Psst... Pass It Along If this ezine is useful, please pass it along. Just forward it to friends, family, or colleagues with a brief note (to let them know it's from you and isn't junk mail). Thank you! Paying It Forward You may not have realized it, but as a reader of this e-zine you are making a real difference in the lives of adolescent girls through contributions to Childreach, a program of PlanUSA. We started sponsoring a child in 2003, using a percentage of sales made through this e-zine. Soon we were so excited that we scrapped the percentage program and decided to sponsor two children regardless of how much or little we earned. Click here if you'd like to learn more about Childreach. And please forward this ezine to the accidental entrepreneurs in your life. Let's make business an overwhelm free zone. All I ask is that you forward the newsletter in its entirety and/or that you include the following paragraph and copyright line with live link if you reprint the article. This article originally appeared in the Authentic Promotion e-zine and is reprinted with permission from the author. Molly Gordon is president of Shaboom Inc., a coaching and training company that delivers hope, help, and hilarity to Accidental Entrepreneurs so that they can build a business that fits just-right. For more information, visit http://www.shaboominc.com. Copyright 2008, Shaboom Inc. All rights reserved.

How This or That Packaging Makes Working with You a No-Brainer

Every day clients and customers are walking away without hiring you or buying your work because it's just too complicated. And the worst part? You made it complicated because you thought you were supposed to.

Heinz® knows better. Its "57 sauce" has been a staple in diners for as long as I can remember. Do you think it would have achieved that kind of prominence if Heinz had marketed the other 56 varieties? Yikes!

The Myth of Choice

When you're building business, it's easy to believe that the more choices you offer, the more customers you can attract.

But it isn't true.

The actual consequence of multiple choice is overwhelm. Your client wants a steak sauce, not a litany. Imagine, by the time the waitperson finished reeling off all 57 varieties, the steak would be cold!

And in our businesses, the clients don't even order the steak. They go where it's easier to get what they want.

This or That Packaging

The way to make it easy for people to get what they want is offer the fewest possible number of options: two. I call it "this or that packaging."

Let's say you're looking for an attorney specializing in estate planning. At one Web site, you see six packages for estate planning and four more for optional trusts. Maybe you even start to read the differences, but odds are you're out of there in minutes. Who has time to do the homework required to make a decision?

The next site you visit offers a single estate planning package with two options. You look over the basic package, and you like what you see. But is the price right?

This is where the premium option comes in. This package includes an annual check-in to determine if your plan should be revised along with a free in-depth review of your plan after five years.

The basic plan is $1500, the premium is $1650. You know that one hour of an attorney's time can cost well over $150, so it's easy for you to see the benefit of buying the premium plan. At the same time, if money is a big issue, you have a lower cost alternative.

Having a choice of two slightly different versions of a single product or service gave you a context for making your decision – the opposite of overwhelm.

But Won't You Lose Business?

It's scary to think about a client or customer getting away because they didn't know we could help. But you can't build a business (let alone serve people) by worrying about the ones who get away.

The key to building a successful business is to know your just-right client and to give that person what they need. Clarity and discipline about who you really serve and how is essential.

Consider the estate planning example. From what little I know about the topic, the plans and prices I suggested are quite modest. They would likely appeal to single folks or couples with modest assets and very simple requirements. The kazillionaire with five former spouses and three adopted children, not to mention four privately held businesses, is not going to buy one of those packages.

And that's a good thing. It will be far easier to attract 100 clients with a simple two-option package than it will be to attract 1 client with an unending menu of services.

The Exception that Proves the Rule

There is an exception to the rule of this-or-that, and that is when your entire business is built on around options.

At The Cheesecake Factory, you expect to see a menu with umpteen varieties of cheesecake. That's the whole point.

But you aren't a factory, nor are you marketing to the masses. For the accidental entrepreneur, multiple choice is a losing game.

Think about it. Would you have heard of Heinz 57 if they put the other 56 varieties on the market?

Let me know your thoughts,

PS: If you'd like to see some examples of "This or That Packaging," hop on over to the landing page for The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur. You don't have to buy the book (though you are welcome to). Just read the copy and study the package.

I've offered a lot of programs over the past twelve years, and This or That Packaging has increased sales by ten times over my old multiple choice approach.

Talk Back: I love to hear from you, and I read every email personally, even when I can't reply to all of them. Send your thoughts to letters@authenticpromotion.com. And if you prefer not to be quoted in a future article, just let me know.

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U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1530-311X
Unless otherwise attributed, all material is written and edited by Molly Gordon, MCC. Copyright (c) Shaboom Inc.(r) 2008. All rights reserved. Visit our extensive archives at www.mollygordon.com .

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