One day, a famous philosopher named Ralph Waldo Emerson and his son were seen busy putting the family's cow into the stable. Until there was only one calf left which seemed difficult for them to direct to the stable. Where the philosopher attracts, the calf pushes the opposite. On the other hand, when Ralph Waldo Emerson pushed him, the calf also pulled away in the opposite direction. Then, came the philosopher's household assistant. He approached the calf and put his finger in front of the calf's mouth. Not long after, the calf sucked the household assistant's finger, and slowly the assistant led the calf to the pen. That way, without coercion a calf can willingly enter the pen.
From this incident we can understand that a calf can be controlled easily and according to what we expect if we can fulfill the core expectations or desires of the calf. So what does the calf want? namely food in the form of fresh cow's milk that the household assistant rubs on his fingers. Thus, the calf cannot resist sucking the assistant's finger.
What we learn from that incident is also about fulfilling the wishes of prospective customers. A brilliant mind is indeed very important for communicating with customers, but when knowing what customers want in depth, intuition is far more important to use.
A domestic servant may not be more educated than Ralph Waldo Emerson. The household assistant also may not be able to write an outstanding essay like the philosopher. However, because he has more intuition when that happens, he is better able to solve calf problems. Therefore, the first thing we should pay attention to when we want to establish deeper relationships with potential customers is to practice a sensitive and intuitive attitude with them. Focus on their wishes, not ours and hopes.
Relating to business and company. It would be nice not to focus too much on what products we will sell. But, focus on what products other people want and need. Because basically they are targets and objects that determine the behavior or not of our products or services. So, focusing on fulfilling desires and solutions to fulfill them is much better for us to do. For example, if we sell books, don't focus too much on what books we will sell, but try to focus more on what books potential customers need. To find out our wants, needs and other things, we can review the "Customer Persona" we have created.
Then, what if we sell a product, but cannot fulfill the wishes of prospective buyers? This is because the capital or profit that we get is limited. For example, we sell books with a capital of 10,000 and the buyer wants the book at a price of 9,500, then what should we do? One thing we can do is be transparent and provide a price solution that is close to what the customer wants, as long as we still make a profit, even if it's a little. However, if our solution is not accepted by potential buyers, then try to give affirmations and soft words. Because maybe one day they will come back and accept the solutions we provide.
If it turns out that our solution can fulfill the wishes of potential customers, the important thing is that we have a good relationship with them. Give affirmations and good words, so that they are expected to buy our products not only once or twice but become customers.
Guy Kawasaki, Apple's former Chief Evangelist, once said, "If a person doesn't have deep relationships with other people, he doesn't have much influence over them." (quoted in Dale Carnegie's book “How To Win Friends & Influence People In The Digital Age” Indonesian translation, page 33). Of course this influence is obtained when we are able to fulfill customer desires, the deeper we can fulfill their wishes, the greater our influence on them.
There are two things that need to be considered in the communication process to fulfill the wishes of prospective customers:
1. Focus on the desires, expectations and what the prospect needs.
2. Provide solutions to them in a gentle, friendly and caring manner.
When we can't meet a prospect's wishes and our solution isn't accepted, avoid arguing or criticizing. It is better to end communication with an apology, gently, kindly and tactfully. Because maybe one day they will come back to need the products we sell. If our last meeting was a debate and mutual criticism, then it is likely that potential customers will not glance at us and may switch to another seller, even if another seller sells their products at a higher price.
For example, there are book sellers, say A and B. Seller A is known for selling his books at low prices, but in selling he likes to criticize buyers. These sellers often say that their buyers are not aware of prices and haphazardly bid on products. In contrast to seller B who is friendly and polite in his service. In addition, seller B often gives bonuses at certain moments. Of these two sellers, which would you choose? if the author may choose seller B even though for example the price offered by seller B is slightly more expensive than seller A.
Related to branding and digital marketing. Many companies spend money on advertising. However, one of the mistakes that these companies often make is that they compare their products, not compare the solutions that those products have for potential customers. So that the results of the ads they run are not optimal and are often boncos (advertising costs are higher than profits). So, it is very important to convey messages that contain solutions to fulfill the desires of potential customers so that their advertisements are far more optimal. There are 4 things that are important to note when we convey a message about the product or service we want to sell.
1. Dialogue messages, sentences to invite readers to comment are more effective than one-way descriptions.
2. Attention, make a sentence that shows that we pay attention to what problems our customers have.
3. Interested in fulfilling a customer's want or need, offer our products as a solution to eliminate or answer a problem that a potential customer has.
4. Build trust, convey persuasive sentences with the aim of instilling trust in prospective customers.
Example:
"Original books are cheap? Hmm.. don't worry, how come there are bookstores that sell original, sealed, affordable and cheap books😊 The price is only 50k/3 books.. woww.. can't believe it. Fear of not living up to expectations and being scammed Don't worry that purchases can be made through COD, Shopee, Tokopedia, Tiktok shops and others so that they are safe from fraud and inappropriate goods, because if this happens you can immediately report to the marketplace for a refund😉 Let's shop for books at the Pendiksi Store!"