October 14, 2016
The power of simplicity
Picture for a moment, a brand or company you admire.
Now think about why you admire it.
Here are a few that tend to come up in this exercise: Apple, Amazon, Uber, Southwest, In-N-Out Burgers, Nordstrom. What these companies have in common is they make the customer experience easy. From purchase to use, anyone can pickup these products and use them immediately. Push a button and you’ve ordered your groceries or transportation. Need to return an item or change your travel arrangements? Southwest & Nordstrom have you on your way in no time.
The companies we admire have simplicity ingrained. No matter what business you are in if you make it easy for your customers to buy they will purchase more and be more apt to refer your business to others. This applies to every single type of business, from manufacturing drones or tires, hauling junk or selling car parts.
Making it easy for your internal team to do business increases sales. We talked to one major parts dealer that equips the sales team with a dashboard of purchase history. The sales representatives can show the customer her purchase history and make recommendations based on the data.
To quote Leonardo di Vinci, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Here’s a couple strategies you can try today:
- Use simple language
When explaining pricing, make it easy for the customer to understand – use simple language and avoid using industry terms or abbreviations. If you can explain it - Make booking easier
For example, let’s say a customer has to print out a document, sign it and send it back to book a job. This requires paper, a scanner and a printer. Instead, use a simple landing page on your website. This increases booking rates quickly and easily. When your process is simple your customer feels like a winner.
What are some other things you can do to make it easy for your customers?