Recently I stopped by a local florist shop to order an arrangement of blue carnations to be picked up the next day. I pointed to a glass cube vase sitting on the display counter and asked how much to fill that with blue carnations anticipating the next step would be saying ‘Yes’ to placing an order and I’d be on my way. Instead what happened was timely, frustrating for me, and ended with me leaving with no order placed.

This local shop doesn’t carry any fresh flowers. I was told everything’s ordered in. I wanted to order today and pick up tomorrow afternoon so this shouldn’t be a problem. But, they couldn’t give me a price for the arrangement because they didn’t know if the cube vase would hold nine carnations or maybe thirteen. (I’d asked for flowers only, no greens as I like the look of solid flowers with a ribbon around the vase.) Hmm. Sounds like someone wasn’t well versed in their product and my confidence in them was beginning to nosedive.

As for blue carnations, they would need to be tinted. No problem. I realize Mother Nature doesn’t usually provide carnations in this color. Next, as I’m standing there in front of the lady she actually asked me if I could simply place the order online because their supplier would see it, could give an exact price, and would send it ready-made to the floral shop. Umm, I’m standing in front of her and she can’t take my order? Before we ventured any further into the conversation the phone rang and she excused herself to answer it while I excused myself to leave the store.

This made me think about how easy I make the experience of saying ‘Yes’ for my own customers.

People make purchases, of services or products, for three main reasons:

1. To meet an immediate need.
2. To meet a future, anticipated need.
3. Because of a pure want or desire.

A few roadblocks that get in the way of a “Yes” include:

• Wishy-washy information: Give concise, specific information always. If additional time is needed to gather information, set a time when a customer can expect an answer and respond by that time. If the customer is in front of you, excuse yourself for a moment to do the calculations or consult a resource and return promptly.
• Restrictions, conditions, and limits: Limit the number of hoops a customer needs to jump through to work with you. Having policies is important. Simply review each to make certain it’s necessary and if it’s making things easier or harder to work with you. Also, in website checkouts remember that the fewer clicks to place an order, the better.
• Limiting payment types: Determine which payment options your customers would expect you to accept and make an effort to have these options available. Working online, I’d say that accepting credit cards and/or debit cards is a big one. Requiring a customer to open a Paypal account to make a payment to you is a roadblock. See the difference?
• Delivery methods: With the popularity of eReaders when offering an eBook consider giving the choice of receiving this in the popular PDF version or one of the new eReader versions. For services some may be fine with correspondence via email while another may like the option of an occasional phone call or in-person coffee meeting. Which methods would your customers respond to? Are these methods possible with your specific business model and style of working?
• Not knowing a service and/or product inside and out: Be the expert when it comes to your services and products. You owe it to your customers to be their informational guide. Equip them with all the details they need to make an informed decision and instill their trust in you and your business.

Moral of the story: Review your offerings, policies, and how well you know your products and/or services. All team members and representatives of your business need to be on the same page. Make it easy to say ‘Yes’ and I can guarantee you’ll have repeat business.