As business owners we always feel like we have something to offer our target customers.
No matter how much we like to believe that as a fact the truth is that most of our target customers really don’t care that we exist.
In less harsh terms maybe it’s just the fact that our customers don’t know enough about us or what we can provide to them. That becomes a communication issue, which is usually one of the issues in any failed relationship.
In this post we’re going to review reasons why your target customers don’t care about you.
Find a way to overcome these reasons and you’ll be able to add more new customers to your file.
1. They Don’t Know About You
This one is pretty obvious. Your customers can’t care about you if they don’t know you exist. How do you make them notice you? Use some of the strategies here to get customers to come to you.
2. They Don’t Know What You Do
It’s amazing how prevalent this one is in the online world. I’ve struggled with it at GBW. As business owners we have to be able to effectively communicate our value to our target customers. If we can’t then they’re not going to hand over their hard earned money. That wouldn’t make sense. I’ve been learning how to describe GBW to potential clients. I think we improved with the latest version of the website. Your value proposition, though, is something that is always fluid as you look to better communicate with your target customers.
3. They Don’t See The Value In Your Service or Product
This one builds on the last one. If you can’t communicate what you do and what your services can do for them your customers aren’t going to care.
4. They Don’t See Who You Are
This is another one that can catch business owners off guard. You know who you are and you’re great at connecting with your potential customers in person, but online it’s harder for people to see who you are. Tell your story on your about page. Show images of who you are. Share your vision with potential customers. Maintain a company blog so readers can read into your style and viewpoints.
5. They Don’t Trust You
Trust is a huge factor in doing business with someone. If your potential customers don’t trust you it’s very unlikely they will purchase from you. To earn that trust you have to do what you do in real life. Ask questions. Get to know them. Provide something of value. You can do this all online with your website. Answer questions. Share who you are. Maintain a blog that gives your potential customers something valuable in the form of information.
6. They Don’t Know Why You Do What You Do
This one is a little strange to some people, but it’s very important. People make decisions with their gut more than with their brain. We tend to justify decisions with our brains, but we go with our gut more than our brain when deciding to do something especially something new. To win over a person’s gut you have to communicate why you do what you do. They know you’re in it to make profit, but they want to know the other reason why. At GBW, we want to help businesses share their knowledge with their customers. That’s why we do what we do.
7. They’re Already Happy With What They Have
If you’re offering a competitive service you’re going to struggle to get a person to switch from someone they already use. Even if your service is obviously more valuable you will find it difficult to replace the relationship the prospect already has with the competition.
8. They Don’t Know They Could Have Better
This one is just slightly different, but it’s an important difference. Sometimes we settle for what we know like our old trusty flip phone. We don’t realize that life would be better with a smartphone. It can be a hard sell sometimes because people get comfortable with what they have.
9. They Think You’re Insignificant
Social proof is a big thing. If you can’t prove that others care about you you’ll have a difficult time convincing some people to care about you. This is hard for new businesses. They want to see that others, besides their friends, are using your service. They want to know that you matter.
10. You’re A Poor Dresser
First impressions are important in real life and they’re important online too. If your website doesn’t have a nice design you’re going to lose people from that first impression.
11. You Don’t See Smart
The same is true with your content. If you’re not making sense with what you write or if you’re using big words and industry jargon people are going to leave because they’ll see right through you’re BS.
12. You’re Paying For Their Attention
We know when we’re advertised to. Sometimes we don’t mind it, but other times it really bothers us. If you don’t get it right with your advertising content you’re going to annoy people.
13. You’re Wasting Their Time
On the other side, you can be wasting your customer’s time if you don’t show him or her something valuable when they’re looking for something specific. This is a challenge with blogging. You can win the first battle with a good search ranking, but if your content isn’t worthwhile you’re wasting the person’s time.
14. You Have A Bad Reputation
It can really be damaging if you have a bad reputation. It takes work to get back from it. It also takes work to make sure you have a good reputation. Putting effort into having a good reputation as a business can be well worth the investment. You can earn new customers from your reputation alone.
15. You’re Frustrating
We’ve all been on websites that frustrate us. The experience doesn’t make sense. We get frustrated. We might even call. That’s some level of caring, but if you’re having issues with complaints you know there are even more people out there that are simply leaving your site. They don’t care enough to get past the frustration.
16. You Don’t Respond
Sometimes a customer will get interested, but they can’t get their questions answered. They’re asking in forums, on blogs and elsewhere online, but they can’t get any type of response. Most people won’t care enough to dig for your answers if you’re not responding.
17. They Don’t Hear From You
I came from the catalog business. There was a percentage of customers that would call for orders regardless of us sending them a catalog or not. These customers were dedicated. But on the other hand there were customers that didn’t really care enough to call us if we didn’t reach out. We had to make sure we were sending them regular catalogs so they would care enough to keep responding.
18. You Don’t Care About Them
Customers can tell when you really care about them. Today, you have to give to get in this world. That means offering something like content that will prove valuable to your customers. Content is part of your product today and you have to offer it ahead of time in order to show your customers that you care about them.
19. You’re The Same
If there is no difference between you and the competition there is no reason for customers to care about you.
20. You Offer Nothing New
If you’re not offering anything new your customers won’t care. Companies that struggle with this often struggle coming out with new products. There are some customers out there that want the latest and greatest. Some are happy with the same old same, but you have to bring something new to the table to keep winning new customers.
21. Your First Off Is Weak
If your offer is weak you’re going to lose customers. Offering to call someone is pretty boring. At GBW, we’ve found that our free trial blog post offer is pretty good. Maybe there is something better out there, but we’ve tested a few things and people seem to care about the trial post.
22. Your First Offer Is Too Strong
On the flip side your offer can be too strong. It could be something your customers aren’t ready to commit to quite yet. If you overdo your request or your offer people will be scared off. Do you trust a man that comes up to you offering a free car? There’s always a catch. People are on the lookout for catches.
23. You’re Too Broad
People want to know you’re focusing on them. This means having a clear pitch to the exact person you’re targeting. If you’re too broad nobody is going to care because they’re going to feel that you don’t really care about them.
24. You’re Not Memorable
Some companies are just boring. You have to share some stories to show that you’re not just a faceless company. If you don’t offer something that is truly better (Amazon) you’ll be just another brand out there. To win over customers you’ll have to be different. Share stories. Have a different brand design or something that makes you memorable.
25. You’re Not Sharable
One thing people want to do today is share things that are worthwhile. It makes them feel important to their friends and followers on social media. Give them something that makes them look smart and fun and you become valuable to them. You win their attention.
26. You’re Boring
Have you ever been on a date with someone new only to catch yourself starting to daydream? Sometimes we just don’t find people that interesting. This can happen between you and your prospective customers. You have to be interesting and know how to have a conversation with them online.
27. You’re Self-Centered
This happens in business blogging all the time. People talk too much about their brand and their services. People see through that. They don’t care that you can talk a good game. They want to know what’s in it for them.
28. You’re Demanding
On the same note, you’re going to lose people if you’re too demanding. Don’t ask for a sale right away. Ask for a smaller conversion that moves someone down the sales funnel. You wouldn’t ask someone to marry you on the first date. You have to take it slower for it to last.
29. They Don’t Know Anyone That Has Hired You
This one is tricky for new businesses, but it can also affect established companies. Social proof is a real thing. People look to those they trust for certain decisions. Friends, family and colleagues are a big source of referral for businesses, but you can also use experts. You could also use your current clients in case studies. They are the peers of your potential clients and that can build social proof.
Image: Stuart Heath