FM Walsh & Associates Inc.

Convincing Customers to Adopt Your New Mouse Trap

Ever wonder why your potential customers don’t act, even if you can clearly see the benefit of what your products or services can bring to their business?  How do you convince them to adopt your mouse trap, which is clearly more superior than what they are currently using?

Do you have a process for gauging whether your customers will adopt a new product?

It’s likely that your customers are quite happy with what they already have in place.  They are reluctant to part with what they have in place, are unable to see the need for a new product, and may also be skeptical about a new product’s performance.  Ask yourself this question:

1. Do they have to make significant adjustments to how they have been operating to use your product?
2. Does your product offer significant benefits when compared to what they use currently?

If your answer is yes and no, then you have a problem.  As an example, a family that has been using disposable diapers for their first child will have more resistance switching to a new cloth diaper product for the next child.  Switching from disposable to cloth requires a significant change in routine, while both options do the same job.  However, if the family had started using cloth diapers for their first child, convincing them to use an improved version of cloth diaper would be a lot easier, as they don’t need to change their routines.

The most successful product introductions are those that bring substantial benefits but require little behavior adjustment.  Think switching from standard to high-definition TV.

If you are launching a new product, or overhauling an existing one, think about whether your customers would need to adjust how they have been operating.  If they do, make sure you build in ways to make the change easier for them.