Harry Beckwith in his book Selling the Invisible notes that one major hurdle your potential customers must overcome is risk. They risk throwing away their money on your product or service. They risk purchasing a problematic widget or having to deal with poor customer service. There are numerous risks associated with buying your product or signing up for your service.
When comparing you to your competition, customers will choose the least risky option.
Becoming Less Risky
You can become the obvious choice for your customers if you mitigate what they view as risks. Try some of these techniques:
- offer 30 day trials
- guarantee your work
- have a friendly product return policy
- show examples of past work
- provide references or testimonials
- respond promptly to customer inquires
Be the least risky option and you will be the only option for your potential customers.
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Chris Brunner
November 2, 2005
Nice list you have here Joe. I think that making a purchase from your company less risky is one solid part of the reputation building process.
I write more about building your reputation in my blog, The Small Business Buzz.