Help Consumers Win Daily Battles.

I’m still expanding the Customer Intimacy concept from “The Discipline of Market Leaders” by Michael Treacy & Fred Wiersema. I’m describing ways to integrate businesses with consumers’ lives.

Consumers think prices are the only differences between stores if retailers don’t produce enough value. Some retailers say consumers are fickle, as if consumers aren’t entitled to superior values. Don’t blame consumers for choosing competitors. You’re responsible for explaining why your offers are superior values.

Customer intimate consultations define superior values & why specific products matter. Consultations help you & customers understand & agree how to use products & tasks to improve conditions.

With that understanding, you can build a reputation of consistently helping people create & maintain improvements.

In “Bottom-Up Marketing”, Al Ries & Jack Trout recommend going down to the battle front (consumers’ minds). Consultations are good for confronting consumers’ beliefs about products & retailers, plus learning about changing needs & desires. Adjust advertising & in-store efforts based on customers’ current beliefs, needs & desires.

In physical wars, each side might promise better conditions for civilians, but trust is built by listening before telling.

The battle metaphor fits retailing because consumers cooperate with the side that provides what they need. You need to provide peace of mind by helping consumers win daily battles (solving & preventing problems).

Consumers need allies for their daily battles. To be a retail ally, make shopping easy with informative advertising & in-store product advice. To win their battles, consumers need reliable supply lines & communication. Consultations show you care about communication & being a reliable supplier.
Promise Example: ‘Many retailers only sell products, so they don’t ask about your needs. We know product details & local conditions, plus we ask questions to confirm which product results you need.’

Big retailers promote commodity products as standard solutions. By definition, problems aren’t standard conditions, so standard solutions might be incomplete. Customized solutions can closely fit problems for long-term quality.

Be Dedicated To People Before You Expect Them To Be Dedicated To You.

Your dedication to local people can attract customers, who won’t settle for standard kits that yield substandard results.
Promise Example: ‘Big retailers often expect people to settle for standard products or kits that don’t totally solve problems. They cater to the needs of regional populations. Instead of buying standard products or kits, tell us about your conditions so we can develop complete, specific results.’

Show you understand customers’ needs & desires while offering solutions.
Promise Example: ‘Daily life can feel like a battle when you try to identify new problems & find solutions while dealing with other concerns. Let’s compare product details & your conditions, so we can customize remedies for your challenges. That’s the value of investing time to understand what you want, so you use the right products & methods.’

When you understand customers, you know which information helps them decide what to buy. Consultations help you learn what to put in your ads & guide customers in-person.

Successful consultations build preliminary trust when you listen before selling. Learn about results consumers expect & their confidence levels during consultations & earn trust by helping customers fulfill their expectations.

During consultations, help customers set expectations based on product specifications & effective methods that fit current & predicted conditions.

Even if only a minority of customers wants consultations, you’ll learn applicable facts & methods to benefit others. When you show deep concern, customers make referrals because they trust you to serve friends.

Customers can help others with methods they learn from you & recommend you as a product source. Customers can reciprocate & keep you in business, so you’ll help them in the future.

Consultations build relationships for mutual benefits. Relationships establish strong positions in the competitive fronts in people’s minds. You need to establish & maintain strong positions in people’s lives.

Advertised product & price lists don’t connect needs with solutions until questions are asked & answered. Your knowledge shows your concern about people, so they can rely on you. Show you just need customers to provide their unique facts & you’ll add the rest.

Solutions = Products + Methods

Retailers typically offer solutions like this: You have this problem; here’s a product, the price is __. The customer intimate approach is: You have this problem; let’s discuss how to solve it with these products & methods.

Customer intimacy focuses on understanding customers’ concerns & recommending specific solutions instead of just selling products. Understanding concerns makes customer service easier.

Build trust by explaining how you integrate your store with customers’ lives by understanding their concerns.
Example: ‘We focus on what’s important for your quality of life. We choose products based on living in our community & discussing customers’ concerns & goals. We study product details & local conditions, so we can recommend solutions instead of just selling products.’

Customer intimate retailers develop confidence in solutions by basing offers on why people want to obtain or avoid things. Ask about customers’ priorities & viewpoints, so you can develop solutions & explain why benefits are important.

People might choose stores for combined reasons.
Example: They want help to accurately diagnose problems & avoid mistakes when implementing solutions.

People Wonder, ‘What If __?’

To help people, ask about their concerns.
Example: ‘Have you heard good & bad things about (product)? Do you want a better alternative? Let’s discuss your conditions. What’s the best result you want? What’s the least you expect? Have you ever tried (product)? What were your results? If __ happens, your options are __. Based on your conditions, __ might be your best option.’

Discuss product expectations & results criteria, so customers understand which products & methods are safe & effective for their conditions & goals.

People need to accurately evaluate results to determine if problems are thoroughly solved or prevented. Help people choose products & evaluate results by discussing how to eliminate causes & create effects.

Offer checklists or internet links to help customers diagnose problems, choose necessary products for specific problems & evaluate results.
Example: ‘Some retailers may claim to sell solutions, but do they help you identify problems or just sell products? When they sell the wrong products, you still have problems & less money. It’s why we have checklists & other resources to help you identify specific problems & confirm solutions are working.’

Even after buying necessary products, people need knowledge that might not be on product labels.
Examples: Since conditions vary, what’s right for some cases is wrong for others. Misusing products can cause problems without fixing anything. If products don’t work quickly, people might use the wrong amount & later wonder if it’s too late to correct. People need to know what to expect step-by-step, so they work at the right pace & adjust methods if necessary.

How precise should people be with methods & measurements?
Example: Product ingredients can have varying effects & safety risks. People might use minimal amounts to reduce chemical exposures, but they’d also get reduced results. Discuss how to accommodate safety concerns so people get results they pay for.
Results of using safety products can depend on materials. Vinyl gloves can withstand chemicals, but if chemical reactions create extreme heat or fire, vinyl gloves aren’t protective.

If project results start varying from expectations, help customers realistically adjust expectations &/or use different products &/or methods.

Strengthen Your Competitive Advantage By Improving Lives

You’ll build your competitive advantage with every bit of exclusive value you add. Though your guidance wouldn’t guarantee perfection, you can reduce people’s risks. You can compete based on reducing people’s risks.
Offer Example: ‘Get customized plans to increase your success & decrease risks. You may be unaware of risk factors. Though we can’t guarantee perfection, let’s discuss your conditions & goals. We can increase positive factors & decrease negatives.’

Project kits can include warnings about potential risks like trying to get faster results or off-label results.
Example: ‘People are often tempted to use higher product amounts or try unrecommended methods to get faster or different results. Please use products as instructed. Even if experienced users advise various changes, serious injuries & damage are possible.’

Though people can find diagnostic pictures & guidance on the internet, they need enough knowledge to determine search terms & evaluate information.

Be a stronger competitor by increasing the effectiveness of products by accurately diagnosing problems or guiding people to find diagnostic information.

Make your store irreplaceable by integrating with consumers' priorities & linking with their desires. Example: ‘Winter is close, so it’s time to plan for (issue). You’ll be sure your home is secure, when high priority tasks are done. Your priority might be __; we’ll help with (products), so you can prevent/fix __. As we fulfill your priorities, you’ll feel less stress & enjoy life more.’


Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.
Copyright 2020 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here-
https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

If You Want Different Results, Use Different Concepts & Methods.

Would you rebel or submit if you were required to adopt the same practices of other retailers? If every retailer had the same practices & inventory, many stores would close because consumers would choose the most convenient locations.

Small stores have failed by copying successful big retailers & big retailers fail when competitors offer better value. Instead of just promoting product features &/or benefits, offer the value of helping customers produce & maintain results.

As retailers test offers & consumers’ lives change, offering superior value is a challenge.
Example: As conditions change, products & methods can lose effectiveness or cause damage. Help consumers adjust what they do, so they can adopt new necessities.

Relevant Retailing

Since consumers have a variety of choices, test a variety of services instead of competing only based on products & prices. Your services should integrate your store into local consumers’ lives. What I write about Customer Intimacy is how to integrate your store into consumers’ lives.

When people want low priority results, discount stores' commodities are OK. Small stores should offer what people need for high priority results.

Big retailers try to be more relevant to wider segments by experimenting with customer services, product types & quality levels.

When big retailers focus on big segments, they miss some individual desires & needs. Fill those gaps by aligning your practices with local & personal conditions, so you can integrate with consumers because you understand them better than competitors.

You can help people produce better results when you ask what people want & need from certain results.
Example: Medical problems can restrict people’s movements & force people to change their homes. Some businesses push new cabinets. Organizers & different shelves would help people store & retrieve things & the installation would be less disruptive.

People Want More With Less Risk

Some retailers have easy product return policies, but people still have unsolved problems if they return products. Integration involves helping people find what they want & avoid what they don’t want.

People are more concerned about losing what they have than about progress. It’s common for retailers to offer products without promising specific benefits. Some encourage progress but ignore consumers’ other concerns.

Customer intimate retailers ask about concerns & help people build loss resistant foundations.

This foundations concept means people can retain benefits if problems happen.
Help people understand: 1) what causes their current conditions; 2) positive potential of making changes; 3) negative potential of not making changes; 4) what could go wrong with some products; 5) how to avoid mistakes.

Step-by-step instructions for specific conditions can limit risks. When steps are completed, other tasks won’t disrupt what’s secure because of your advice about avoiding problems & mistakes. Based on expected results of each step, people can recognize potential problems & learn to preserve progress & prevent losses.

As people consider other projects, you can help them check compatibility & be sure new projects don’t interfere with past projects. Example: If people have gardens, planting trees can cause too much shade or even chemically kill other plants.

Offer advice based on total goals & conditions since soil conditions & placement also affect plant health.

Urge customers to consider short- & long-term issues. Examples below are analogous for other projects.

Before planting trees, people should consider how long they’ll live in their houses, future tree size, growth speed & raking leaves year after year. People add rooms to their houses under growing tree branches & wind knocks branches down.

Since people have deductibles, insurance doesn’t always fully cover damage from accidents or severe weather. Insurance doesn’t restore satisfaction when people lose results of their work. Your customer service can include products & information for protecting completed projects & works in progress.

If insurance only covers completed projects, help people reduce vulnerability by determining when to start & how to speed up results.

People might hesitate if they can’t get full insurance coverage for expensive projects. You can show you care by advising people to be sure they’ll have insurance coverage before starting projects.

Project results should be worth more than the insured value of the materials. Do you have examples of insured value of projects to show to insurance adjusters?

You’ll show you care when you help people anticipate opportunities & problems.

What Reassures Customers?

Promote your ability to coordinate products & project tasks because confused people might hesitate to buy.

Shopping for the right product is frustrating without knowing if features solve specific problems. Help people plan projects by matching product benefits with customers' needs.

Stress from problems is compounded when people struggle to learn all they need for projects.

To reduce people's frustration, offer details they need for the best solutions.
Example: ‘You noticed (symptoms) & need quick solutions. After you evaluate your conditions, you need a plan & to learn about tools, materials & compatibility issues. It’s hard to control problems while learning every important detail, finding the best products & planning your project. All you need is at (business) because we recommend what works after comparing problems with product instructions & specifications.’

Ask what frustrates people, so you can help them avoid wasting time & energy.
Example: ‘You need persistence to maintain __ with cheap, discount store products. At (business), we specialize in helping you use high quality products for consistent long-term results. We’ll help you eliminate frustration, so you’ll be satisfied with projects. You can finalize projects & move on, when you’re sure about quality.’

Pride Is A High Priority Result.

Struggling to create & maintain high priority results is especially frustrating when personal pride is involved.
Example: People, who make lawn care a high priority, might link their reputations to their homes. If they personally tend their lawns, they want to understand lawn products because their job-to-be-done includes a high standard of lawn excellence.

If neighbors prioritize uniformity, their job-to-be-done is matching a standard, so they want to know just enough to buy the right products.

To serve them all, express dedication to their causes.
Example: ‘Your neighbors don’t keep many lawn care secrets because they want beautiful neighborhoods. We have products & information you need for high standard lawns. Home owners are often frustrated because they have different lawn conditions. We’ll help you understand how to adjust for different conditions.’

People, who feel personally linked to results, invest dedicated efforts & expect high returns on their investments. Promote your ability to contribute high quality value that matches consumers’ standards.

Ask about consumers’ standards & if you can exceed their expectations, explain how that quality is realistically achieved.

After people have been frustrated, satisfaction promises can seem too good to be true. Does satisfaction mean pride, relief from stress or other benefits? When you know what satisfies people, explain how products fulfill satisfaction with specific benefits.

Integrate your store into people’s efforts by learning about their successes & frustrations. How do problems affect customers? Why are certain results important? What leads to customers’ successes & frustrations? How can you influence those causes & effects?

After you ask about customers’ goals, you can explain how to use your product kits to increase successes & reduce frustrations. People’s success & frustration are affected by their comfort with products, results & risks. With questions & suggestions, you can help people determine how comfortable they are with product performance & risks.

Make offers based on benefits & how comfortable people are with products. Examples:
This general offer doesn’t specify why the product is safer or any specific benefits: ‘(Chemical) reduces effects of mold & is safer than __.’
This offer is more specific about safety & benefits: ‘Formula ABC kills without poisons by blocking mold's ability to absorb water. ABC also safely reduces odors & stains in X days.’

Some advertisers promise to exceed customers’ expectations, but some things should be considered. Should you promise to exceed expectations before you hear them? How much extra does that quality cost? Why is that extra quality worthwhile? Why is ‘good enough’ not enough? If people can only afford ‘good enough’ quality now, can they upgrade later?

Explain why & how exceeding expectations can match people’s priorities.
Example: People might want a home improvement to last until they move out in 5 years. Your improvement kit might increase their comfort, pride & home resale value enough to offset the price. If people use lower quality options, their homes might be less attractive, so they might have to wait longer for a sale.


Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.
Copyright 2020 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here-
https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/