Why nobody buys your products
In every business, there is one basic principle to follow and which establishes the course of all businesses:
‘An entrepreneur makes (or creates) and sells something’.
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a gentleman who needs help in finding customers. This is what he wrote in his email:
‘Greeting
Im from Witbank I registerd a company last year March but I didnt get any job (and) I was wondering if you can help or advise me on how to get my compamy started and how can I get clients.
W. K.’
The problem faced by the gentleman who contacted me, is the common issue that many entrepreneurs are experiencing especially when they start their companies.
No matter how powerful or beautiful your product is, if there are no customers to buy it, then there is no business.
One of the top reason why many entrepreneurs (new and old) fail to get customers is because they simply believe that people will come to them just because they have built a product or service.
Have you ever heard the popular jargon that says: ‘Build it and they will come!’
Well, that jargon is not true.
As soon as you build something of value to society, you also need to come out and make noise about your product through marketing.
In this post, I will share reasons why people don’t buy your product:
1. Lack of marketing
Marketing is the life blood of any business. Entrepreneurs who hope to make money without marketing their services and products will be awakened rudely at a later stage.
Marleting is the art of making your product or service known to the world through various means: media, word of mouth, emails and many other means.
Actually, if you are an entrepreneur struggling to find clients, I recommend that you spend 80% of your time on marketing your productrather than focusing on paperwork or creating new items. Marketing is more relevant because it will bring customers to you.
It is totally irrelevant to create a product and service without telling the entire world about it.
Create a marketing strategy or plan that will make your company known to the world. Countless entrepreneurs have seen their products rot in their houses because nobody heard about them.
Please note that ‘marketing plans and strategies’ should be adapted according to the nature of the product. For example, a fast food marketing strategy would differ from a construction company marketing strategy.
Check you timetable and find out how much of time do you spend marketing your services.
2. Focus on a limited customer profile
This mistake is often committed by South African construction companies which only expect jobs from the government.
Many companies or entrepreneurs make the mistake of narrowing their prospects to a group of ususal suspects. As a result, they tend to discriminate and neglect a wider number of people who could be potential customers.
For example, there are more than just tenders or government jobs to service. Think of a wider range of customer prospects.
3. Lack of samples
A sample is simply a diminished form of your product or service. A sample can be used for interested people to taste before buying your product.
Samples have many forms such as: pictures, blog posts, free food taste, testimonials, etc…
If you have a new company, it matters that you carry with you a few samples of what you can offer. By showing a sample to prospective customers, you are also proving that you are credible.
Samples will differentiate you from thieves and crooks who pretend to offer services.
Bottom line: ‘If you really need clients, prove them that you can service them through a sample’.
4. Your product is simply bad and you refuse to admit it
This one is a hard one.
Many entrepreneurs jump into the market ‘emotionally’ and without rationality. They think that simply because they like their own products, everybody else must also like it. WRONG!
Entrepreneurs who think that way, are just failing to be customer centric.
Being customer centric means ‘knowing the customers needs and caring for what they want’. And there will be times where your products will be just ‘plain bad’! You will need the humility and grace to admit it and make changes responding to the needs of your market.
Unfortunately, certain people have been told wrongly that ‘winners never quit’. This is just plain wrong.
True winners know when to make changes instead of acting stubborn in the face of brickwalls.
Drop products that don’t sell or make changes that will attract customers.
5. Failing to maintain a good reputation
In this day and age of internet technology, you better maintain your reputation because the ‘news’ fly like parrot.
If you have already established a business and now you are not attracting customers, then I suggest that you check your reputation level. What are people saying about your business on the internet, in the media? Is your business logged into a blacklist for poor services?
If you have a reputation problem, I suggest that you work on your public image as soon as possible.
Your public image is strongly related to the quality of your product and customer service.
For example, certain construction companies don’t get clients anymore because they were known for building poor quality houses.
Here are some more examples:
KPMG South Africa has lost clients recently due to its malpractice in a report involving former Minister Pravin Gordhan and the SARS rogue unit.
Recently, Steinhoff International has lost investors and clients because because of their financial malpractice and they will not recover from it in a long time.
It’s all about reputation.
How do you treat your customers? Is your business truthful? Do you deliver on your promises?
6. failing to tell a story of change to your potential audience
The best way to sell a product, is to tell your customers how your product is going to change their lives positively.
Learn from TV adverts:’ when a big company tries to sell you something on TV, the same company also tells you how benefitial the product will be for your life.’
It is the same principle used in food, insurance services, retail, banking, etc…
Your product must have story. The story must promise positive change to your customer in case they buy your product.
7. You are not clarifying that you are selling your product! (if you run a NPO , then point number 7 is not for you)
A lof of newbies are victims of that.
They talk a lot about their services. They give away too much for free and they fail to stand and clarify that their products are for sale.
If you get a lot of attention, be firm enough and tell your audience that you are selling your stuff!
Don’t be afraid to act that way; because even great companies like Shoprite or Pick n’Pay make more money than you and yet they always clarify selling stuff. Why shouldn’t you?
If people around you only want free things from you, then ask them to get free stuff from Shoprite and see if they succeed!
A person only becomes a customer when he pays for your product.
‘An entrepreneur makes (or creates) and sells something’.
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a gentleman who needs help in finding customers. This is what he wrote in his email:
‘Greeting
Im from Witbank I registerd a company last year March but I didnt get any job (and) I was wondering if you can help or advise me on how to get my compamy started and how can I get clients.
W. K.’
The problem faced by the gentleman who contacted me, is the common issue that many entrepreneurs are experiencing especially when they start their companies.
No matter how powerful or beautiful your product is, if there are no customers to buy it, then there is no business.
One of the top reason why many entrepreneurs (new and old) fail to get customers is because they simply believe that people will come to them just because they have built a product or service.
Have you ever heard the popular jargon that says: ‘Build it and they will come!’
Well, that jargon is not true.
As soon as you build something of value to society, you also need to come out and make noise about your product through marketing.
In this post, I will share reasons why people don’t buy your product:
1. Lack of marketing
Marketing is the life blood of any business. Entrepreneurs who hope to make money without marketing their services and products will be awakened rudely at a later stage.
Marleting is the art of making your product or service known to the world through various means: media, word of mouth, emails and many other means.
Actually, if you are an entrepreneur struggling to find clients, I recommend that you spend 80% of your time on marketing your productrather than focusing on paperwork or creating new items. Marketing is more relevant because it will bring customers to you.
It is totally irrelevant to create a product and service without telling the entire world about it.
Create a marketing strategy or plan that will make your company known to the world. Countless entrepreneurs have seen their products rot in their houses because nobody heard about them.
Please note that ‘marketing plans and strategies’ should be adapted according to the nature of the product. For example, a fast food marketing strategy would differ from a construction company marketing strategy.
Check you timetable and find out how much of time do you spend marketing your services.
2. Focus on a limited customer profile
This mistake is often committed by South African construction companies which only expect jobs from the government.
Many companies or entrepreneurs make the mistake of narrowing their prospects to a group of ususal suspects. As a result, they tend to discriminate and neglect a wider number of people who could be potential customers.
For example, there are more than just tenders or government jobs to service. Think of a wider range of customer prospects.
3. Lack of samples
A sample is simply a diminished form of your product or service. A sample can be used for interested people to taste before buying your product.
Samples have many forms such as: pictures, blog posts, free food taste, testimonials, etc…
If you have a new company, it matters that you carry with you a few samples of what you can offer. By showing a sample to prospective customers, you are also proving that you are credible.
Samples will differentiate you from thieves and crooks who pretend to offer services.
Bottom line: ‘If you really need clients, prove them that you can service them through a sample’.
4. Your product is simply bad and you refuse to admit it
This one is a hard one.
Many entrepreneurs jump into the market ‘emotionally’ and without rationality. They think that simply because they like their own products, everybody else must also like it. WRONG!
Entrepreneurs who think that way, are just failing to be customer centric.
Being customer centric means ‘knowing the customers needs and caring for what they want’. And there will be times where your products will be just ‘plain bad’! You will need the humility and grace to admit it and make changes responding to the needs of your market.
Unfortunately, certain people have been told wrongly that ‘winners never quit’. This is just plain wrong.
True winners know when to make changes instead of acting stubborn in the face of brickwalls.
Drop products that don’t sell or make changes that will attract customers.
5. Failing to maintain a good reputation
In this day and age of internet technology, you better maintain your reputation because the ‘news’ fly like parrot.
If you have already established a business and now you are not attracting customers, then I suggest that you check your reputation level. What are people saying about your business on the internet, in the media? Is your business logged into a blacklist for poor services?
If you have a reputation problem, I suggest that you work on your public image as soon as possible.
Your public image is strongly related to the quality of your product and customer service.
For example, certain construction companies don’t get clients anymore because they were known for building poor quality houses.
Here are some more examples:
KPMG South Africa has lost clients recently due to its malpractice in a report involving former Minister Pravin Gordhan and the SARS rogue unit.
Recently, Steinhoff International has lost investors and clients because because of their financial malpractice and they will not recover from it in a long time.
It’s all about reputation.
How do you treat your customers? Is your business truthful? Do you deliver on your promises?
6. failing to tell a story of change to your potential audience
The best way to sell a product, is to tell your customers how your product is going to change their lives positively.
Learn from TV adverts:’ when a big company tries to sell you something on TV, the same company also tells you how benefitial the product will be for your life.’
It is the same principle used in food, insurance services, retail, banking, etc…
Your product must have story. The story must promise positive change to your customer in case they buy your product.
7. You are not clarifying that you are selling your product! (if you run a NPO , then point number 7 is not for you)
A lof of newbies are victims of that.
They talk a lot about their services. They give away too much for free and they fail to stand and clarify that their products are for sale.
If you get a lot of attention, be firm enough and tell your audience that you are selling your stuff!
Don’t be afraid to act that way; because even great companies like Shoprite or Pick n’Pay make more money than you and yet they always clarify selling stuff. Why shouldn’t you?
If people around you only want free things from you, then ask them to get free stuff from Shoprite and see if they succeed!
A person only becomes a customer when he pays for your product.
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