Hi ,
As a business owner, your biggest competitors and obstacles are:
Procrastination and Inertia
They stop more people from becoming your clients than your direct competition.
Think of the things you put off.
Visiting doctors and dentists come to mind.
So if you are a doctor or dentist, the culprit who prevents people from entering your doors is not the doctor or dentist down the street, or a magic medicine man who takes your customers.
It’s the customers who know they should visit you, but don’t for some reason.
So how do you tackle this monster?
Figure out why the customer is staying away.
Is it the fear of pain and blood?
Yeah, that might be true for some of them, but more likely it’s something else.
Shame…
The customer fears you’ll judge him if you know about his condition.
Like the person who avoided the dentist because their last visit to the hygienist was when the Berlin Wall still stood, Yugoslavia was a country, and England believed they could win a World Cup.
“Will you judge how my teeth look?”
“What stern lectures will you give me to feel like a child – in addition to daily flossing?”
“Did anyone think England would win the World Cup?”
The person is afraid of the answer, and so they wait…
and wait….
and never go.
So the challenge here is how to break this fear and inertia and help the client take the next step.
And this is not limited to dentists and doctors.
Many of us service providers provide free this and free that.
We don’t consider ourselves scary or pushy, but even offering something free can make our potential clients feel they are now obliged to buy.
And they don’t want to feel pressured or sold to.
Attending your “free seminar” scares them, because they don’t want to feel like a Prom Queen walking into the 2023 Stalker Social Club.
Or an obvious tourist walking into an Indian spice market.
So what scares your clients and makes them hesitate?
And what can you do to alleviate whatever is causing your potential customer to postpone your visit?
For the dentist, it might be assuring patients that his practice is a no judgement zone, and he does not lecture or shame his patients.
For business advisors, it might be a firm “No Selling” policy, so that the prospective client is assured they will not be pressured to sign a deal.
The challenge is understanding what’s stopping your customers from taking action, and finding ways to make them feel comfortable taking that first step.
So, try to figure out why people aren’t coming to you, and then find ways to make them feel more comfortable so they will come see you.
Once you can crack the procrastination and inertia puzzle, your business will be on its way to success.
Good luck!