The Baer Facts Issue 78: Grow Revenue by Answering Customers Before They Ask

Answer Before They Ask.

You know what your customers need from you informationally, don't you?

If I asked you to write down the 25 questions people have most often about your products or services, I'll bet you could whip that list together on the spot.

Yet, too often we require customers and potential buyers to work awfully hard to get the info they need. 

They need to call customer support. Or use live chat. Or search Google. Or send an email.

Today's customers HATE to wait. And they also abhor being under-informed. 

So one of the best things you can do in the entire pantheon of customer experience is to ANTICIPATE questions and answer them proactively, eliminating the need for buyers to spend time researching.

I witnessed a boffo example of proactive information this week, when my son Ethan bought an Oura Ring from Amazon on Prime Day.

These rings are full of sensors that communicate with an app on your phone and tell you sleep patterns, steps, heart rate, and a bunch of other "measured self" data.

I'd heard of this gadget but never seen one in the wild. My first question to Ethan was "how did you know what size to get?" because they clearly aren't adjustable.

Oura clearly understood this would be a common query, so they created an at home sizing guide that ships to your home for $10.

You play a little finger roulette, place your order, and once they have your money they refund you the $10. Genius!

Reminds me of Warby Parker eyeglasses, who offer a home try-on whereby they ship you five frames (no lenses) and you pick what you like and ship back the rest. 

Often, purchase likelihood is driven by how HARD or EASY it is to get key questions answered.

Oura and Warby Parker understand they are selling something that many people have never bought before online. They know what the questions and informational obstacles are, and they satiate that confusion easily and proactively.

How can you do the same?