Michael Gifford
Everything
is in place. You have the business cards, the website, the license, the
location, etc. It's all there. Now you are ready for your first
customer. There's just one challenge. Many people don't like to be
first. Like the second mouse to approach the cheese in a trap, they
prefer to watch someone else take the risk. They want to see your
company's track record before they will turn over their hard-earned
money to you. It's a Catch-22. Your potential customers want you to have
an established business before they will buy from you, but, in order
for you to have an established business, you have to have customers.
There are many reasons why some
consumers don't want to be first. At the top of the list is their
experience with fly-by-nights. They have been burned in the past and
don't want to get roasted again. The first website I ever created in my
website design business was for a customer who had paid a company $5,000
and, after three months, had only their logo on a single page to show
for it. Since that time, I have picked up business from a number of
people who had paid someone for website work and then did not get the
service they were promised or, in some cases, never heard from them
again.
Another reason why some consumers
don't want to be first is because they feel that experience is the
number one qualification that a business owner must have in order for
them to trade with him or her. After all, the experienced person always
knows the ropes, ins and outs, the tricks of the trade. Right? While
that is often true, it's also true that the "newbie" can be more hungry
and can also have some innovative ideas that the more experience person
has not considered.
With this tendency on the part of
consumers to hesitate at the opportunity to be at the front of your
line, what can you do to get someone to stick his or her neck out and
give you a try? Here are five suggestions:
- Start your solicitations for business with your warm market. It doesn't matter how much cold, lifeless technology influences our lives. As warm, living humans we still want to do business with a real person we can trust. Let your friends, family, and others close to you know about your business. Because of their trust in you, someone from those groups will likely take a risk with you when no one else will.
- Provide your credentials. Perhaps you are a plumber who had worked for another company prior to launching your own operation. Let consumers know of your knowledge. Even if you are totally new to a field, let people know of the related knowledge that you are bringing to your new venture and how it will benefit them when they buy from you.
- Testimonials. If you are not in direct competition with your most recent employer, you could ask him or her to write a testimonial regarding your abilities. Even though you are new in owning your own business, you could be immediately viewed as well-versed in your chosen field.
- Give. There are many ways for you to give in a way that can generate new business. You can give a discount, give something free, or even give a percentage of your sales to charity. If you choose to give to charity, be sure that you have already talked with the charity to let them know your plans. Knowing that they will benefit from your sales, they might even help bring customers to you.
- Offer a guarantee in conjunction with a commitment. Be specific when you do this and offer it in writing.
Because you have been willing to risk
it all to start your business, it can be difficult to comprehend why
customers would not be willing to engage with you right off the bat.
After all, they are taking a much lower risk. Just understand that not
everyone has the entrepreneurial spirit that you have. Be patient and
give consumers reasons to believe that you have something great in store
for them. Then, reward them for their commitment to you by giving them
more than they expected.
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Michael Gifford has been has often
been called “The Go To Guy.” In his many years as an entrepreneur, he has
been involved in business start-ups, aided in business expansions,
registered a patent and trademarks, and authored a number of books and
articles. Currently he serves as President of New Heights Marketing, Inc. in Sugar Hill, Georgia. Permission is granted by the author to reprint this article provided that this resource box is included in its entirety.
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