Hidden in plain sight?
While you may do a ton of advertising, do you ever find that your customers still don’t understand the services you have to offer? Sometimes it’s as if they just can’t make a connection, which is a big obstacle to your bottom line. Let’s Clear the Path of this challenge by taking you into an automobile service department.
Recently, I was there for a few hours as my car received some TLC. That gave me a front row seat to some human behavior.
At one end of the waiting area, you’ll find some vending machines and a free coffee station. I’ve seen several people buy food or drinks and a few minutes later they all say the same thing.
“Where’s the trash can?”
This is a bit of surprise as the garbage is not exactly camoflauged. It’s right below the coffee maker. When you make coffee, you often have trash, so the placement make sense. It’s visible from most angles in the room.
But apparently many are stumped by this mystery. Instead of looking for the garbage can, they’re walking over to employees with trash in their hands. Wouldn’t you be thrilled, if you worked there, to add sanitation to your duties?
What I learned is that people may want to find something but be unwilling to look for it.
Don’t assume that customers will “get you” and your services. They may need help to make the connection as to why you are a valuable resource.
If you’re not careful, they may wander over to a competitor in confusion.
At the car place, I’d suggest that they buy a taller trash can. Right now it’s about two feet high. Probably, they need one that’s at least four. My guess is that those extra two feet will bring the garbage into more people’s line of sight. Sure, they could see the smaller can if they would just tilt their head but you can’t assume behavior.
When it comes to your business, explain what you do, demonstrate your uniqueness, and don’t be afraid to help bridge the gap between what someone wants to find and what you need to show them.
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