What are your offers communicating to your clientele?
On the radio his morning, we heard a the proverbial “car salesman” make three offers claiming it was the listener’s lucky day! He continued by saying,
“When you call in, I will give you”:
1. $500 off any car! ~ Is that off of list price? $500 off doesn’t begin to match normal negotiation.
2. An oil change for $10.50! ~ Is that really a remarkable deal or can you get that close to home?
3. A free evaluation of your current car. ~ Isn’t that is a normal process when you consider trading in your car?
In my opinion, all of the above puts marketing messages out into the airwaves that this fellow should not be trusted and to stay away. His working without integrity must be discouraging many potential prospects and clients. Most likely he is only bringing in a fraction of what he would otherwise attract due to his lack of caring about his customers.
While this example is extreme, it happens frequently and sometimes without thinking offers through. For instance, I have a 10 year warranty on a new kitchen top that recently chipped. Upon calling, it was explained to me that the warranty did not cover chips because it would require pulling out the top and possibly damaging the tile backsplash creating a bigger fee than if I just paid them to fix the top. What kind of warranty is that?!
This must be common because today, the Dilbert cartoon featured the manager creating a “confusology warranty plan” – very appropriate!
As an entrepreneur, it is very important to examine all of your customer service policies, marketing offers and developing relationships with the public in general. Make certain there is no confusion when it comes to your business rules and that everything is very straight forward and fair. When your mindset is focused on working to help others, you will put your business on a more solid foundation.
More importantly, you will then easily and steadily attract more sales – making for a very Smooth Sale!
