Step #6
In this Lesson...
- Reversing the Risk - how to make buying from you and you alone, at the price you wish to charge, a 'no-brainer' - AND gain 30% more sales.
In Step #5 I detailed some of the absolutely essential things you need in any marketing message - whether you're marketing to your existing clients, or to get new ones.
Apart from the OFFER - by far the most important part of the message - there's one other thing you need to get a reluctant sale across the line.
a GUARANTEE!
Have you ever almost bought something, but didn't quite...because you were worried about making the wrong decision? Well, listen up...your clients and prospective clients are worried about the exactly the same things when they're trying to make a decision to buy from you.
FACT: "A guarantee eliminates that final barrier to sale."
But there are guarantees, and there are guarantees.
I'm sure you already have an 'under-the-counter' guarantee. That's the one you bring out only in dire circumstances...when an angry or dissatisfied client's standing at your front counter, and you offer - as a last resort - to give her money back, or at least re-do the treatment.
(This always fascinates me: when a client is very, very unhappy with a treatment, or service, why would they want another one?)
But what if, instead of hiding your guarantee under the front counter, you
shouted your guarantee from the rooftops?
Why not. After all, you're good at what you do, aren't you? Of course. So, back yourself and your ability to deliver what you promise, with a strong, unconditional guarantee.
I'll tell you what happens. Your guarantee actually drives sales!
"But Greg, I'm afraid I'd get ripped off by clients
claiming
the guarantee and wanting their money back!"
Fair question. I get it all the time at the seminars I run for salon owners.
But here's the thing:
Less than 1% of people ever call on a guarantee!
But 30% more people will call!
I'll demonstrate that for you. In the past 12 months, how many skin treatments or hair treatments have you given? Thousands? Okay, now how many times have you had to give anybody their money back...twice? once? Maybe...never?
Right. So, the value of promoting a strong guarantee far, far outweighs the risk of having to make good on it!
But as I said, there are guarantees, and there are guarantees.
The 'Weasel' Guarantee
You've no doubt seen this one. It looks something like this:
"100% Money Back Guarantee - if you return your 'widget' between 1am and 2am on a Tuesday, accompanied by at least two (living) grandparents..."
Groan. How many businesses put dumb conditions on their guarantees...too many. And it becomes completely worthless. If you're going to offer a guarantee - and if you back yourself, you absolutely should - make it a
'Gutsy' guarantee
Something like
"You'll be absolutely delighted, or it's FREE!"
Couple of years ago, I wrote a Yellow Pages ad for a client. It was one of those small, single-column ads, so we didn't have much room to work with. I thought 'with such limited space, what's the strongest thing I can put into this ad to drive sales?'
Here's the result:
Guess what happened...
FACT: "Within TWO MONTHS, this $5,000 ad had paid for itself in increased bookings. Everything after that was cream! $25,000 in 'free' Sales."
In the following 12 months, how many people called on the guarantee?
NOT ONE!
IMPORTANT NOTE
Would I suggest you do anything I don't do myself? Not at all. Everything I'm teaching you to do, I also do in my own business.
So for example, for our Toolkit (for beauty salons and spas), and the Super Kit for hair salons, I offer a full, 100% Money Back Guarantee. In fact, here it is:
"If any time up to 31 days you aren't completely delighted with the results you've achieved with the Toolkit or Super Kit, just say so and I'll refund your entire investment immediately!"
So, a guarantee is nothing to be afraid of. And here's something else it does.
It stops your clients leaving you!
People leave businesses for many reasons. You've done it yourself...you've been a customer of such-and-such a business for months, sometimes years, and then one day something happens and you never go back. And how many times have you ever actually bothered to phone the business owner and tell him or her that you're leaving?
Probably never.
That's exactly what your clients do, too. And most business owners never find out why their clients leave.
What a strong guarantee does is this: it sends a clear message to your clients -
"I want you to be happy. And if you're not happy for any reason, I want you to tell me."
Your strong, gutsy guarantee gives your client permission - and encouragement - to do just that. It then gives you the opportunity to fix the problem - and keep the client. You see,
It's not the problem that's the problem, it's how you fix it!
And what happens when you fix a problem to the client's delight? She walks out of your salon three feet off the ground! And tells everybody she meets...becomes
an evangelist
for your business.
That's the power of a strong guarantee.
We've covered a bunch of ground in this mini-course...in the final lesson, I'm going to give you some BIG IDEAS about small business...and you'll get your
FREE GIFT Valued at $67!
That's in Step #7...
Continue to Lesson 7
Good marketing!
Greg Milner
CEO Worldwide Salon Marketing
