In business, clients might choose you for a wealth of reasons; they like you, your brand resonates, you offer the cheapest service, or the best value. But regardless of what prompts them to use your services or products, knowing the ‘why’ is critical.
When you understand ‘why’ a customer picks your business over someone else, you get to the heart of your unique selling proposition.
So, let’s examine why customers choose you and how you can use this to grow your business.
Why knowing the why matters
Knowing why clients choose you is critical to business success. It offers you a way to stand out from the crowd and highlight your point of difference.
When you know why customers choose your business, you can also pull the ‘levers’ required to grow your business further.
You can market to the right people with the right message, offer the right products and services, increase those products and services, and provide them in the way your customer desires.
Understanding why clients choose you also helps inform your vision and mission, and underpins the culture of your business, along with the type of staff you hire.
So how do you determine why clients choose you?
10 reasons clients might choose you
As I mentioned, there are numerous reasons why a client might choose you, but some of the most common are the following:
The solution you provide
Every business solves a problem, when you understand what struggle you solve, and how that’s different to your competitors and others in the marketplace, you have a clear reason why clients choose you.
Not only should you be aware of the problem you solve, this should inform your business vision and mission.
It should be the basis of your marketing, and needs to be crystalised into a clear message you can quickly relate in the form of your unique selling proposition.
You have a good reputation
In business, social proof and word of mouth marketing can be key to success. Often a customer will select you simply because they have heard about what you offer from friends or via testimonials online.
They can find you
Whether online or in the physical world, your business needs to be easy to find. Customers will often select a business that they can quickly Google, find information about or that’s conveniently positioned in a location they know.
You provide great service
Good, consistent service creates brand loyalty. When customers know they can expect great service, they will return to you and select you over your competitors time and again.
The price is right
Many customers will choose a business based on the price point of their products or services, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that business has to be the cheapest.
Often the customer will weigh the price point against other factors like quality, reputation and service as well, looking for a service or product that represents good value for the money they spend.
They trust you
People buy from people who they know, like and trust, which makes trust a key ingredient in any successful business.
When people trust you and your products or services, they return to your brand and tell their friends.
It’s convenient
Some of the biggest businesses in the world have been built on the basis of convenience. If a customer can readily access your products and services at a time that suits them, this creates a point of difference.
After all, in this day and age, time is your customer’s most precious commodity, which makes convenience paramount.
They share your beliefs
In recent years the rise of ethical consumerism means the beliefs and ethos of the business are more important than ever to the customer.
If your customer shares your brand beliefs, this engenders loyalty.
They relate to your story
In a similar vein, customers will often select a business whose story resonates with them, which is why it’s important to share the why behind your brand, including its history and evolution.
The final word
Any one of the above reasons is enough to make a customer choose you, but often clients base their decision on more than one factor.
They weigh your business up against the competition, assessing criteria like perceived value, service, convenience, beliefs and a whole lot more.
But it’s important to understand this decision making process and have an idea as to how they made their final selection.
This means occasionally you need to ask your customer how they feel about you and why they selected you.
When you know why customers choose you, you can build and scale your business further appealing to them through additional products, services and marketing.
After all, the customer is at the heart of any successful business journey, and knowing why you appeal to them and how you can cater to them better is key to business success.
