No one wants to irritate their prospects, but so many businesses are really experts at this. A prospect is someone who matches your target audience (moms 22-45 years old for me within 35 miles of my gym). If my goal is to reach every mom in my area that matches that description, then I have to know what the painpoints are for moms, and I also need to know what irritates them. So, because I’m a mom within that demographic, I’ll tell you three things that drive me nuts that I see businesses doing: 

    1. They make it impossible to communicate. I sat on an employer panel a few weeks ago, and the local Parks and Rec representative was there. Because of it’s great facility and affordable programs, they have been a competitor with us in a few areas of our gym (primarily before and after school care, summer programs and dance.) The facilitator asked, “How can someone get a hold of you.” The answer from the Parks and Rec representative was, “You can visit our website. It’s run by the city, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can call us. If that doesn’t work, you can stop by.” I had a hard time not cracking a smile…We all know what “if that doesn’t work” means. Our Parks & Rec is literally the WORST at answering the phone. They also don’t answer emails. They also sometimes don’t have a trained employee sitting at the front desk. So, when you call and call and can’t get a hold of someone there, what do you do? You start looking elsewhere. (My answer to that question was, “You can visit our website and use the chat feature, call us or stop by! We’re open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and answer the chat on the weekends as well. #boom)
    2. They turn off reviews. I don’t trust companies that don’t have reviews on their Facebook page. The first thing I do is go to Google. If you have haters on Facebook, I get that. Sometimes parents are unreasonable. Sometimes we screw up. Both of those can create bad reviews. I’m not usually as concerned about the bad reviews as I am about how the company responded to them. Were they kind and professional or did they feel the need to prove someone else wrong? If the reviews are off, not only can I not see this, but I know you’re afraid of bad reviews. Why? Probably because you’ve got a lot of unhappy customers. (If that isn’t the case, then turn them on so it doesn’t send the wrong message.) 
    3. They underprice themselves. Example: Let’s look at two gyms. I call to book a birthday party. One charges $80 for a 2-hour party and the other is $279 (also for a 2-hour party). Do you think I’m going to ask a lot of questions to both? I like a good deal as much as anyone, but I’m going to seriously question the value I’m getting when the price difference is that broad. You’ll actually be shocked to know – a large majority of people are looking for value over a good deal. They’re willing to pay more for the things that matter to them. A child’s 5th birthday? That might be a memory they have for the rest of their lives. Is that sort of memory the one you would sacrifice value? I wouldn’t

So, if you’re struggling in any of the areas above, change that now. You’re losing customers. You’re losing credibility. You’re losing revenue. Near-immediate communication, risking a bad review and raising your prices won’t be easy, but it will absolutely benefit you in the long run.