Customer fears will always be the greatest enemy that can fall your way in a customer success niche. It is a customer that has the indelible power to make or break your business. That is when customer fears build those walls of resistance and make it difficult for a conversion to happen. Fortunately, here in this blog, we will be talking about five such common customer fears and their respective addressal techniques.

#1 Customer Fear:  Reiterating the Previous Mistakes

It is a given that a previous unhappy experience can ignite fear in some of the customer’s hearts. It could be a CRM software that did not satisfy the user’s expectations or a customer success feature that they could not benefit from. Now, if they are taking a backseat from explaining their reasons for not buying from you, or repeating their previous mistakes, it may be easy to assume it is due to a past experience.

Suitable Addressal: First and foremost, try to know what kind of experience it was for them and how can you make it right. Know that you now have to overcome a lot more fear than if they would have not used your product in the first place. To best address this crisis, offer this product or service to these prospects on a trial order. Assure them that this time around, they would not be seeing the issues that they once saw in their previous experiences. You might also connect them with some of your satisfied customers who have had some experience with using the same product.

#2 Customer Fear: Paying More

Let’s face it – no customer wants to pay more than the MRP. There is no fun in paying a handsome amount for something that you can get for cheaper rates. And a customer knows this. There will be many questions in his head before he pulls the trigger and swipes his card. Is the pricing fair? Can I get a discount from another store?

Suitable Addressal: It is more than necessary to understand how important a buyer’s perception is and in what ways it can affect the success of your customer. The newer clients or prospects would wish to know that they have been able to get close to your bottom line. That is what they would much rather appreciate. To begin with, while speaking about the investment, emphasize on the overall value that they will receive instead of basic features that the product offers.

#3 Customer Fear: Unknown Product or Brand Name

It is possible that you are new to the industry and are still trying to woo prospects and lure them to try your product range. The potential prospect could not have heard about your brand or can only guess its use. Before they do business with you, they will have a staggering fear in their hearts on your quality, price, offerings, and usage in the very least. Should I opt to do business with this unknown brand? What if they are fake? What if I get duped on my money?

Suitable Addressal: Let your website speak for itself. Your landing page must be made to inform rather than to sell. As you are new to the market, plan to put up video footages that describe your product, services, and you as a brand. Make it a point to put your offerings crystal-clear to your customers.

#4 Customer Fear: Uncertainty of Quality

Sometimes, the customer has apprehensive thoughts before they can finally purchase a product. They would still be unaware about all your product’s features, how they can be benefitted out of it, whether the price fits their budget and many others. Above all, without trying out your service, they will always be uncertain and unsure about your quality.

Suitable Addressal: Give them a way out to try to product. What if they could see each of your features and benefits for a specific period and then decide whether or not they wish to subscribe your offer. That is when, the golden trial plans come into play. They showcase your customers what the product looks like for a certain time, say, a week or month, that too for free.

#5 Customer Fear: Negative Reviews or Testimonials

A customer’s fear may generate from third-party information too. It could be from an online review or a post on their social wall that they could have come across. Else, it might hail from the customer’s friends or relatives who would have passed on a negatively critical comment on your product. This fear can get to be so obnoxious that disallows the customer to buy something from you. Based on these reviews or testimonials, they could reach a verdict to not initiate a business with you, at all.

Suitable Addressal: Understand that these third-party data stand as a wall between you and your customer which you need to break. Begin by convincing the customer to give it a try and see the product for yourself once. This is where the delicate game of winning the customer’s trust, comes into play. And, if the need arises, do take help from some of your past happy clients who can intervene as a reference too. Until and unless the fear is not completely lost, they will not come on board and do the business with you, easily.

#6 Customer Fear: Data Security and Theft

To begin with a customer will have second thought before sharing his or her card credentials online. They would also take a backseat before sharing any confidential or personal information online. There is always a constant fear of their data being stolen, personal identity being compromised, or security not being taken seriously.

Suitable Addressal: Secure your transactions. Add an SSL Certificate that has a green padlock stamp which will stand as a testament to your customers to trust you more. Never ask them data that is not required for your system. Take the best precautionary measures when you have their private data with you. The larger is your customer base, the higher is the onus of respecting their trust.

#7 Customer Fear: Unprofessional Sales Staff

A prospect is more likely to be intimidated by a salesperson when she enters your store. Why? The reason is funnily simple! As a salesperson, you want something from the prospect – their time, commitment and money. To top that, what you want from her involves some kind of a change on the prospect’s behalf. And change is something that most people are a little skeptical about. You could be selling an item of a close friend, but when you wear the role of a sales staff, some amount of fear is almost inevitable from the prospect’s perspective. Aside from this, the sales staff are often taught to answer everything with a ‘Yes’ even if they are unsure about the right answer. Did you also know that about 79% of the B2B buyers claim that interacting with a trusted salesperson is critical to a business?

Suitable Addressal: Be her friend. Overcome this intimating personality by being warm and friendly. While you show them the items, invite them to stand or sit beside you and have an active engagement at all times. Know what your customer wants and be cordial in your approach. Body language too has a big role to play. Do not stand too close or too away from the customer and avoid crossing your arms. Know that the answer to whatever she asks might not always be a ‘Yes’. If there is something that the product does not offer, ensure that you let the customer know that honestly.

#8 Customer Fear: Too Much Change

As a customer, you would have your favorites, won’t you? Be it your go-to customer service platform or be it a CRM tool that answers all your needs. On that note, when a customer has to change their regular service-provider and pick a new one instead, there are a multitude of questions that would be running through their head. Will the new vendor be as good as the last one? Will there be a slump in quality? Is this transition going to be a smooth one?

Suitable Addressal: Understand the customer’s needs and desires. Whatever be their previous experience with their past service-provider, you need to see that you do better than that. Give them better than the best so that they don’t miss them too much and acclimate to the new change. Use strategies aimed at calming customer fears of change.

That’s a Wrap

Customer Fears are one of the biggest hindrances that come in the way of a good conversion. As and when you shed light on these issues, you will see that these customer fears evade with time. Implement these five strategies to go easy on those fears. Retain your customers for long and see your conversions sky-rocket in no time.

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