Make It Easy to Buy

I like to support local businesses. To that end, for the last 10 years I’ve used a local dry cleaner. They’re a very small shop, and they’re inexpensive. I used them because they’re local.

A few months ago, this little local dry cleaner damaged a really nice shirt. The word “damage” doesn’t go far enough; it was ruined.

They’re a small business, and accidents happen, so I didn’t say anything about the damaged shirt. But then they completely mangled two more shirts, both of which were kind of expensive. I didn’t want to hurt them because they’re a small business. So I didn’t ask them to replace the shirts. But I did decide to save the rest of my shirts and find another dry cleaner.

I didn’t know another dry cleaner that picked up and delivered dry cleaning, so I went to a larger chain. This meant I had to drop off and pick up my own dry cleaning. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but when you’re busy it isn’t something that you want to do. (Okay, to me it’s own of the worst things in the world. I hate having to take it in and pick it up.)

Timing Is Everything (Almost)

A few weeks ago another local dry cleaner, left a card on my door comparing their pricing to the big chain I was now using, also pointing out that they pick up and deliver. To sign up, all I had to do was call the number, sign up for service, set up billing, and basically take 20 minutes to organize the relationship. So I never did it.

Then a few weeks later this new local dry cleaner dropped off another card, but this time they included a very nice branded plastic bag in which I could drop my dry cleaning. All I needed to do was put my clothes in the bag, fill out the information tab on the bottom, and leave it on the front porch. They would take care of everything from there.

Establishing a relationship with a dry cleaner isn’t really very complicated. But this new dry cleaner got my business because they made it easy for me to buy.

It’s Not Always Complex

A lot of what we talk about here at The Sales Blog is about the complex sale. It’s about identifying dream clients, creating value, building consensus, and capturing some of the value that we create. But sometimes winning new business means being there at the right time (something you’ll never be if you don’t prospect and if you don’t persist) and being easy to do business with.

Remove the obstacles to a “yes.” Make it easy to order. Make it easy to pay. Everything matters. Everything counts.