I know it can be tricky to dedicate brain space to the buyer journey when we’re up to our eyeballs in the day-to-day of running a business. But, the more you actively remove friction from your brand presence, the less you need to push when it comes to sales.
Here are three friction points that slow decision making and what you can do to fix it.
3 friction points that slow customer decision making
1. Inconsistent visuals
People are visual first, meaning they look before they read, and our brains create meaning and associations based on what we observe. Remember those matching games you played as a kid? Matching things go together, and mis-matched things do not. It’s exactly the same with branding.
👉 If your brand looks different on Instagram, Facebook, and your website, your customers' brains will have a harder time recalling who you are and what you do.
which is closely related to my next point…
Unprofessional visuals
A few months ago I needed some hemming done (fellow shorties will understand), when I met “Anne”, a seamstress who had recently moved to the area from Toronto. All she had was a business card, but it was so bad (i'm sorry! 🫣) that every possible sales objection erupted in my brain. Is she really a professional? Does she really have the years of experience that she says? Can I trust this person? Will my jeans be safe in her hands? It was only after multiple conversations and scrounging through EVERY SINGLE photo and review on her Google profile that I felt that I could rely on her. As the customer, I had to do double the work in order to build a sense of trust in Anne's service, when her branding should have been doing that work for her.
👉 If your branding isn't communicating your level of skill & professionalism, then you are going to have to work work extra hard to gain peoples trust.
Getting stuck in industry trends
When you’re running a business, it’s easy to get tunnel vision and only see what people in your industry are doing. But what if the status quo isn’t serving your clients well?
👉 Take a step back, focus on your target audience and ask yourself “what is the main need of my ideal client? What is my ideal client really looking for?”
It's time to remove friction and move your brand forward
Taking a moment to pause and evaluate how new people are experiencing your brand is an excellent way to spot gaps and remove friction from the decision making process.
The more you can actively remove friction from your brand presence, the easier it is for customers to make decisions — and less you need to push when it comes to sales.
Your brand is your 24/7 salesman. Make sure it's working for you, not against you.
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