Let’s talk about 2 pieces of news in Britain and the United States right now.
First, this week, we learned that due to a lawsuit and some other legalities, Cadbury chocolates and a few other types of British candy will no longer be shipped to the United States. Immediately, Americans were shocked, and I’m sure that many people made a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up on candies that would soon no longer be available.
Then, in New York, as intense winter weather approached early this week, the entire city stocked up on food and supplies. Within hours, many of the grocery stores were completely sold out of kale. Yep, everyone stocked up on kale. (My New York readers ~ It’s so cool to me that you wanted to serve kale at your blizzard slumber parties, and I absolutely cracked up seeing your photos of kale-less grocery store shelves. The health nut in me salutes you!)
What can we learn from all of this?
When people can’t have something, or can’t have a lot of something, they want it even more.
Just the other day, we learned that a cute local bakery in our city would be closing in a week. I was out 5 hours later to buy several containers of their vegan espresso coriander ice cream, which is now being stored in our deep freezer (because I may never be able to buy it again!).
Limiting factors help people to take action. Americans only have so much time left to buy Cadbury chocolate bars from stores based in the United States. Residents in New York City had a few hours to buy all of the kale they could find, before the snowstorm hit.
My suggestion today is for you to look at how you can make your audience more aware of some of the limits that you have in your business. There are probably a few honest limitations that you are aware of, but your customer may not be.
~ For example, I’ve found that it’s personally ideal for me if I have no more than 3 client calls in 1 day. I do this for energetic reasons, since more than 3 calls a day can cause my voice to get tired, and my energy to wane. I want to give my clients the best service possible, so my own energy gauge limits the amount of private clients I can work with at one time. It makes these spots very special, and because of this, I have to be more selective about which entrepreneurs I support.
~ If you sell artwork, your customer may need to put in an order by a certain date to receive their artwork by a certain holiday.
~ If you have a new service available, you may only have time in your schedule to work with 4 new clients.
~ If you have a product that you’re no longer going to sell, let people know how many days they have left to purchase it.
Keep in mind that sharing your business limitations is not about tricking people into feeling as though their isn’t enough, because there is enough (and you can always start a waiting list if you need to, or create a digital product that can be sold to many people). But honestly, you may not be able to deliver certain products or services to everyone who requests them at once. It’s worth letting your audience know about that.
The people who are serious about buying from you will then step forward, and they will do so quickly when they understand those limits, and when they see how precious your time is.
© 2015 Ava Waits
Ava Waits is an inspirational speaker, business mentor, and forthcoming author. She believes that making money should feel like bliss, and through her work, she helps innovative women build service-based businesses that richly fund their lives.
Clients worldwide have used Ava’s processes to release financial constriction and bring more business opportunities and income into their lives. For more information, to view article archives, and to schedule a Strategy Session to discuss your business visions, please visit www.AvaWaits.com.
