Increase sales by being the path of least resistance
There are many sales clichés "out there" but perhaps the most powerful I've come across is highlighted in Mark Cuban's little book "How to Win at the Sport of Business". Like many improvement concepts, it's simple in theory but difficult to implement. What is it? Be the path of least resistance!
So, what does it mean, in practice? To me, it means look at every point of contact you have with your prospects and clients and make it easier/simpler/faster than your competitor. SO many think that price is the primary motivation in the purchase decision, but today inconvenience and friction are more likely to turn away prospective clients than price.
Every step of your sales process introduces a degree of friction and inconvenience. Yes, as consumers we know there is some effort required to make a purchase but as Amazon has proven unequivocally (AND set the bar for comparison)...1-click ordering, free shipping and next day delivery is the gold standard by which we are all now judged.
To wit, does anyone remember Sears? I'm convinced that had the Sears executive team been less stodgy and arrogant - and had a little foresight - they could have crushed Bezos as he was getting Amazon off the ground. They had EVERYTHING in place EXCEPT they stuck w/a catalog and brick & mortar retail business model instead of incorporating a website, e-commerce and home delivery concept...which was NOT the path of least resistance and ultimately lead to their demise!
Cuban goes on to note that the notion of "choice" is also often mis-interpreted. Again, SO many think that offering every possible option or choice - an all you can eat buffet, if you will - is necessary to close that prospective client. And again, the successful "paradigm busters" like Netflix prove otherwise. While Netflix has 1000's of viewing "options", it strategically serves up "just for you" choices making selection EASY. Unlimited options mean more effort to make a decision...not what today's consumers are looking for OR have become accustomed to!
So, I would encourage you to put a critical lens on EVERY...SINGLE...STEP in your customer journey and ask the simple question..."how can I make this better?". I suspect improved results will soon follow!
...and from the "practice what you preach" department, we here at BlueDog are actively engaged in this process ourselves. We are committed to improving every area of our business and have engaged specialists in different areas to assist us in this endeavor.
From sales process (marketing all the way through client onboarding and training) to software (Qualifier App completed and ready for official production release...more on that in the coming weeks) to design (improved communication and internal training) to data (BlueDog v2.0 under construction...a ground-up rebuild of our data management software), and more.
Our collective vision and goal is to make it easier/faster/more accurate to entrust US w/your design and data needs so YOU can focus on running your business!
Didja know...??? Is a series of "information bits" by Curt Hayes, BlueDog Group co-founder and managing partner, and architect of the BlueDog Database.