I’ve got some (maybe tough) news for you… you’re not struggling with getting new clients because your services are too expensive (there are plenty of people out there who will – and do – pay). And it’s not because new businesses like yours moved in down the street and you’re now in a saturated market (those paying people are going somewhere, right??).
There’s a deeper issue in why you’re not growing like you want to.
Your message isn’t connecting with the right people. You’ve gotten passed by for something that connects better with their emotional and psychological reasons for saying “yes” and buying.
Here is a crazy idea… try seeing your business like a new person would see it.
You know the feeling of being new somewhere – all of your senses are heightened. Your excitement level is (usually) high because everything is, well, really new. Relationships haven’t been formed. Habits haven’t been created. And your experience is waiting to be discovered.
Let’s try some examples, thinking about other businesses…
- What do you think when you see dirty/old bathrooms?
- What’s your feeling when people don’t welcome you right off the bat?
- How about when you come across an old, outdated website?
- What about when the staff is less than kind and knowledgable to you?
I was introduced this weekend to one of the most ridiculous (yet effective) stories in changing the perception of a brand.
A Post cereal in Canada, called Shreddies, had painfully low sales. They decided to reach out to a marketing firm to help them turn that around. An intern for the marketing firm somewhat tongue in cheek suggested that they rotate the cereal to change it from a square (boring) shape to a diamond
(exciting!) shape, and rename it “Diamond Shreddies”. Thinking there might something to that (crazy simple) idea, they hosted focus groups where they got their validation, then developed a new website and changed their marketing efforts with the diamond shape in mind.
The result? The brand sold out a four-months supply in two months and boosted sales by 18%.
Check out this 3 minute video that shows the rebranding of Shreddies (do your best to listen past the moderators’ dramatics).
Perception is everything. Shreddies added intangible value to their cereal without changing the product in the slightest.
So, let’s go back to your business. What’s the perception you’re giving others with your business?
- How’s your customer service?
- How’s your website?
- How’s the appearance of your building (outside, front desk, bathrooms, etc)?
- How easy is it to buy what you’re selling?
- How do you address the objections that potential new clients are going to have?
Your brand is made up of hundreds of perceptions that create an emotional connection with consumers.
You have to be able to answer questions like… Why do people like your brand? Why do they use it? What emotions arise when they think about your brand?
If you went to a Michelin 5 Star restaurant and the floors were dirty or the bathrooms were disgusting, it would most likely drastically change your experience with the food. The cost and quality of the food would be incongruent with the care (or lack of) given to the facilities.
You want new people buying what you’re selling? Maybe it’s time to look underneath the hood.
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