Are you outsmarting your customer?

When you own a business, it can be easy to lose sight of your customer. Who hasn’t thought of a great new product, an unbeatable service, or a fabulous menu item only to have it flop completely.

While the occasional screw up is natural, there are a lot of business owners out there who feel like they can’t seem to get their customers excited about ANYTHING. And slowly, not only do these costly mistakes cut into your profit margin, but you also start to see fewer and fewer customers coming in the door.

In dealing with a wide range of businesses and industries, I have found that the number one cause of failed ideas is outsmarting your customer.

What do I mean by outsmarting your customer?

It simply means, don’t assume you know what your customers want.

Now, we’re all guilty of thinking we know what our customers need. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have started our businesses in the first place. However, there is a big difference between knowing and assuming.

Take Steel-Track Web Design for example. I know that when my customers come to me, they need a website. Because I specialize in start-ups and small business redesigns, I know I need to accommodate a certain price point, and that they are going to be interested in a one stop shop experience where they can get their website, their logo, and any stationary designed. I created my Get Online Package to meet those needs that my customers TOLD ME that they have.

On the other hand, the other day I was looking through my price list and I saw that the Sliding Banner feature has been sold ONCE. Let’s say for example you want to show featured products in a cool scroll bar window that moves automatically. Well, that is what you would get. However, there are two issues. One, no one knows what the hell it is without a five minute explanation, and two, no client will ever ask for that feature specifically.

I have assumed that my client will want something, and added it to my price list. However, I am now out of the time of having figured out how to do something that almost no one will want. I was essentially trying to sell a lobster to someone on prom night. It’s fancy and it’s nice, but it completely ignores that my clients usually not only aren’t interested, but probably want to focus their money elsewhere.

The moral of the story is: think about what it is that your customer REALLY wants. If you own an Italian restaurant, are you selling nachos? If you’re a clothing company, are you selling stickers? While they both might sell well, they distract you from the core products and services of your business as you assume what your client would want, rather than anticipate what they will need.

If you disagree or have any great examples, comment below! Otherwise, we’ll see you next time on Steel-Track Web Design’s blog, Business in Denver.