To grasp an understanding of perceived indifference (from the customer's perspective), think about how often you feel some of the following, having made a purchase;
A feeling that they don't care about you or your individual needs - it's a numbers game! They act as if they don't want your custom (in my experience the telecoms industry smacks of this)
They are not prepared to differentiate themselves from the competition - (strangled by process and not empowered to make a difference)
The vendor is not prepared to fight for my business, to work just that bit harder to deliver the service I want (again no flexibility)
These feelings unfortunately occur all too frequently when dealing with businesses. Frequent examples include; a blasé sales assistant who clearly can't be bothered to put themselves out for you or being held on the phone for 50 minutes to then be cut off!
So before your strategy to boost more business is to 'cut prices', think a bit more creatively about delighting your customers in ways that matter.
Boost sales: Most businesses cut their prices (and usually their margins) with a 'Sale'. This can generate strong short-term benefits, such as clearing old product and building brand / market strength. However, problems start to occur when price becomes the key deciding factor selling on price is a very dangerous thing. This is because there is almost always someone else willing and able to sell cheaper. And the consumer will always remember the cut price - so it's often difficult to reverse the price cut.
Customers like a good deal however, research has clearly identified that what customers really want is to feel valued throughout the whole purchasing experience. The minute they feel that perceived indifference is creeping in and they and their purchase is not valued they switch off. And it's very difficult to switch them back on again!
So how can you overcome perceived indifference?
Clearly, the key to overcoming the problem of perceived indifference is making the customer feel that they are important to you. If the customer thinks that you want and value their business, they are much more likely to make both initial and repeat purchases - and share positive word of mouth with others.
Think about whether or not you instil measures within your business to ensure that your customers dont feel the powerful punch of Perceived Indifference and be sure to implement simple measures that show your customers you are attentive, eager and importantly, that you value their business.
