Are You Preventing Sales?

Unless you have 100% market share, some of your target customers aren’t buying from you yet.  Clearly, something is preventing them from doing business with you and, if you could figure out what that might be and make it go away, they’d be yours.

I recently made up a “possible preventor checklist” for a client to help determine why people were not doing business with them. This list could be helpful to you in thinking through why some of your target customers are not yet buying from you.

Check out the list below, determine which “preventors” might apply to your business…and then get creative about how you’re going to overcome “preventors”. Here’s the list.

1) Perhaps some of your target customers don’t even know that the product or service you sell exists.

2) Or, they know it exists but they think they don’t need or want it.  Perhaps they simply aren’t aware of the value or benefits of what you sell.

3) They don’t know that you exist…or they’ve forgotten about you.

4) The name of your business is vague, confusing or misleading so that your target customers aren’t even sure what you do. Or perhaps your value proposition is not focused on the client. Does your value proposition clearly state how others benefit from doing business with you?

5) For some reason, they don’t like you or trust you. Some fear, doubt, uncertainty or negative assumption about you is preventing your target customers from choosing you. What’s the reason & how can you deal with it?  Have they had a bad experience with you, or someone like you?  Does your business look unwelcoming or intimidating in some way?  Do they believe that it’s inconvenient or difficult to do business with you?

6)  Some fears, doubts, uncertainties or negative assumptions about themselves might be preventing them from buying your product or service. Perhaps they believe that they’re not smart enough or skilled enough to wisely choose or successfully use what you sell.  Or, perhaps they believe that they can’t afford to do business with you.

So, what might be preventing some of your target customers from doing business with you?  Set aside one hour to review this checklist with some of your team or team mates. Think and feel like a target customer, get inside their minds and hearts and see what you come up with. Then, get creative in dealing with the “preventors” in a way that makes you the logical and preferred choice. Create a compelling value story and communicate that in everything you do.

And, if you’re wondering if it’s worth the trouble, remember that increasing your sales by just 5% could grow your bottom line by as much as 25% to 40%.

Dedicated to Increasing your Sales,

Colleen