Sitting and Thinking About the Quality of Being Helpful and Transparent.
As I am working on a website for my Father's company this morning I am sitting here and thinking of some of the ideas I am putting into the site development and might make good mention of in this blog. It seems to me that transparency and helpfulness are much more beneficial to getting a customer fit, gaining the right customers and increasing profits than utilizing closed systems or limited information.
Allow me to explain:
When I owned a business a few years back we sold a premium home re-model solution with granite as our basis. We weren't exactly cheap. In fact, we were a premium solution.
Frequently we would do home shows and I would have to instruct my sales people to act counter-intuitive to how most sales people are trained to present a product. The goal was actually to get the best quality leads, which would mean losing several hundred potentials, but price sensitive customers, for 60 - 90 extremely well qualified customers. These were customers that the likelihood of selling to was well above
80% and my sales people would see it as they met with the customers over the next few weeks (they would like their paychecks as well).
A salesperson wants to sell to everyone. My sales people were instructed to be completely transparent on price, benefits, install times, everything. We even directed customers that weren't a fit to partners (that we sought out) in other similar companies that could better assist them. The goal was to inform, create trust, be helpful and trustworthy. Over time we saw many of the supposedly price conscience customers coming back to the company that was upfront, open and not high pressure or obscuring price and benefits. Most customers aren't really price sensitive but it helps for them to see it first and then have your sales person give it a little boost.
As I work on this website my goal is the same. First and foremost, the sight will be an information resource that will show the company's commitment to its product and an informed customer base. The goal is to give answers but to also drive more complex questions to the company's sales personnel. Price is provided openly. Sure it makes it easier for competitors to shop you, but they will get your prices one way or another. Disruptors aren't about price. We are about creating tools for information, transparency, authenticity, and that will eventually drive sales by connecting with our target market.
Remember, we aren't looking to or need to sell to everyone. We sell to those that are a fit and fit our profit model.
Brian McKay is co-founder and CEO of zenruption. His sole goal in life is to educate and empower the little guy. He learned the most in life by losing everything he had built during a financial melt down caused by greedy bankers. Thank you bankers! Last year he watched every episode of My Little Pony with his daughter. Oddly, he is single.