How easy is it to buy from you?
It was a fine, sunny day, warm with a breeze, and perfect for spending time outdoors.
The coffee carts were lined up along the street, right outside the park. The hero of our story decided to approach one such cart and order himself a coffee to drink while he worked outdoors for a bit.
He waited in a short line, made it to the order window, asked for his desired coffee, and was told: “You can’t order here, you have to download our app, order online, pay, then come back and pick up”.
So our hero said thank you very much and moved to the next cart, where he could order, pay for, and receive his coffee in under 60 seconds.
Don’t make it difficult to buy from you
How many steps are involved in somebody hiring you or buying from you?
The higher the number of steps, the lower the likelihood that they will buy from you.
The last thing you want to do is add work, add mystery, or add labor to your sales process. Every additional step a prospect has to take is one time you are saying “are you sure you want to buy from me?” and delaying the actual sale.
Keep it simple
Is it easy to contact you?
How do people get in touch and, importantly, why?
Decide if you want people to call you, email you, or fill in a contact form, and then make that method of communication easy to find.
But don’t stop there: also tell the client what you want them to say.
When a prospect starts with a blank page or canvas, you are asking them to do the work. Instead suggest a conversation starter. It can be as simple as “Call me on this number to talk about the admin work you are thinking of outsourcing”, assuming you are a virtual assistance agency.
Give people a hint or a first line.
What should people expect?
Do people know what working with you will be like?
Do they know how you sound, how you speak, and how you interact with others?
The more people know exactly what is going to happen once they contact you or engage you, the easier it will be for them to do.
Remove the mystery from the experience of your store, and make it a safe and easy environment for your clients to approach you.
Is it easy to pay you?
And whatever you do, do not add unnecessary steps to payment instructions.
Don’t force people to download an app, or fill in extra forms, or find half-hidden payment details.
Do everything you can to make payment as simple as one click.
Be easy to work with
Be the coffee cart that is easy to find, easy to order from, and easy to pay.
Otherwise having the best coffee on the block won’t matter, because people won’t get far enough to find out.