Get a weighing scale. Put ‘Like' on one side. Put ‘Risk' on the other side. And your eyes start to roll as you figure out the obvious. That the higher the risk, the less you're liked.
But is there more to the like factor than you think?
The biggest reason why customers don't buy You know it, and I know it. It's called risk. We don't like the idea of being cheated, fooled and gypped. So if we sense risk, we don't buy the product or the service. Of course, you'd assume that if you took away the risk factor, you'd end up with the like factor, wouldn't you? And we'd all live happily ever after, right?
Yet look at your own buying behaviour
There's no risk in buying petrol. In most cases, the prices are well posted, and in most cases, the product is identical to what you'd get at the next petrol station. So why do you buy petrol from one place, instead of the other. Or rather, why would you drive a couple of miles, instead of buying it from the petrol station that's convenient.
You see, reducing risk is important
Yes indeedy, you must get the risk down to nothing. But at the same time, you've got to increase the intensity of the like factor.
Simply lowering the risk factor, does not improve the chances of converting to a sure sale. The reason why you buy at the next petrol station and not at the most convenient petrol station, is because you like something about the other petrol station.
You probably like the exuberance of the owner
You probably like the surroundings. Or the service. Or the fact, that they stock up your favourite candy. Or the fact, that they call you by name. Whatever the scenario, when it comes to conversion, customers are looking for low risk, lots of like.
Ooh, here comes the hard part
How do you make your customers like you?
On the Internet: Customers like personality. Photos (smiling photos, please), little quirks in your words, or pictures, make you likeable.
Off the Internet: Chocolate, Phone calls, Wine and Cheese Session
Thank you cards: They all work to increase your likeability.
Personal Experience:
On our website, we have recipes, lots of photos (weird and normal touristy ones), recipes, cartoons, one-of-a-kind words like kazooza, squillion, waka-waka. So how do we know that all of the above works? Because clients write to us all the time about the recipes. They send in their own recipes. They comment on the whacky word usage. They complain when we don't put cartoons. And they tell us about how they love the photos, and
how it makes them feel like they know us.
Offline, we have small parties for clients. We send them movie tickets. We send them chocolates. We use Amazon.com from time to time. We remember birthdays. we send little notes of encouragement. We use thank you cards.
Risk. And Like.
They're twins. Work on both of them simultaneously.
Who needs better marketing?
“Who needs better marketing? Why would someone choose a method of deeply rooted psychological principles that speaks directly to the mind of potential prospects? The answers are “everyone” and “because they work!” This is one of the best marketing programs in the world today.”
Chris Ellington, doublehelixcommunications
Dublin, California, USA
Find out Why! Your marketing might not be zooming ahead because of a fundamental flaw in your message.
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Great one Sean. One big way we can lower risk is by having “full satisfaction or your money back” guarantees.