Who Do You Trust?

When asked where you buy clothes, food, or supplies, who do you trust? Some people will buy things from thrift stores, where others will only buy from places like the Gap or Belk's. Some people will buy food products from Wal-Mart, but others will not even so much as set foot in their doors.

When it comes to business, you have to figure out who you're marketing yourself to. Unfortunately, you please everyone, and so you have to choose where you plan to gather your profits. Are you interested in selling items in bulk for lower prices like Wal-Mart, or do you need to buy from places like Publix who have better quality products for higher prices? I get my fruits from Publix because they are always better than what I can get anywhere else, but I have to pay for it. But that's my choice.

Or, are you interested in selling your products for higher prices, but therefore reducing the amount of sales? "Ritzy" stores can specialize in their products, offering premium goods are premium prices, or sometimes, the location where their store is placed is what gives it value. Places like Mountain Brook in Birmingham, AL, are known for their "high style of living," and therefore things cost more in that location than they might in other places. The contrast, though, is that people who live in that area generally make more money than in other places, which allows them to afford it.

The strange thing about marketing is that you can't always predict how your customers will behave. They may not like your product because they perceive it to be bad, without even having tried or heard of anything about your company. People are weird, and their decision making is weirder, so we as business people have to ask ourselves, "We know we have a great product, but the customer doesn't. How can we make it so that they know that they will be benefited by it?"

Think about how some companies get you to "trust" them, or at least come back. It can be as simple as offering rewards for returning to as extravagant offering something like a "try it for 30 days and if you don't like it you can send it back!" sort of thing.

So I ask you, who do you trust? Why do you trust them? Does your reason make sense? Does it have to? Let me know!