I have been watching my emails more closely in the last month and, as always, contact my clients and ask them, “Hey, what’s going on?” The answer seems to fall into two areas.
One. Revenue has slipped since July and is not as good as in 2022.
Two, Revenue was slightly up in some categories but not what we expected.
They all seem a bit stressed about their revenue line. 2022 was so good for so many that 2023 revenue is having difficulty keeping pace, starting in the early 3rd quarter. (July).
While I begin to work with my clients on our Discovery, Solutions, Proof, Test, and Launch Process (KAPLOE DSPTL™), I bring them back to a review of “Why People Buy?”
I do this for one reason: being the lower price per game, per hour, or package is not the only solution to driving traffic – as it had been years before the pandemic- that one nail in your toolbox will not build a bigger revenue house.
So, I thought I would reprint one of my all-time best-read blogs about why people buy. You will find it equally relevant today and as entertaining as yesterday.
Here They Are
- Appeal only to a prospect’s reason, and you may have no appeal; sell emotional connectivity. People buy emotionally (either their purchase increases their pleasure or reduces pain) and seek rational reasons to justify their purchase.
- SELL HOPE. Hope is the birth child of the marriage of Increasing pleasure and Reducing Pain. Listen as the customer’s brain says, “I hope the product I buy will achieve one or both goals.”
- Familiarity breeds business. Spread your word however you can. Have a digital campaign, not just an email or Facebook announcement, but a campaign with specific communication steps, always asking yet building to another offer. Know who opens your communication and be ready to go back to them. Similarly, know who doesn’t open your communication and return to them with different offers.
- Take advantage of the “Recency Effect”. Follow up brilliantly. Please contact those who open your communication and follow-up in less than 24 hours. The longer you wait, the colder the prospect becomes.
- Forget looking like the superior choice. Make yourself an excellent choice. Then, eliminate anything that might make you a wrong choice. (People do not look to make the ideal choice; they want to avoid making a wrong choice).
- People don’t just make snap decisions; they get anchored to them. First, impressions and staying on brand make you the consistent choice, so when your prospect sees or hears about your center, their brain registers “Yes or No.” You must fix or rebrand your center if you get less favorable first impressions. Start Today
- Each impression you make will – temporarily, at least- be your last. So, make it strong.
- Build the highest quality service model you can, but make it less intimidating for your customers, future customers…and employees. People Like to Buy but Don’t Like to Be Sold because, psychologically, that involves some measure of risk. And most people are risk-averse unless the reward is perceived to be more significant. That’s why you have to get them to buy into THEIR vision of what a great experience at your center is and then deliver what they want
- The best thing you can do for a prospect is to eliminate her fear. Offer a trial period or a test project. Or even a guarantee, especially for new bowlers in short-season leagues.
- The more alike the two services are, the more important each difference becomes. Accentuate the trivial. Sweat the details and be crystal clear about why these differences make your center a better choice for a better experience.
A Bonus.
- Tell the truth, even if it hurts. Print your reviews, even the bad ones, and demonstrate how you responded and what you will do (or have done to satisfy the customer).
Finally, run this as a checklist against your marketing decisions, strategies and tactics, communications, and service guidelines.
Does your strategy check all of these boxes?
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