Sometimes it’s less expensive to get your prospects started with you than it is to convince them to give you money to get started. This is true no matter what industry you’re in, but it’s even more so when the big part of your During Unit is having an ongoing relationship with your customers. When the core of your business is customers reordering (or using) your products repeatedly.
Because then…
Your biggest expense is not the incremental cost of adding a new customer and getting them set up. It’s the convincing part that takes the most time, the most energy, and the most money.
Say, you’re in the food and beverages business. And you’re supplying energy drinks to golf courses. Now, once you find a new course that could sell your drinks, you have to go through all the hoops, find all the right channels, and play all the right cards… before they even consider giving you a try.
No matter how good you claim, your product is… and no matter how strong the evidence you have that it would sell well… all the risk is still on your prospects. They have to risk their money and buy the supplies from you. But when you turn the tables around… and approach them with the “lead with the giving hand” strategy… you’re giving your prospects a chance to experience the win risk-free.
Because you have the numbers and track record, and you know once you get them into your During Unit, things will take off… you’re not really risking that much. Once they’re in and get the evidence of, “oh yeah, this really does work!” it’s easy to keep it rolling.
When you look past that initial “setup cost” going out of your pocket and think about the outcome, the lifetime value of every new customer you bring in this way.
It does make total sense to make it ridiculously easy (and risk-free!) for people to get started with you, doesn’t it?
for more tips, head to the podcast where Aaron and I talk about this a bit more.
