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Why a Strong Arm is Bad For Online Business
I'm sure you've been approached by someone who has a very strong interest in selling you something. This can be someone who comes to your door offering to sell a product or service, or it could be someone on the street of a city barking out the strong points of what they have to sell. In each case it becomes clear that the individual attempting to make the sale only cares about whether you buy or not.
A few years ago I had a gentleman drop by my house. He knocked and when I opened the door he thrust his hand out and said, "I represent a product testing company and we'd like to give you a free gift. No risk, no obligation. A gift for you."
I took a look and it was a box of baking powder. It's not every day someone offers a free box of baking powder - especially a complete stranger. I thanked the man and began closing the door. Of course he wasn't finished. He began to explain that he would also like to clean one room of my house with a wonderful vacuum cleaner he was selling. I politely declined and closed the door.
That's when there came another knock at the door, "Could I have the baking powder back. That's what I use to demonstrate the vacuum."
My family's health was not the primary concern of that young man. He was not looking out for my best interest - and I honestly don't believe he planned on baking me some cookies. I was simply someone he was willing to hard press into a sale.
When pressure is strongly applied it comes across as insensitive and uncaring. This is very true in online sales.
If you will take the time to visit some of the top websites available you will see that there is a lot to be accessed at no cost. This generally includes free information, free memberships in online forums and potentially free samples.
The best websites often invite customer feedback and place a high premium on customer service. The truth is visitors will often return to trusted sites because there is the perception that this type of business is genuinely interested in their well being.
The biggest difference from the perspective of a potential customer is that in a high-pressure situation you are trying to force them to buy something even if they don't need it. In the second scenario you are showing interest in the customer and allowing the client to come to terms with the value and usability of the product for themselves.
It didn't take me too long to shoo the vacuum salesman along, but it takes even less time online where all the potential customer has to do is hit the back or search buttons. If a customer has been pressured into buying before they will absolutely resist the idea of strong-arm tactics online.
The question online business is really facing today is if they really care more for their customers than themselves. If the answer is more self-centered then a change in thinking may be required to find success in your online business.
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