Too Many Products

A.k.a: When the answer to more sales is not more things to sell.

Have you ever felt a drive to find more things to sell? Maybe you’re thinking if I just added tuber sales or seed sales or wreath sales or bulb sales or workshops, or….you get the idea.

In my experience, these kinds of offers can help us in the short run, but they can also muddy the water for our customers and slow down the progress of our businesses.

We know that customers need repetition in messaging. A lot of repetition. So, when we bounce back and forth with different kinds of products, we can confuse them. It can also start to feel like we’re making no progress in any one direction, because we aren’t becoming “known” for something by our customer base.

Some of the biggest success stories from new growers that I hear are from ones who have focused on ONE kind of product. “I sell wrapped bouquets through my CSA. I’ve grown it from 10 to 60 members in a couple years.”

These kinds of business owners are learning mastery and commitment and the power of repetition in their markets. It takes time and patience and repetition.

When we pop in and out of our customer’s lives with lots of short-term, one-off products because we’re desperate to make a quick buck, we can run the risk of confusing people.

I’m in the process of de-confusing people now, so this topic hits home. My company has gone through some transformations, but it was built with a target squarely on the wedding and event industry. With that target I was able to set specific income goals and they were easy to map.