By Katie Corbett
Something I have learned in the product development world: Keeping things simple and providing a truly good deal will help you attract fans and retain customers. Tim Ferriss, author of “The Four-Hour Workweek,” gave his customers 125% back when they returned an item to one of his first online business ventures. That’s right. In addition to the cost of the item in question, he gave them an extra 20% back. He said that though some people took advantage of this offer, most people were surprised and appreciated the extra touch. Tim didn’t report a crazy-high number of returns, either. And he did have many loyal customers. That convinces me that this idea to create a standout offer has merit. The beauty is it can be applied to almost any product or service.
“The $100 Start-Up,” by Chris Guillebeau, has more examples of companies that have unique elements to their offers. In my coaching, I provide something extra at no additional charge, whether that be an assessment test, a résumé review, or an inside tip on an available job. When coming up with this idea to stand out, I asked myself these questions:
• What could I offer that goes above and beyond?
• What do my customers want?
• How can I go above their expectations?
• What can I do that makes me feel I’m providing stellar service?
• What is my competition doing?
• What can I learn from the competition?
I’m still thinking about how I can create a standout offer for my garment project. It takes creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, and confidence in you and what you offer to go outside the norm and truly create something special.
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