Do your customers really understand you? Does it matter?

We’ve been told time and time again how our customers don’t really care about us, they just care about their own pains and challenges and whether or not we can help them. This is partially true. We do need to focus on how we can solve problems and decrease pain for our customers more than our credentials and (sometimes long) list of features and benefits. HOWEVER, you may be missing opportunities because your customers don’t know ENOUGH about you.

Smart business owners, like you, know how important it is to make your customers happy. Satisfied customers result in referrals, which often are the lifeblood of a business. Satisfied customers, however, may not completely know or understand all the different ways you serve your customers. They may just know you and your business in the framework of what you did for them. Isn’t that enough? Well, yes and no. It is wonderful to have a client who is so happy they may refer a friend for the same thing they purchased, yet you may be missing opportunities for more referrals or repeat business from the same client. Let’s dig into this a bit more.

Let’s pretend you are a coach. You may specialize in working with athletes with mindset blocks. You may also work with teams. You may also help athletes with sleep issues or nutrition. If you successfully work with Sharon to overcome some of her mindset issues so she can perform better, you can bet Sharon is a happy camper. She may tell her friends and even make an introduction to Beth who needs the same thing. That is an illustration of why customer experience is a key part of your branding and marketing. But wait, there’s more! If Sharon doesn’t know that you can also help her with sleep issues, you may be missing an opportunity to help her more and also increase your revenue while – wait for it – not even having to get a new client! Even if Sharon doesn’t have sleep issues, if she knows you offer this service, she may know someone else who needs that particular service.

Now I know what you may be thinking right now. You might be saying “my customers all know everything I offer because it’s on my website and in my brochure. How could they not know?” Maybe Sharon came to you through another referral and never looked at your website or your brochure. Maybe she was so relieved to find someone who could help her, she immediately called and booked an appointment and never saw any of your marketing material. Maybe Sharon did go to your website, but she stopped reading as soon as she found what she wanted. Maybe she forgot. The point is it doesn’t matter. The responsibility lies with you, not Sharon. Her knowledge of you, your story, and your offerings all ultimately depend on you educating her.

Creating ways to consistently stay in touch with your customers – current, past, and potential – is key in educating people on all the ways you help people solve problems. When you send out a consistent monthly email, for example, people will appreciate the information you share (if it’s valuable) and not view you as being sales-y. It will inform and educate people, and keep you top of mind. As business owners, so often we are hyper-aware of not wanting to bother people, and while the intention is pure, it can cause us to neglect telling people things they may actually want to hear.  The truth is people will ignore your email if they don’t want to to read it, which is absolutely OK.

Remember what I like to say, we are “marketing to humans.” Most humans are as interested in you and your story as you are in them, ESPECIALLY after you have helped them. Look at it this way – who are you to not share information with customers that they may really be looking for?

 

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