One thing you might not know about me:
I take my bicycle everywhere.
Where most people would take their car, call an Uber, or hop onto the bus… I still take my trusted ol’ companion: the gold-painted Kona mountain bike my dad bought 30 years ago.
Doesn’t matter if it’s raining, snowing, storming, freezing, or blistering hot… I’ll take my bike anyway, thanks.
The other day I did just that.
It was a gray cloudy day and I felt like having myself some specialty coffee (one of my biggest passions).
So I hopped on my dual-wheeled friend and headed to my fav cafe.
So far so good.
I almost crashed into a lady with a stroller on the way, but things like that happen… right?
Once I’d made it to the coffeeshop I did what any normal person would: I ordered a filter coffee, enjoyed it for like 60 min (when I say ‘enjoy’ I really mean enjoy), and chatted with the baristas for a bit (they know me by now).
And then I tried to pay…
But to my utter shock, when I held my card to the payment processing machine I was confronted with the following message:
In BIG, RED, BOLD letters.
“Oh crap…”
Now this is embarrassing.
“There must be some mistake.” I said, “Let’s just try that again.”
But again…
CARD DECLINED
“God damn it, this is getting really uncomfortable.” I thought.
Another try… same thing.
I didn’t have any cash with me, so it was becoming more and more apparent that I couldn’t pay.
The barista looked at me in pity.
She probably thought I didn’t have enough money on the card.
Well, I later checked my bank account balance and made some calculations. Turns out, I had more than enough to buy 3,000 CUPS OF COFFEE! So that wasn’t the problem. 🤷
But what happened next made me quite happy indeed.
The barista said:
“Tim, we know you’re not gonna scam us. After all, you’re blowing 100s of dollars on our coffee every month (you crazy addict). So how about this: next time you’re here, you just pay for today’s coffee. No worries.”
(She didn’t quite say it like that but that’s what it sounded like).
I thought this was very nice.
And it’s also a lesson on business.
I recently re-read How to Win Friends & Influence People and one of the principles is exactly this:
Through working with a bunch of clients, I’ve realized that converting them mainly comes down to one thing:
How much they like you.
People think that “authority, credibility, or expertise” is what makes clients want to work with you.
But how much they resonate with you on a personal level is actually equally, if not more important. Not only for converting them but also for retaining them.
See, because my local coffeeshop let me “save face” by not shaming me or forcing me to pay then and there, I like them a lot more. And thus… I’m much more likely to return.
It’s the same with your customers.
The more you make THEM feel valued and competent… the more they like you and the more they’ll pay you.
Here’s the actionable takeaway:
Never make your potential customers feel like their suffering is only their fault. This will do nothing but repel them and make them hate you. Not good.
Instead, make them feel understood. Even if it means confirming their illusions.
For example:
Most fat people will blame their slow metabolism for their plus-sized physique. If you call them a lazy f**k – which they might be – they will never buy your hypothetical weight-loss program and thus change their life. You’re doing them a disservice.
But… once they’ve paid you… they are much more receptive to accepting your criticism and making a change.
So let your customers save face.
Right, I’ll hop back on my bicycle to pay back my debt now.
Talk soon,
Tim <3
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