your store (or website) without making the purchase. Second, time causes the desire for the product to fade, and distractions prevent the customer from finding the way back. Finally, your “almost customer” totally forgets about making the purchase, and you can kiss your potential profits good-bye.
Don’t let it happen to you! Make your offers so irresistible they just can’t say no. Also, make sure to set an expiration date to help create urgency. Put a little pressure on customers to buy TODAY! Don’t be victimized by “almost sales” that could have been turned into REAL profits! Don’t let your prospects procrastinate.
2. Stay Off The Top Of Their Priority List
Sometimes we need to be reminded of exactly what is and what isn’t important in life. What we spend our money on indicates its level of importance. Are your customers telling you that your product isn’t significant to them?
Put yourself where you want to be on their priority list with a dramatic word picture that evokes the emotions that drive purchases. If you’re trying to sell them a home business, let them feel the freedom of being their own boss, and setting their own schedule.
Are you selling water skis?
Get them on the water in the hot summer sun with the wind blowing through their hair and water spraying around them. Let them FEEL the benefits of the decision.
You CAN motivate buyers to put a high priority on your product! If you don’t, they will not make spending money with you a priority.
3. Don’t Build Trust
Do your customers feel confident that your company will provide the services that it says it will? How many times have you raised an eyebrow at an offer that makes a big promise? If you don’t already know they are a reputable company, you’re likely to take claims with a grain of salt.
Unconditional guarantees give credence to your desire to please customers. Testimonials are evidence that you have a proven track record. Put some facts in front of your prospects and let them know a little bit about you and your staff. It’s always easier to trust a person, than a business.
One of my larger B2B Clients puts out a cookbook each year that features the employees’ favorite recipes. Each recipe has a picture of the employee, their job title, and gives the cooking directions. This is a great way to take a cold software company and make it warm and inviting. It makes it easy for clients to connect with them because it is PERSONAL … and this builds trust!
If you are an Internet based company, you have to work twice as hard to build trust with your customers. Internet customers are at especially high risk for feeling a legitimate amount of distrust. After all, anyone can make grand claims, but who is responsible for upholding them? A personal photo, a little information, and a phone number where a contact can be reached will go a long ways toward building trust on the Web.
How many “almost customers” prospects have slipped through your fingers? DON’T turn your prospects away from you by ignoring the details. Instead, turn them into loyal customers by preventing them from procrastinating and losing interest, and helping build their trust in you!