Through the eyes of a fish

Enabling customers to buy more of what they really want is easy when you see things from their perspective.
 Are you selling what they want to buy?  

One day in summer, two friends went for fishing. They got a canoe rented and ventured out into a lake at dusk. As dusk turned into darkness, one fisherman opened his tackle box and began searching for a new lure. The other watched, curiously.

Until that moment he had been using a yellow lure. He explained, "It's time to switch to a black lure."

The other fisherman had to ask, "Why would you use black lure in the dark, in what now looks like a black lake?"

"Easy," he replied. "When fish look up at the surface of the water, they're looking towards the moonlight, and they can actually see the black lure better."

Hmm! Now, that's looking at life from the fish's perspective!  

Power to buy

How many of us are hooked on to our own 'yellow lures,' focused more on what we sell than on what the customer wants to buy? How many companies think about what makes things easier for them (and keep using the same old 'lures'), rather than about things easier for their customers? How many companies are focused on the inside/out rather than on the outside/in?

When will we learn that the power has shifted from those who sell to those who buy? Customers have so many choices these days, why should they buy from you? What do you give to them that no one else can? Do you keep up with their changing needs? When will we learn that we need to start looking at the world through the customer's perspective, not just through ours’?

Customers buy your ability to do something for them. They buy a state of mind. When we ask them what they want to buy, how they need our abilities to be, what will make their lives easier - we get an all-new perspective. Business through the eyes of the customer, like fishing through the eyes of the fish, might just yield different results.

What is your customer buying? Beauty? Memories? Uniqueness? Are they buying convenience, prestige, safety, comfort? Are they seeking attractiveness, intelligence, peace of mind? Are they buying speed, security or pleasure? What is the ultimate state of mind your customer is looking for as experience when he buys from you?

Enabling customers to buy more of what they really want is easy when you see things from their perspective. So take a look at the 'lures' in your tackle box. Think about whether or not they are attractive to your customers - whether or not customers can clearly see that you have what they need. Are you selling what they want to buy?