The 6 Step Marketing Strategy: Defining Your Guarantee
Today I want to talk about guarantees. In our marketing and sales process, sometimes we find that customers are a little bit nervous about actually making the purchase.
Online Examples
Just think about Amazon. It's an example that most people are aware of and understand. Why is it that you can be comfortable buying a particular product from Amazon? Partly because of their return policy because it's a guarantee. It says, "if you get this product and it's not what you expected, you have an issue, or even if you didn't like it, send it back and get your money back". This is a big deal because shopping online carries a certain bit of uncertainty. You wish you could pick it up and take a look at what you're buying!Zappos is another example with regard to shoes. Isn't it great that you can order those shoes? You can get them, put them on, check them out, and if you don't like them, you can send them back. They pay for the shipping going back too, so they've really taken the risk away.
A Promise or a Pledge
What I'm focusing on here is, can you take the hurdle away that's preventing your customer from jumping in and buying from you? Not every business needs to have a guarantee. Some businesses just provide a promise or a pledge of some level of service or some level of quality, and that may be enough. It depends on the product, depends on the service, and depends on the medium.If you can actually go in and be face-to-face with someone, you may not need the same guarantee as you would if you were selling online. Think about it. Do you need a guarantee, promise or pledge in order to take down the barrier and make it easier for your customer to buy from you? Consider taking on the risk in that relationship by saying, "Hey, if this doesn't work for you, I'll take it back and you get your money back."
Explore Your Options
There are many different ways to structure those guarantees so that you don't get taken advantage of. It needs to be a fair relationship. It is important to explore what those different ways are.If you went to a used car lot to buy car and you didn't have a significant relationship with anyone who worked there, it might make you a little nervous that they could sell you a "lemon". However, if they have a return policy and you know that they stand behind it, that would make it a lot easier for you to buy that car. It's better than, "Good luck. You're buying it as is. See ya!"So think about what you need to do to make your customers comfortable. If you bear the risk and give them the opportunity, you'll find that increase in sales by doing that. Thanks so much for visiting and feel free to check out the other posts in this marketing strategy series. Check out my other videos for more ideas on how to break through and reach the next level in your business. And, if you like this video, please subscribe.