Only a small number of customers will come to your store, office, or website. You’ll never see the vast majority of people.

Why?

Because you’re waiting for them to come to you. I’ll guess that most of your customers are busy people. This means that they don’t have time to visit your store even when they need what you’re selling.

The solution? Go to the customer.

Let’s look at two examples.

Busy Professionals

As I drove by a hospital the other day, I saw a truck from Mobile Instrument. This company specializes in on-site surgical equipment repair.

You’ll be hard pressed to find people busier than those in the medical profession. Mobile Instrument realized this back in 1978 when they started going to the customer to provide on-site repair.

Busy Individuals

How many times have you had to rearrange your schedule to get your car’s oil changed? My friend Steve Barnes saw opportunity there and started his own mobile oil change business. He comes to your house or office and will change your oil while you go about your normal activities. You’re freed from the hassle of taking your car to the shop.

Convenience

These two examples highlight businesses that focus on convenience as a primary value statement. They made the purchase convenient by going straight to the customer. This convenience is tangible and easily understood. You can try that method or pursue other options.

How can you make your product or service more convenient to buy?

• Identify barriers or obstacles that stand between your customer’s wallet and your business. This should be done from the customers’ perspective. You’re probably too biased to clearly identify all these barriers by yourself.
• Eliminate unnecessary steps in the purchase process. For example, just because your computer system needs some data doesn’t mean your customer should have to jump through those hoops.
• Reduce the customer effort needed to buy. Can the customer purchase from her office? Over the web? Can you deliver? How long will this whole process take?
• Explain your product so everyone can understand. Tailor your marketing copy to your audience. If you’re using industry jargon you may just confuse and lose potential customers.
• Give customers alternatives that all lead to a completed sale.
• Sell a product that is so compelling that the reward of purchasing greatly outweighs any effort exerted by the customer.

On-Site Pain Relief

You can follow the path of Mobile Instrument or my friend Steve and go directly to the customer. If this is your plan, you need to focus your marketing efforts on the pain and inconvenience your potential customers are currently feeling. Tell them how your service eliminates those problems. Help customers imagine a better life because of your service and how painless it is to get started.

Quality

Make sure your product and service lives up to the hype. Convenience can’t always overcome shoddy workmanship.

More Customers

If you want more customers, you need to make the buying process as simple as possible. Convenience helps prospective buyers take that first leap of faith and try your product or service. Deliver a quality experience and they’ll keep coming back for more because you’ve made it so easy to do just that.

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