The exercise:

Ask everyone (and I mean everyone: shareholders; Directors; Managers; those who answer the phones, fix things, build things, clean things) these three questions:

1. Give me 10 reasons people buy from us?
   
   
2. Give me 3 reasons people don’t buy from us?
   
   
3. If money was no object, what could we do to grow more sales?

Make sure you put a time limit on it, though show understanding of the pressurised situation you’re placing them in. The fundamental driver for success from this exercise is honesty, so your team has to know that you will value any answer and won’t judge any negatively.  Depending on your business, you could make the process anonymous, but you may find that an open and direct approach helps to open your eyes to a few more things and simultaneously demonstrate that you trust and value your team.

When you have collated your team’s answers, have a look at them together and assess if any prominent and/or recurring obstacles have been highlighted. Where does your team identify potential opportunities for growth? What is stopping you from getting there? Can you do something about it? No one knows your business like the people who make it what it is, so these answers could tell you a lot about how to shape your marketing and website content and overall strategy going forward. Often voices get lost in the daily operations of a business, so taking the time to listen could just be one of the most important and valuable things you could do for both your business and your team spirit. 

Why do I like this exercise? 

When I reflect on my career to-date, I’ve certainly learnt a lot more from asking teams why customers don’t buy rather than why they do. Advertising plans and budgets will get you in front of audiences but a lack of detail and desire-generating content will often hold them back from buying: “It’s too expensive for me”, “They probably don’t cover my location”, “It’s not worth it”, “It won’t arrive in time” etc. Most people talk themselves out of things unless there’s enough detail for their barriers to come down and their desire to build up. Once you achieve that with your marketing and website strategy, nothing will hold them back.

I’d love to hear more about how this goes, so message me and let me know. Equally, if you’re not sure where to start and want to find out more about how we can help take your business to new heights, get in touch.