The 9 barriers of customer commitment

Your marketing doesn’t actually stop at the point-of-sale.

You see, when someone either walks in, calls or emails your garage for the first time, they may not be ready to commit; they may have doubts, concerns and questions that require addressing before they make a decision.

And it’s also no good giving them the ‘look, I know better than you’ response…this can actually work against you.

So what your potential customer’s are really doing at this point is making judgments about you – you won’t necessarily know it, but the cogs will be turning and every word and gesture will be distilled into their decision making process.

If you know the 9 barriers of customer commitment, then you can be one step ahead and quell those doubts before they happen.

This list was taken from the book ‘Trust-Based Marketing’ by Dan S Kennedy and Matt Zagula. It gives an idea of the complex thoughts that customers often process in their minds before making a buying decision:

Is this person for real? (authenticity)
Are they telling me the truth? (believability)
Are they knowledgeable and competent? (credibility)
Are they appropriate for me? (feasibility of relationship)
Are they listening, or just selling? (customised solutions)
Can they be relied on? (safety)
Do I understand enough about what they’re going to do for me? (comfort)
Am I making the best choice vs other choices? (superiority)
Am I paying a fair price? (value)

Of course if you know these things, then you can make sure your customer’s receive favourable signals from you.

If you haven’t already done so, and instead of just winging it each time, a good recommendation is to try and script out your ‘point-of-sale’ process. You may just find an increase in customer conversions, along with less resistance to price.

…as an aside

I’ve just set up a ‘Closed Facebook Group’.

I was in two minds about this, given the recent negative press, but as a member of several ‘Closed’ Facebook Groups myself, I felt the benefits outweighed the downside.

Closed Facebook Groups are a great place for like-minded people to congregate – think of it as a ‘virtual water-cooler’ that everyone gathers around to chat – even gossip.

The reason I’ve done this is because I’m well aware myself that running a small business can be a lonely experience. So you could see the group as a place where you can talk to others with similar problems; ask questions and trade thoughts.

The good thing is nobody outside of the group can see or read what going on.

The group is new, so it’s up to us all to build it!

JOIN THE MRM FACEBOOK GROUP