Can This Be Applied To Every Business?
Even if you aren’t in the business of selling cloud applications or groceries, is there still a place for your business to benefit by reducing barrier to entry?
In a world where people want to try before they buy, it should definitely be a consideration. Here are some questions to ask to determine opportunities to lower the barrier to entry.
What are the barriers to entry for the products and services we sell?
Are there opportunities for current and potential customers to become more familiar with or experience our products and services first hand prior to purchase?
Do we create unnecessary constraints to make it harder than necessary for a customer to try our products and services?
How could we set up no cost or low cost trials of our products/services?
While there are exceptions to every rule, businesses have long invested in ways to allow their customers more direct access to their offerings prior to obtaining a purchase.
Meaning even businesses that may not have a product they can completely give away have figured out ways to move their clients closer to a deliverable prior to asking for the sale.
Consider the following examples not in the Cloud/SaaS/BYOD world.
1) Car dealers have offered test drives, sometimes even allow buyers to keep a car for a day or two during the buying process and CarMax revolutionized the three-day, no fault return allowing people a no question out if they opt not to buy.
2) Homebuilders build model homes of the houses they are trying to sell to allow a potential buyer to imagine themselves living in the home.
3) Companies like Cisco, Apple and HP build elaborate experience centers where potential buyers can visit and become immersed with technology prior to purchase.
4) Numerous companies offer 30-day money back guarantees on their products and services.
Begging the question, what does your business do to make it easier for customers to engage?
Smart Businesses Find a Way
No matter what business you are in, there is a way to lower the barrier to entry and drive more customers to try what you have to sell.
The question you have to ask yourself is how much do you believe in what you sell?
If your offering meets a need and your customer experience leaves little to be desired, how risky is it to lower your customer’s barrier to entry?
Given that 68 percent of defection has to do with customer service and less than 15 percent defect because of product dissatisfaction, maybe getting more customers to experience what you have to offer is the key. Just so long as your customer experience makes the grade.
