Every venture needs consumers, but getting them is not always smooth sailing. Ever wondered why those we know (friends and family) are sometimes the last to pay us attention when we ask for support? If you just started in business or have been in the game for a while, please pay close attention to the following reasons why people would rather not support your business and some possible "solutions":
- They don’t take you seriously: This commonly happens at the beginning of a new venture. Your friends have never seen you in this ‘role’ before, and so fail to take "this" quite seriously. At the back of their minds, they might be thinking it's just a matter of time before you ‘wake-up’, smell the coffee and this whole thing will never be heard of again!
By you sticking to your business, those who initially said "NO" often eventually take a second look, especially when they start to see growth and success.
- They don’t believe you: People are generally skeptical these days ... how can we blame them when they are getting hit with so much information (offers, promises, deals) from every angel? Everyone seems to have found a cure for broke-ness or an answer to someone’s problems. Whenever an entrepreneur introduces a new product or service, your audience immediately begins to think, "...not again!", "too-good to be true", or "this is untrue".
To break down these walls, do not exagerate the benefits, recount success stories and testimonials (don't be too colorful), and most importantly, be a true embodiment of your product/service - this draws customers to you.
- Lack of understanding: Folks don't always get the full picture the first time they "see" it for several reasons, either because they weren't paying attention, you didn’t clearly convey relevant information (be sure to read How to Get Customers to Buy From You), or because they don't understand just what you expect from them and why it's important to you.
If you are new in the business, three-way calls and the support from someone with more experience usually helps paint a clearer picture and possibly close the deal. Patience is also very important … you just might have to go over the information more than once before they finally "get it".
- Confused! Let's be frank, how many times have you ‘pushed’ a service or product to friends and family? If everytime they turn around, you are doing something
different, they get confused ... “what are you expecting from me now?”
Be very careful about your business choices; it is advisable to stick to one main plan ... we understand multiple streams, but onlookers usually don't.
- Your deals are not the best: In all fairness, everyone is looking to save money and cut down on cost these days. If your potential customers are able to find better deals somewhere else, chances are they will not go with you.
Be very clear about what makes your product stand out. Also, lean on emotion by thugging at their heart strings, not so much on logic. Most buying decisions are made based on emotion, not on how much sense they make at the time.
- Folks do not like change: Aren't we all guilty of this? Human beings generally don't like to deal with the unknown either because they are comfortable with the service they have, or are unwilling to deal with the hassles of trying / experiencing something new. Hence, you not being the first to introduce a product to them, makes you less likely to get that business.
Patient reassurance and an offer to personally help ensure a smooth transition generally helps.
- Not interested: There are many reasons for this - the need might not be there, the timing might be off, or frankly, they'd rather not have anything to do with you.
Respect the decision and back off. And hey, check back from time to time - people go through change cycles, the timing might just be right the next time you stop by to say "hi".
- Selfishness: It is a reality business owners have to deal with everyday - some acquaintance, friends and even family members would not support a service or product just because they know you stand to gain something. They would rather consume a similar product from a competitor, just so that you – the one they know - doesn’t get compensated.
Solution: move on. There's a wide world out there waiting.
- Lack of trust: How trustworthy are you? How many bridges have you burnt? No one's perfect, people make mistakes and deals can go bad, but the bottomline when it comes to business is that folks like to deal with people they can trust. On the other hand, it is important to note that they might trust you, but not your offer (product/service).
If the product is the problem, find ways to prove its effectiveness and get them to feel comfortable with it. However, if the problem is you … I don’t know, you might just have to cut your losses. It is difficult to fix trust once it is broken. Always remember that your reputation is a main determinant of whether people will do business with you or not.
- Envy: We all desire the good things of life - to be successful professionally and personally. However, the playing fields of life are so different, that encountering envy should be expected ... there are always those who wish they were doing what you are doing. Be prepared to evoke negative emotions in others, regardless of how you try not to ... human nature.
Solution: Stop trying to please everyone, be positive, seek to empower, and operate from a place of love.
- You are competition ... at least in their minds.Competition is always a good thing anyway, it allows us to engage in similar activities, yet add different twists and personalized flavors. I don't always see it as competition, it's more variety ... which they say is the spice of life!
Focus on providing a quality experience for your customers and business partners - this builds loyalty - great for business as customer retention is always easier than attracting new customers. Play on and win.
In conclusion, when people do not support your business because of these 11 reasons, say to yourself, "someone is out there who needs my business", and focus on connecting with them. Hey, did you noticed that I didn’t mention time? I would like to point out that when someone fails to support you because “they don’t have the time”, more often than not, what they are saying is, "I am not interested!" or "It's not important enough!" People always find the time for the things that are important to them.
Never spend too much time with or on the wrong people - professionals sort.
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You've covered some very very important points in your article Lema. It's so well written and in-depth. Thanks for that. The article confirms what Les Brown told us during our meeting with him on Tuesday. He said that 95% of the people that will help you reach your goals are strangers. He said as business owners, we must build a network of achievement driven people who can connect you to the right people. That made complete sense to me, and as you stated in your article, we'll never really grow in the circle of our family and friends because they don't share our vision and don't quite understand the urgency in reaching goals, which like-minded business folks do. Great piece!
Posted by: Nicoline Ambe | Dec 16, 2011 at 10:22 PM