“Why does your business exist?” Can you tell us the answer? Do you think your customers could?
Business owners exist because they have a product or service that answers a need in the marketplace for customers. Therefore, asking ourselves customer questions helps shape marketing strategies to serve our customers’ needs. However, are you really answering the questions your customers have? Today, we will look at some of the questions that customers ask but are rarely answered by businesses.
Now you may be asking yourself, “Which customer questions am I not answering? I’m already answering enough customer questions, aren’t I?” These are valid questions to ask because you may believe that you’ve done the research and worked hard to make your business as helpful and open as possible. But you might not be considering every aspect of these questions. Sometimes you can find the actual question in the outlying ideas that customers have about a business.
Also, we’re going to tell you right now that it’s impossible to know the answer to every question a customer will throw at you. So, when you’re coming up with the plan for addressing these questions, remember that you will have to face an out-of-the-box question or situation that you don’t know how to answer. That’s okay. These are excellent learning opportunities.
As you churn that around in your head, let’s look at some of these questions.
“Can I Justify Buying This?”
You’ve probably framed a marketing strategy or designed your website to answer something like this. However, this question raises some essential things to consider as a business owner since we believe we know how to answer it. Traditionally, when thinking about this question or a similar one, we strategize a marketing campaign to explain why the product is so great.
We’re not saying that’s wrong. You should be thinking about how to make your product stand out amongst others. What we’re saying is that there’s something else to consider when trying to put yourself in a customers’ shoes and examine the decisions you make.
As a business, you know your product has value and is a solution to a real problem held by consumers, so don’t spend a lot of time wondering if the customer will think buying your product will be worth it. Instead, you need to find a way to demonstrate how your product can be cost-efficient and that the customer will feel good about choosing to buy it.
“Is Your Business Trustworthy?”
This question is a big one to consider, especially if you’re an e-commerce company or you’re developing an e-commerce website. Don’t feel offended if a customer asks this question in some form; online businesses have made some consumers wary of product quality and company accountability. When a customer asks this question of you, it’s because they’re looking for a human face behind the business to connect with and feel better about buying your products.
When you present your company with some form of human interaction, whether it’s a customer service option or providing a narrative describing its history and purpose. It helps put customer’s minds at ease, knowing that the company is driven to help them. It doesn’t matter if your business is a brick-and-mortar or an online buying and selling platform; customers want to see the human behind the curtain. This should prompt you to consider how ‘human’ your business presents itself and if there’s anything else you could be doing. After all, it’s your business. Your values should be shining through every action and product of your company.
“Will This Company Help Me?”
When promoting a business or convincing customers to buy a product, remember that they might not know what they’re looking for. Customers know they have a problem that requires a solution, but they might not know what that solution is or how many options exist. So when a consumer comes knocking on your door, they want to see if you’re going to help them understand their problem and give them guidance on how to solve it.
Your role as a business is to answer this question in a friendly and simple way that isn’t too salesy. Customers will be better swayed by an honest explanation of the solution to their problem and how your products fit into that category.
If a question about the helpfulness of your company comes up and you have an opportunity to answer it. Then, you have a better chance of encouraging a purchase decision from them and gain new customer loyalty. Examine what your business is doing now to answer this question and work on how to improve your efforts.
“What Makes This Business Better?”
The most common idea behind promoting a product or business is validating your uniqueness and value to your customers. If there’s a large competition pool for your product, it’s really important to showcase how different your company is from others. Even more so, why should the customer consider your business and products over another company? What are you offering to make your business stand out?
Your company’s uniqueness needs to be presented in a way that customers can recognize and agree with; otherwise, they won’t be persuaded to buy your product. So, what are you currently selling that a customer won’t be able to buy with the same effectiveness or design anywhere else? How does this specialty make you the best choice?
Many of you might be trying to answer this question with your product promotions, but you’ll want to make sure you’re answering it correctly and convincingly. Of course, there’s no right or wrong way to explain yourself and your ingenuity; still, you’ll want to make sure your message is understandable to everyone, not just you! Test how well received your message and value are translated in the marketplace and try some different approaches.
Being able to respond to customer inquiries and interests will always be a crucial part of being a successful entrepreneur. Do everything you can to keep your customer’s questions and the best way to answer them in the front of your mind while marketing.
