It's important to ask your customers why they buy from you because they may have discovered some benefits that you don't appreciate or don't emphasise in your marketing.
Equally important, but done less is to ask the customers of your competitors or people who have expressed an interest but haven't followed through...
Why Don't You Buy From Us?
Of course many people you ask won't give you an answer but the ones that do will provide you with very important market information.
I was reminded of the question by the MD of travel operators Naturetrek, a specialist wildlife holidays company.
I've been getting their brochure for a few years now and I enjoy looking through it. I love wildlife holidays.
But I haven't bought from them.
So when the 2012 brochure came in a couple of weeks agao with the letter from the MD asking effectively "why haven't you biught from us?" (he put it nicer) I felt i should respond.
You see, I was interested why I hadn't bought from them too and felt there were valuable marketing lessons which apply to Naturetrek and to other businesses and even myself.
The "Why don't you buy from us?" question opens up a conversation but if you don't follow through, you risk causing more harm.
I won't go into many of the reasons why I haven't bought from Naturetrek because that wouldn't be right.
A silly one is that the brochure print is a but small to read comfortably. A big mistake for any business marketing to a mature audience which you see quite often. Few of uis like to be forced to squint and made to feel old.
I'm already interested.
I enjoy looking through the brochure - although mainly at the photos of wildlife and the titles of the holidays - but the copy I do read isn't strong enough to move me from interested through desire into action.
This isn't intended as a criticism of the company. It's been around for many years and I suspect the holidays are great.
Can you use the "Why Don't You Buy From Us" question?
Comments