Are You Driving Customers Away?

One of my favorite vendors…

…is pushing me away.

I’ve had my cellphone with the same provider for close to six years.  Yes, I was late in adopting the technology.  What can I say; I’m a bit of a dinosaur.  I’ve always been pleased with the friendliness and helpful attitudes of the people at the local store.  In those few instances when I’ve had a problem I received quick, no-excuses resolution of my problem.  They’ve also guided me well in terms of the type of phone that would best fit my needs – until now.

During my last upgrade I moved to a PDA that allowed me to keep my contact list and calendar with me at all times in electronic format.  I do not, however, wish to retrieve emails or surf the net via my phone.  I’d rather use my time away from the office to mentally replay my client and prospect meetings to learn more effective ways of helping them.  Or use that time to consider new markets and marketing approaches.

Fortunately, with my last upgrade I didn’t have to purchase the internet access services.  I’ve been told by my supplier that, in the future, I will have to purchase the plan to get a PDA.  Hmmm.  Do I want to continue with a supplier that is forcing to take and pay for things I don’t value?  More importantly, are you establishing offerings that are causing your customers to question whether or not they want to do business with you?

It’s counter-intuitive, but in every business there are customers who desire different levels of quality, service, et cetera.  If you provide what they want, in the form they want it, they’ll pay a higher price to get it.

I would pay more for the PDA device than someone who purchases internet access and still feel good about the purchase.  Why?  Because I’m getting what I want and I understand that people who buy bundled offerings often end up paying less for any given component than they would if they purchased that component separately.  It’s a concept with which most buyers are familiar.

Recognize that your customers’ needs don’t always evolve at the same rate.  Offer options that makes sense for where they are in that evolution and they’ll buy the higher end package when they’re ready.  Mandate that they purchase something they don’t want and you lose that potential sale.