Choice Is Killing Your Business

Are you running a business or a smorgasbord?

I get. You love your customers. You want to make them happy, meet their every need and grant their every wish. So you give them loads of options. Options, options, options. They can mix and match, pick and choose, and spend hours browsing your extensive selection of whosiwhattsits and thingamagigs.

With all of that freedom of choice you’re dishing up, surely your target consumer will pick you over the other guys. You’ve got it all. Why would anyone even consider your competitors, right?

Wrong!

It’s a proven fact that the more choices we have as a consumer, the less likely we are to buy. We get overwhelmed when presented with too many options. So overwhelmed in fact, that very often our response is to do the same thing as before or do nothing.

Think about it— you may start out wanting to do something new on date night, but when faced with choosing from dozens of alternatives, nine times out of ten you’re going to end up at the movies, or just stay home. Why? Because it’s easier to do nothing than making up your mind.

Too many options stresses people out. You’ll make people crazy with a choose-your-own-adventure style website and brochures that read like the menu at an all-night diner. And you’ll make yourself crazy trying to be great at delivering value for all of those choices.

I know you want to satisfy your customer’s every whim, and that’s sweet. Really it is. But that’s not what they want. When potential customers seek you out, they want you to relieve them from having to make another decision. They want you to make their lives easier, not more complicated. They don’t want to have to figure out which one of your many products or services is best for them, they want you to TELL THEM what’s best for them.

Look, if you overload people with too much of anything, they will feel stressed and ignore you. If you keep it simple and with fewer choices, they will feel relaxed and confident— they’ll pay attention, maybe even buy. So save the smorgasbord for holiday dinner and start streamlining your offerings. Your customers will love you for it.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Listen to Mike’s podcasts on your favorite app: