The T.I.E. You Need To Help Your Customer Make

The difference between having and growing a business comes down to one thing. It’s helping your customer make the choice as to which part of the T.I.E. they need from you. Sure, we can argue there are actually lots of things, but then again…not really.

Now before we get too far in, I want you to know that I’m writing to the business/owner/entrepreneur. However, as a customer, this can also help you help yourself. Read on to understand just how this can help you determine which T.I.E. is best for you.

Your Needs

Let’s back up a minute and do a bit of a business 101 review. If you’re in business, no matter what stage, product or service you offer – you need customers. We can list all of the other things that your business “needs”, but without customers, there is no business.

So you can work on the fancy website, cool graphics, get the gear and the logo all you want. No customers, and all you have is a hobby. A hobby called, playing business. 

Whew! Harsh. Maybe, but I’ve played business before and it’s not fun. There’s this guilt that hovers everytime you talk about “your business”. There’s a desperation in your voice – whether your audible one or the one you use in marketing. 

I can tell you without a doubt it’s because we missed learning or understanding the T.I.E. our customer needs.

And before you can defend the extended building phase, read this. 

Whatever your reason, season or what’s teasin’ you away from actually building your business, you need customers.

Now you might be thinking, “Great, so how do I make them choose me?”. Good question, so let’s get to that part!

Their Needs

This is where our T.I.E. comes into play. I’m going to break down each of them, but first let me just end the suspense. 

Your customer needs you to help them decide which part of the T.I.E. they are ready to pursue. Helping your customer make that choice, is on you. The one between Transformation, Information or Education. 

Okay, first, your potential customer (they don’t know if you’re their person yet), is looking for something. What are they looking for exactly? 

Truth is, they’re not really even 100% sure. 

All they know is that they are in some kind of pain and looking for relief of some sort. Whether it’s a tangible product, a feeling, an experience or a specific result – they want a transformation. 

All potential customers are looking for a transformation.

Sounds too simplistic, but it’s actually the hardest result for us as a business to get them to. Hear me out. I don’t doubt that you think that you have a great product or service. 

Why is that? It’s because you understand what your product or service is and what it delivers. 

Your product/service is clear to you. While you’re waiting for what seems to be a quick and easy transaction, your potential customer isn’t ready. 

At this point, they only know that they are “here” – in their struggle/pain/need.  But they want to be “there” – transformed to/with the result/benefit.

If we (business) ever hope to get our potential customers to their desired Transformation, we have to provide good Information. Helping our potential customers make that choice, is so important in moving them to – customer.

What They Don’t Know

Think of yourself as a customer. What’s one of the first things that you do when you’re in pain, aka, looking for a transformation? You begin searching. 

Before there can be a transformation, there first needs to be plenty of information. 

We want to know all there is to know about our problem. So what do we do? We look for information. We look for things like:

• Where to go: online, in person, book, course 
• What are the best offers for us
• Who are the experts according to…
• When we can expect to see our results/benefits 
• How much it will cost (both time & money are factors)

And guess what? So are your customers!

Information comes before we can hope a potential customer will have a transaction with us. (let alone a transformation)

So as a business, how are you doing in providing a potential customer with this piece of the T.I.E.? Information.

Are you able to clearly provide relevant information to them? Information that is helping them make a choice?

Things like:

• Your product or service is explained/showcased clearly 
• Who it is for and who it is not for
• They can see where/how others used your product/ service and benefitted
• The differences between features and benefits are easily distinguished
• Who are the competitors? How is this/you different?

Now your potential customer is one step closer to being ready to decide if you can help them. Let’s close up that T.I.E. with what’s next. 

They Are Ready To Learn

By providing what type of Transformation your potential customer can expect with you, through Information, you can move to what’s next.

This is the last part of the T.I.E. needed to help them become your customer. 

Education.

Education is where they decide if you are the one that they can trust to walk them through the process. Both the process you explained with your Information, and the one required of them for their desired Transformation. 

This final part of the T.I.E. is where you help them really come to a decision. They’ll either decide to go with you – as in buy, or keep the search going.

There are two questions that most customers have in mind when arriving at this stage. 

• What’s in it for me?
• So what?

Think about your own search for a Transformation. After you pause to a potential business and take in their Information, are you not asking those same questions? 

So now flip that lens. Make sure that you are truly helping your potential customer make that choice.

The Education part of your business needs to Educate them in:

• What they gain by acting now
• What they’ll lose if they keep searching/waiting
• How their life will change/stay depending on how they act
• Any bonuses that go with your offer

Are You Ready?

Now as you are going over the T.I.E. process in your own business, you’ll see that some of the areas can overlap. Some can even be interchangeable. That’s both the cool and fun parts! You get to decide what helps your customer make the T.I.E. with your business looks like.

If you need help with this, go here. Bottom line, do what works for you and what feels most authentic. Trust me, your potential customer will know right away. 

working to help my customers make the T.I.E. right there with ya,

---