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Your product or service is not selling. There is at least one or more reasons. You just have not asked enough questions. Review this list and see if there are any variables you have not yet tried listed here. If you have tried them all, you most likely need to try and sell another product.
Why is your product or service sales low? Review this list of possible variables for poor sales:
- Your product is not fun.
- Your product is difficult to repair.
- Your product is costly to repair.
- Your product is difficult to assemble.
- Your product is difficult to prepare.
- Your product has no instructions, or inadequate instructions.
- Your product is not handy. It is cumbersome.
- Your product is not comfortable.
- Your product is not sturdy, or does not seem sturdy or possibly breaks easily.
- Is the price too high? Is your product higher than all of the other options in the store? (i.e. premium apple sauce $4.99/bottle versus all of the others priced at less than $3.00/bottle)
- Is there a demand for your product? More importantly, is there a demand for your product at the current price? (i.e. premium priced laundry detergent with designer cologne fragrances priced at $15.99 per box versus all of the other on the shelf nearby priced all under $8.99)
- Does the customer know all the benefits of buying and using your product? Have you done a lousy job of convincing the consumer he or she needs your product? Have your failed to show how your product improves the buyer’s life or how it makes his life easier and better for the money?
- Is the product placed into a store that does not seem to be the right fit? Poor selection of items? Lower grade store items with your premium priced product? (i.e. high priced treadmills at $4,500 versus the standard models Walmart sells for under $750)
- Is this the wrong time in the national economic cycle to try to sell your premium priced product? There are financial times when Maseratis do not sell well and when McDonald’s restaurants are booming.
- Is your product that is sold in pieces with attachments or additional useful items in total too costly? Does this method of selling piecemeal cause the entire price be too high in the mind of the consumer? You may need to consider giving the buyer some of the attachments free with the initial purchase and sell others at a lower cost using a discount coupon that carries a reasonable expiration date.
- Are the related supplies too expensive in the mind of the consumer? (i.e. printer cartridge high compared to the initial purchase of the desk top printer)
- Are delivery charges too expensive? Regardless of the arguments, if the consumer thinks this cost is excessive, it will not matter.
- Do customers not like your sales personnel?
- Is it difficult to get out of your stores? Long lines at the checkout counters? Slow service? No employees available to ask questions?
- Is it difficult to park or to find safe parking at your stores?
- Is it dangerous to park at your stores after dark? Do you have security guards in the parking lot? (i.e. certain parts of the city may need security guards available to make customers feel secure.)
- Do you offer someone to accompany shoppers to their cars after dark?
- If made available, are the public bathrooms kept clean?
- Are there are too many unknown off-brands in the store? This will impact the buyer wanting to pay a premium price for your product if surrounded by many unknown products. Premium priced products do well around other familiar premium priced products.
- Is the quality of your product suspect?
- Does it look cheaply made?
- Does the packaging make the product look cheap thus negating the high price in the mind of the consumer?
- Are there few repeat customers? If this is the case, is the price too high? Is the quality poor? Something is causing customers to convince themselves that the benefit derived from buying your product is less than the premium cost charged. The consumer is feeling cheated by the current price.
- Your stores do not take credit or debit cards?
- Is your product overpriced for the local market? Does it do well in higher income neighborhoods? If so, you have it in the wrong stores or you may need to create a cheaper version for the lower market.
- Does your product lack enough available colors? Are the colors outdated or wrong for today’s market?
- Does your product lack enough available sizes or variations?
- Do you experience a lot of returns? Disappointed buyers? Do you give your customers the ability to complain and tell you what they think you are doing wrong?
- Do you experience numerous complaints that your advertising is misleading?
- Are your store hours wrong for those consumers who you want to buy your products?
- Is your store located in a strip mall where everyone else is closed when you are open? You derive no cross-over strip mall traffic after these hours when the public is out buying with their families.
- Is it difficult to buy your product online?
- What are the traffic numbers on your website? Out of 100 visitors, how many make a purchase before leaving?
- Can visitors make comments before leaving your website?
- Have you tested your website on control groups for feedback?
- Who reviewed the website traffic findings? Have you had anyone outside the company review your website for design and ease of use?
- Do you get complaints about customers have problems when they order from your company? Does anyone keep tracks of complaints from customers?
- Do you get complaints about the shipping and handling charges you charge to those customers who shop online?
- Do you make it easy to call your customer service department and get resolution to customer complaints?
- Is it difficult for the average consumer to understand what he is buying from your packaging?
- Does the packaging clearly state what is included inside the sealed box?
- Does the packaging tell you for example no batteries are included, or available attachments must be bought separately or that the product must be assembled before use?
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