I read this Seth Godin post about the Fear of Apples a couple of days ago and put it aside for some future use. I didn’t think about it again until I was at the grocery store trying to figure out which apples to buy. And well, since I’m also in the process of revamping my services, this one hit home on two different levels.
We’ve always heard that a confused mind takes no action. Which of course means if you can’t set things up to be easily understood by your potential clients, being sure to address any and all questions they may have, then more than likely, they’re not buying.
Believe it or not, I’ve hid behind this rule for the past year or so.
So much so, that for the most of the year, I didn’t have any packages listed on my site. Which of course meant that I had far fewer clients that I would have preferred (and I see how often potential clients check out my services page).
Let’s face it, we’re all afraid of making the wrong choice, making a bad choice, or getting made fun of or ridiculed for the choice we made. So rather than make a choice, any choice, we walk away.
Whatever you sell, there are two big reasons people aren’t buying it:
1. They don’t know about it.
2. They’re afraid of it.
If you can get over those two, then you get the chance to prove that they need it and it’s a good value. But as long as people are afraid of what you sell, you’re stuck.
People are afraid of tax accountants, iPods, chiropractors, non-profits, insurance brokers and fancy hotels. They’re afraid of anything with too many choices, too many opportunities to look foolish or to waste time or money.
So what are you doing to help your clients and customers to make a choice instead of giving in to their fear?
I know I’ll be spending the next week or so redesigning my packages.
