316: How To Make Your Business Fit Into Your Customer's Life

Speaker A: You're listening to the Black to Business Podcast, an educational podcast providing black entrepreneurs with the tools and resources to start and grow their businesses. We chat with vetted black entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and business owners as they provide tips and resources to help take your business to the next level. I'm your host, UT Marshall. Hey there, and welcome to the Black to Business Podcast. I'm your host, Monique T. Marshall, and today's episode is a short and sweet solo episode. And I want to tell you about the time. Actually, a while back, I had an idea for another business. So the whole concept was built around helping entrepreneurs keep everything organized. Their notes, their documents, their information, all in one place. And so, in my mind, it made perfect sense. I started thinking through what it could look like, what are some of the features that it would have, and just how much easier it could make running a business. Then m. Somebody asked me one question. They said, why wouldn't I just use Google Drive for that? And so my first thought was to really honestly explain why my idea was just different from Google Drive. And so I wanted to talk about the features, what it could do, and how everything would work. The more I thought about the question, though, the more I realized that they weren't really asking me about Google Drive. They were asking me why they should change the way they already do things. So that stopped me for a minute because I. I really had to sit there and think. And even as a business owner, I think we spend so much time thinking about how to build something better, whether it's a better product, a better service, or just a better experience. And sometimes we get so focused on improving the idea that we forget to ask whether it actually fits into the way our customers already live and work. And so most people already have a way of getting things done, and their way might be a little bit messy, and it actually might take longer than it needs to, but still, they know how it works. And so changing something they've been doing for years takes a little bit more than giving them another option. So your new idea has to make enough sense for them to leave behind what. What already feels familiar. And so that's what I really want to talk about today. How do you build a business that fits naturally into your customer's life? How do you create something people can actually see themselves using? And how do you help without giving them another thing to learn, remember, or just another thing to keep up with? Because sometimes the opportunity is really not in creating something completely different. The opportunity may be fun. Finding a way to become a part of what People are already doing. So without further ado, let's get into it. Okay, so that Google Drive conversation, it really stuck with me because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the tool itself didn't really matter. It could have been Google Drive. It could have been a, uh, notes app. It could have been a spreadsheet or a notebook. The person had already had a way of getting things done, and most of us do. And you can think about your own life for a minute. So you probably have a few things you handle in a way that somebody else might look at it and say, why are you still doing it like that? And maybe your desktop has files everywhere. Maybe your notes are spread across three different places. Or maybe you still write reminders on, um, sticky notes, and you put them somewhere you know that you'll see them. I know I do. And so is it the most organized setup in the world? Probably not. But you've gotten used to it, though, and you know where things are. You know where to open. You don't have to stop and think about how it works. And I talk about this because I do this a lot, actually, more often than not. And so I'll come across a tool, and I think, you know what? That would actually be helpful. And what I'll do is I might save the website. I am actually good for using Google keep to put some website links like, these are future resources, and ask me how many times I go back to those resources. Yeah. And so, yeah, using myself as an example. So I'll save those websites. And I tell myself, you know what? I'm gonna come back. And so some time passes, maybe a week, and I'm still finding myself doing things the same way I was doing them before. And so I say this because life keeps moving. Life keeps happening. And the tool may have been great. It may have been like, okay, it's something that actually I should consider, but I just never switched. And so your customers are doing the same thing. They have routines. They might have some shortcuts on ways that they do things. They just have their own way of keeping up with things. And so some of those methods may not make sense to you, but they make sense to them. And so this is really important to understand when you're building something for people, because you may see a problem and immediately think, you know what? I can create a better way. But your customer might be thinking, do I really want to learn something new? Do I really want to learn another way? And so they're trying to get through a busy Tuesday they're not really worried about figuring something else out because they have work to handle. They got some family responsibilities, they got, uh, meetings, or they may got a thousand other things that are on their mind. And I can almost guarantee you that learning another system is not at the top of their list. And they are trying to figure out where your business fits into everything they have going on already. Does this require another app? Do I have to remember another password? Is this one more place I need to check? And how much do I want to change before this becomes useful to me? Each request may seem small when you're the one that's building the business, but look at it from your customer's perspective. If you stack enough of those small things together now, working with you feels like it's just more work. And so that Google Drive question made me start asking something I should have asked much earlier, and that was, how are people solving this problem today? What are they already using? What have they gotten comfortable with? Or what have they decided is good enough for now? And whatever they're already doing is a part of that decision. You aren't just entering an empty space. You're asking them to change something that already has place in their day. And so knowing how people currently solve the problem gives you a much better starting point. So you can see what they like about their current way. You can also see what's frustrating them. And you can also see how much work it would take for them to switch. And those things are truly, truly important, because entrepreneurs can spend months building something with maybe better features, more options, and also a cleaner process. But the customer might agree that it looks great, it looks fancy, it looks like something that could work, but then they still might go right back to using the same thing that they were using before. And as I mentioned before, we've all done it. We've all heard about a tool that's supposed to help you stay organized. And so what happens is you sign up, you're hyped about it. You may even use it for a few days, and then. And then one busy week comes along and you're right back in your notes app making a list. And so the old way is familiar. You don't have to remember how to use it. You already know where everything is, that familiarity has value, even when the system isn't perfect. A new solution is asking somebody to spend time learning how it works before they ever get the benefit. And so they may need to create an account, move over some information, change part of their routine. And also they need to remember to come back to the new thing. And that's a lot to ask from somebody who was only trying to solve one problem. And so this applies to service based businesses too. So a coach may have a platform where clients can send messages, they can complete assignments, and they can find resources. And the platform might be beautiful, well functioning, all of the bells and whistles. And the client may still keep emailing because email is what they check every single day. And it's so funny that that happens because I remember I was in a business incubator and it was really talking about how much email is the one thing that can put people out of business business. Because people are just so used to it and they'd rather use it than any other form of communication because it's just a part of their daily habits. And that really got me thinking. So as a consultant, you may, uh, upload every update in a portal and the client just keeps asking for that document because they forget that the portal exists or the customer isn't trying to make your life difficult. Of course they, they're just following the habits that they already have. And that's why offering something better doesn't automatically mean people will just switch. The new way has to feel realistic. They have to see where it fits. They need to understand how much easier their life becomes after they make the change. Otherwise what they're already doing may continue to win simply because they, they know how to do it. And this also changes the way that you think about competition. So, for example, another business offering the same service may not be your biggest competition. Your competition may be a spreadsheet, a text message, a folder on somebody's desktop, or even a process that they've pieced together over time. Doing nothing can be competition as well, because people will live with an inconvenience for a long time or when fixing it feels like even more work. And that's why understanding what customers already do gives you so much information. You learn what you're truly asking them to leave behind, and you also start seeing where your business can fit without requiring them to rearrange their whole life. And this conversation also changed the questions that I asked when I'm creating something different. So I still want it to work well, of course, I still want it to be organized. I also want to know how people will actually use it. And so that means looking at what they already do throughout the day. Where do they naturally go for information, what do they already check, how are they used to communicating and what tools are, uh, already part of their work. And so Those answers can help you build something people are more likely to keep using. So let's just say you're putting together your onboarding process and you could build a detailed client portal with m multiple sections, folders, message boards, etc. And everything may look polished and nice from your side. But the question is whether the client is actually going to log in every single week. And your customers may already live in their email. And a, uh, clear email with one link may work better than a platform that they have to remember to visit. And also maybe they already use Google Calendar every single day, and so adding appointments directly to their calendar may serve them better than sending them reminders through another app. Maybe your customers already communicate through text. A short text update may get seen much faster than a notification from a platform that they rarely open. And so the answer won't be the same for every business. But you still will need boundaries. And you will still need a process that of course, works for you. Because building around customer habits doesn't mean allowing people to reach you anywhere, at any time, in whatever way they choose. I'm not saying that you're looking for places where the business can work with their existing habits without making your own operations harder. And sometimes that may mean connecting your process to a tool they already use. Sometimes it might mean reducing the number of places that they need to check. And sometimes it might mean delivering information in a way that feels familiar to them. So start by looking at one part of your business and think about how customers book, receive information, ask questions, or get what they purchase. What do they already do in that part of their life? And can your business connect to that? Does the process require them to learn something that has nothing to do with the result that they came to you for? Or could one part happen somewhere they already spend time? You don't have to rebuild the entire business. But one thoughtful decision can make working with you feel much more natural. Because customers aren't thinking about how impressive you your system is. They're trying to get what they need and move on with their day. And a business that understands that has a much better chance of becoming part of their routine. Which brings me to my next point of removing one thing they don't need. Because as business owners, we often add things because we want the experience to feel complete. So we'll add a form to collect more information. We'll add another email so nobody misses anything. And also we'll add a platform to keep the work organized. And in our minds, each addition has a reason behind it. But over time, the Process can become a lot more complicated than it needs to be. So something that started with maybe three simple steps turns into seven steps. And so what happens is customers are checking their emails, they're logging into a portal, they're filling out a form, and then they're going somewhere else to complete the next step. And nobody decided to make the process complicated like that wasn't at the top of your brain, but it happened one little old addition at a time. And so removing something can be just as valuable as adding it. So one less login might mean one less password to remember. One less email means the important messages has a better chance of being seen. And also, one less decision means that the customer can keep moving without stopping to compare options that they didn't really need. So now I want you to think about one part of your business that customers interact with regularly. What could you remove without hurting the experience? Does every question on the form need to be answered right now? Does every customer need every option? And does the information need to live in more than one place? The goal here isn't to strip the business down until there's nothing left, But I do want you to remember that you're creating space for customers to focus on the reason they came to you. They shouldn't have to spend extra time learning how your business works when they're already trying to solve something in their own life or their own business. So I want you to choose one unnecessary step this week and look at what purpose it serves, and pay attention to what could happen if you removed it. You may find that the process still works. Your team may have less to manage, and your customers may have less to remember. The experience also may feel easier without needing a new tool, a new feature, or a complete rebuild. And that's how a business starts fitting into somebody else's life. You pay attention to how they already operate, and you respect the amount of time and attention they have. And also, you stop asking them to change more than the solution requires. And as I'm having this conversation, it's crazy to think about how one question completely changed the way that I looked at the business idea. You know, why wouldn't I just use Google Drive? And at the time, I thought I was being asked to defend my idea, but looking back, I wasn't. I was being reminded that people already have a way of doing things. And that doesn't mean that you shouldn't build something new. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't improve what's already out there. It just means that your customer is bringing their own habits, their own routines and way of doing things with them. And your business doesn't have to exist in a vacuum. It has to fit into a real person's day. So here's what I love for you to do this week. Pick one part of your business. Maybe it's your booking process, maybe it's your onboarding process, or maybe it's how customers receive information after they buy. And ask yourself one simple question. Am I asking my customer to fit into my business? Or have I, uh, built my business to fit into their life? And then look for one thing you can simplify. Not 10 things, just one. One step you can remove one place where you can meet your customer, where they already are. And one small change that makes doing business with you feel a little bit more natural. Because sometimes growth doesn't come from building something new. Sometimes it comes from making it easy for people to say, this already fits into the way I work. Of course I'm going to say yes to it. And with that being said, thank you so much for tuning into the Black to Business podcast. As always, we appreciate you for spending part of your day with us. And don't forget to also visit our website at blacktobusiness.com forward/mailing list so that you don't miss an update on an episode. And in the meantime, keep building boldly. Keep pushing the culture forward, and I'll see you back here next week. Later.