No matter what you do … whether you sell a product or offer a service … getting a customer to work with you should be easy. The more complicated it is, the less likely they’ll do business with you. If you make it easy, you’ll find that your business will grow.
Make a List
No matter what you sell, there’s a process involved. It may only be a couple of steps. It may be several. Regardless of what it takes to do business with you, you need to outline the steps. Make a list of all the steps, as intricate and detailed as it may need to be, to do business with you. List them in order from 1 to 10 or however many there are.
Narrow It Down to 3
Once you have your list, focus on the first 3 steps. Even if there are a lot of steps involved, we want to keep it as simple as possible for the customer. If you only came up with 2 steps, that’s okay too! The point is you want to be able to tell the customer what the first 3 steps are. It’s like the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” We want to let them know what those first few bites are. The rest will happen naturally but it starts with those first 3.
The 1st Step Is Not to Buy
The first step is not whipping out the credit card and making a purchase. Maybe there’s some choices they need to make first. Perhaps even some research. If the first steps are to educate them, let them know. Remember, the customer needs to see you as their guide. They’re on a “purchasing journey” and if you’re there to hold their hand and walk them through the steps, they’ll feel confident that they’re doing all that is necessary to take the right steps.
Where & When Do You Tell Them the Steps
Once you’ve identified those first 2-3 steps, list them on homepage of your website. At the beginning? No! You’ll scare them off. They just met you. Warm them up by addressing their pain points, talking about solutions, showing a testimonial, etc. Then towards the bottom of the homepage you can tell them what the first steps are to do business with you.
Sample First Steps
Here’s some examples of local businesses that have their first steps listed on their website:
- Bitterroot Bouncers:
- 1. Check out the options 2. Sign rental agreement 3. Prepare your space
- Merchants Moving & Storage
- 1. Call us or stop by 2. Have a discussion 3. Free survey & estimate
- Osburn Irrigation:
- 1. Stop By 2. Bring in a picture 3. Give us a call
- Touch Point Designs:
- 1. Schedule a consultation 2. Receive a proposal 3. Decide what’s best
If your website is missing a simple 1-2-3 guide for your customers, let me know. It’s easy to add and makes a big difference in helping new customers do business with you.
