Make Your Business the Definitive Source for Certain Results

Analogy: Since fuel is necessary for progress to destinations, gas stations are common along highways. Consider your inventory & information as fuel & roads for clients’ progress in achieving goals.

Customer integration focuses on what people need to complete their current stages, prepare for future stages &/or avoid losing progress.

Service stations were common & offered fuel, maintenance checks, repairs, snacks & beverages, so people could travel with minimal disruptions. People were confident they wouldn’t be stranded.

Now since vehicles are less apt to require emergency repairs during trips, full service stations are less common. Convenience stores & automotive technicians (in separate businesses) have replaced most service stations & mechanics.

Have you adjusted your business model & marketing based on current consumers’ needs & desires? How do you assure people they can pursue happiness goals without feeling stranded? How do you help people avoid disruptions?

How Much Certainty Can You Create or Restore?

Since it’s hard for overwhelmed people to think of whole processes, they focus on individual steps. Without deep knowledge of conditions & products, people might not know how to integrate all project steps for full benefits.

Though integration is their responsibility, your job includes helping customers coordinate integration.

When you show you understand people’s stress from internal & external needs, it’s easier to believe you have solutions. People want benefits (stress relief) & ignore ads that just push products.

Think about what causes stress & compare two approaches. 1) ‘I understand you’re stressed because __. My offer relieves it by (explanation).’ 2) ‘Aspirin $4 per bottle’

Offer Benefits Including Certainty

Successful marketing can depend on determining reasons for stress. Since uncertainty can feel like being stranded, it brings stress.

Develop empathetic offers for levels of uncertainty: 1) People think something is wrong but don’t have enough information. 2) They found symptoms but haven’t diagnosed problems. 3) They identified problems, but don’t know how to eliminate & prevent causes. 4) They’re aware of various products, but don’t know how to choose or use the best options. 5) With limited money & multiple problems, people need to prioritize & solve the most urgent problem.

Explain causes & effects plus whether effects cause secondary problems since those could warrant high priority.

Since problem categories have ranges of specific problems, offer diagnostics to ease customers’ uncertainty, so they can think clearly about options.

If people are confused about problems, they’ll be less confident about potential solutions. If there are multiple potential solutions, match options with people’s desires.

Since people have personal reasons for wanting results, your offers should help people fulfill physical & psychological goals. Assure customers they can finish projects without feeling stuck (stranded) at any step.

Example: ‘Plants are great for many reasons, so (Store) has a variety & offers guidance to pick the right plants for the right places & great effects. Let’s consult about your needs & desires. Let’s review which plants & support products will give you natural benefits & bring you joy. (Store) has guidelines & checklists to help you evaluate soil, sunlight, square footage, water requirements, plus important factors many people don’t know. Ask for a checklist, so you can start in May.’

Since it seems anything can go wrong at any time, full preparedness seems impossible. When people are barely juggling issues, another issue causes others to crash.

Since people can’t prepare for every unexpected problem, help reduce current & imminent problems, so unexpected problems won’t be as disruptive.

If you can’t block future issues, help people stay in control by offering maintenance. Example: ‘Since another problem seems too much, (Store) offers (product) to keep (machine) in top condition. Be ready for winter weather.’

When you know about local conditions & product durability, you can assure customers about solutions.

Offer Example: ‘Be sure you use the best products for the best results by combining your knowledge of your goals & conditions with product knowledge at (Store). Don’t let winter weather prevent (benefit). Get the service & product quality you deserve at (Store) instead of being ignored at discount stores. Confidence in results starts with confidence in products from (Store).’

Confidence in Results plus Self-confidence

Since problem solving is a general goal, it’s important to help people form practical desires. People might be unsure what they want because they don’t know what they can do.

Review options with materials & information (including tutorials) to find people’s comfort levels. After asking what people are comfortable with, introduce unfamiliar products & methods while explaining benefits plus providing instructions.

When people refine & match comfort levels & desires, they can choose project results they can create.

Learn from customers how to help people maintain comfort at each step. Ask how customers managed comfort & discomfort levels through all project steps including planning. What inspired their comfort & confidence? What caused discomfort & uncertainty? What decreased discomfort & uncertainty?

Since people want to avoid mistakes, ask about misunderstandings & what went wrong.

Since people don’t want to waste time, ask what they would consider a waste time. Example: If total solutions aren't practical, how much problem reduction can you offer? Would customers consider that reduction level be worth the price?

If people aren’t sure what would increase their confidence, suggest examples: Tutorials & in-person lessons can make products & methods more familiar. Are there hobby groups (like master gardeners) who help each other?

Some steps don’t seem hard until people start. Encourage people to ask for help whenever necessary because instructions might seem clear until people start implementation. ‘Anytime you feel stuck, call for clarification.’

Ask how much challenge people want. If people just want results without challenges, project kits can have some assemblies completed. Reduce pressure for perfection, so novices will be comfortable.

Win Formation & Information

Winning requires preventing & mitigating problems, plus reducing risks. Realistic people aren’t pessimists because it’s important to consider potential problems.

Offer Example: ‘Boating is very popular now, so (store) has (equipment) plus instructions for safe transportation & fun. (Store) supports enthusiasm & encourages safety. Whether you go out cruising, fishing or for other purposes, (store) has dependable equipment plus information & products to be sure your equipment will be dependable for years.’

Even when people know problems are happening or will happen, some procrastinate because they don’t know how to prioritize or how to do the right things.

Analogy: Problems can feel like swamps full of alligators. Britt's problem is crossing a swamp (obstacle), where alligators (risks) live. Britt needs a safe way to get something from the other side. Britt is vulnerable in a low, slow row boat.

Air boats don’t have underwater parts & are faster than alligators. Motor boats can get stuck. Air boats reduce exposures but don’t eliminate risks.

As a full service retailer, fulfill customers' desires & needs by eliminating problems or reducing exposures. Evaluate conditions to find obstacles & risks.

After asking about customers’ perceived vulnerabilities, obstacles & risks, research what did & could interfere with effectiveness & efficiency of solutions.

Consultation Example: ‘Current conditions are __, so you need __. As conditions change, you’ll need __. At minimum, you need (Product A) because you said __. (Product B) is ideal because you’ll need to prevent __. Product instructions provide good methods; let’s combine those methods into a plan.’

Help Customers Build Self-Confidence

Remember how confident you feel about mentors who help you build self-confidence? You can be a mentor for projects or long-term. Inspire people’s confidence in you by offering improved results.

Offer Example: ‘Discount store products produce temporary results. (Store) will save you energy, time & money with long-term results. Project kits reduce frustration because you’ll know what to do & expect step-by-step. With an hour in (Store), you’ll have what you need instead of starting & stopping your project to shop for supplies for each step. Before you begin, let’s review project instructions, so you’ll know which skills you need to learn without any obligation to buy kits.’

People might need to progress incrementally because of financial, time &/or skill limits. You can help people develop practical projects based on needs & limits, so people only start what they can finish quickly.

What has shaken customers’ confidence? Were they just gaining some control when something went wrong? Do people think control of certain causes & effects is always out of reach? Do they define control as mitigating problems or total elimination?

You need to know what people believe when you offer solutions. Do people think they can manage & mitigate problems? Do they believe causes &/or effects can be eliminated?

To influence people’s intentions, you need to lead people’s beliefs. Would a trial offer be enough for noticeable preliminary benefits? Would trial offer preliminary benefits inspire confidence? Do you have testimonials & case studies to use as social proof plus tutorials?

Confidence in results is important after purchases, so people return to you for more confidence when they need future results.

Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.

Copyright 2021 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

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