Customer Experience Library - Tip #3 You're Too Close
- Mark O'Brien
- Mar 3, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 24, 2023
You’re too close – Make it so ANYONE can understand
When we started this company, I had been studying, reading, and practicing these concepts for years. I had so many thoughts around the topic, so many different ideas and various frameworks we could provide. However, before we launched, I decided to take my own advice and show my website to other business owners I know and asked for feedback.
What I realized was that I was wayyy too close to the concept. I needed to employ more empathy, and put myself in the shoes of casual observer who has absolutely no idea who I was, what I do, or how I could help them. That doesn’t mean that I watered down every message – especially those that really spoke to my target audience, but it does mean that simplifying your message makes it easier to spread rapidly.
My dad who was in sales for a time – had this phrase I love and still use to this day, “Confuse the Customer, Lose the Customer…”
The goal is simplicity and clarity of communication.
So go to friends, go to family members that have no idea what your product or service is – don’t prompt them at all after they start engaging with your material or website, and see if they can articulate back to you what they key elements of your product or services are (this can be called user testing in the digital world). I think you’ll find that YOU’RE TOO CLOSE. To powerfully amplify this exercise, record the exercise and have the tester explain what they are thinking as they fly around the page or product in stream-of consciousness style verbalization. After doing 5, 10, or 50 (usually the key themes come out in 5) of these sessions, you’ll have a rounded out understanding of what people are thinking or feeling when they engage with your material, product, or service.
In my story, I needed to make a variety of changes to my content on the homepage of the website so that anyone could understand how we help at a glance!
This simple, free exercise can really help you understand how your brand comes across, and is key helping streamline the word of mouth marketing we help ignite!
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