You’ve heard of Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, usually at the worst possible moment. Well, there’s another variation of that, and it goes like this: The product will cease working exactly one day after the warranty expires. Enough of us have had that exact experience that it lends credence to the veracity of the law. We all take those 30- or 60- or 90-day warranties with a grain of salt. It makes us skeptical consumers.

Your customers are no different. They’re wondering, “What if it doesn’t work? What happens when it fails? What if I don’t get the result I was expecting?” They may be on the fence about buying from you. You’ve done a lot to move them to consider buying from you, but they’re thinking, “Yeah, I kind of like it. It sounds like it will solve my problem. I think the price is fair, but what if . . . ?”

Get rid of the “what if,” and you can close the deal. It’s easy to do. Easy? Yup. All you have to do is reverse the risk.

Risk reversal means that you, the business owner, assume all the risks associated with purchasing the product (or service), so it’s going to work to your customers’ satisfaction. If they’re on the decision fence and have nothing to lose, they’re going to buy.

Let’s be clear—square one is that you must offer a high-quality product or service. That’s a given. It’s a no-brainer. Some of my coaching clients assure me that they do (and I believe them), and then they go on to tell me about their 30- or 60- or 90-day guarantee.

That sort of offer simply makes people skeptical because we’ve all been burned by that warranty version of Murphy’s Law. What happens after 30 days? What happens after 60 or 90 days? When prospects wonder about that, they’re going to be hesitant to buy. You haven’t gotten them over the trust hurdle.

Pain Points

No matter how much your customers like you, they’re really buying the solutions you offer, and they’re buying to eliminate their pain points. Remember that your product or service must be of some benefit to them and make their lives easier and/or more enjoyable and potentially relieve some of their pain. After all, every single one of us has the same favorite radio station: WII-FM (What’s In It for Me?).

For an auto repair shop, the customers’ pain point is often the inconvenience of getting their cars serviced. They have to drop off the car, and then find a ride to get home or to work. If there was a trustworthy mechanic who offered this service, it would be exactly the solution most customers needed, and it would ease their pain point. Now, if that same auto shop washed and vacuumed the car in addition to servicing it, that would be over-the-top customer service—and certainly worthy of much word-of-mouth advertising!

I’ll also give you a marketing example, since most successful businesses address pain points in their marketing efforts. I know I do.

In my newsletter business, I know there are two recurring pain points that customers have regarding establishing a successful monthly newsletter marketing program: “It takes too long to write and produce a newsletter,” and “I never know what to include as content that my customers will read and enjoy.” It’s no coincidence that those are exactly the benefits of Chuck’s Newsletter Club, and my marketing addresses these pain points in a big way.

When thinking about your marketing, envision your most perfect target customer, and address your message specifically to that person, keeping in mind his or her pain points. Don’t envision addressing a stadium full of people. Imagine the one person who is your perfect customer.

Keeping pain points in mind works in marketing, and also while you’re being accessible to your customers, whether in person or via telephone or Web site.

Keep your eyes and ears open when communicating with your existing customers for their pain points. Sometimes they’ll raise a red flag immediately, and your response and remedy should be immediate as well.