How to grow your creative business using ‘tasters’

If you have a business, you need to get people to do things.

And it’s frustrating when they don’t…

Watch your stuff; like your work; follow your work; hire you; buy your pieces.

You have a beautiful product that will improve the quality of someone’s life.

You provide a supportive service, rich in real value for the recipient.

And so, these people need to be made aware of how you can improve their lives.

You have the potential to improve people’s lives.

Making your work known should, therefore, be seen as a duty.

If you can help others, and you are being blocked from doing so, you must do something about it.

Plus, you get to make money doing it.

But how to persuade others to buy your stuff when parting with money is such a big deal for people, especially when it’s hard enough getting people to take notice of you in the first place?

You’ve probably been in a Starbucks when they hand out free pieces of cakes, or shots of drinks tasters.

Why do they bother?

Doesn’t a massive brand like Starbucks merely have to open its doors to get paid?

For most of its income yes. But even large companies see the tremendous value in having a ‘taster.’

Every two or three hours, each of its cafes gives out about 2–3 full cakes worth of product to its customers.

Most people will tuck into it with a sly smile, pleased with their freebie snag — something they don’t buy, at least immediately.

But a handful — maybe 1 in ten — will experience an emotional hit that is powerful enough to make them want more.

They buy a full slice of that orange and pumpkin cream pie.

They may also buy another coffee to go with it. And they buy a slice of pie every week for the next six months, and beyond. They also tell their friends about how ‘heavenly’ it is.

And so, Starbucks expands in several ways:

• They improve the lives of current customers and become known for their care and generosity. This leads to more people returning and buying their stuff.

• People tell others about how great Starbucks is, expanding their customer base.

• Customers purchase alternative and new products that they may not have otherwise.

Selling anything is much, much easier when you view the sales process as a series of steps that you take your potential buyer through, from grabbing their attention, to giving value and joy, to building trust, and finally landing a sale.

One of the best ways to persuade people to pay for your great products and services is to give them a taste of what it might be like to work with you and experience your knowledge and service.

Just like Starbucks uses tasters, a tiny investment next to the value brought in through repeat buyers, extra profit, and added credibility, you too can create your own version of a Starbucks taster.

What thing could you introduce to your prospects and followers, that is a low investment for you, but enough value to them that gets you noticed?

I don’t know your exact business or offering, but how about these?

• Starting a conversation with someone over email with a simple question or compliment that shows your interest in that person?

• Sending a small gift to an ideal client to thank them for inspiring you.

• Sharing podcast episodes that inform, inspire and entertain

• A booklet of your latest art you send in the post

• Videos that welcome people into your world, and your mind

• A beautiful, $5 booklet you sell on Kindle

• Free digital products like brushes, textures and templates that artists can use immediately

• A free ebook or list to get people clear on the basics of what you know and teach

• Free online workshops or webinars

• A free physical book you send to people who cover the shipping

• Blog posts that inspire and energise

Perhaps these will inspire people to subscribe to your regular newsletters or start an ongoing conversation with you, keeping you continually front-of-mind, developing trust and more of a liking for you.

These are all things that will get the ball in motion for developing those all-important relationships with your prospects.

This will start the process of moving people from strangers to interested ‘leads’, to friends, and finally, to buyers and ongoing fans.

What’s your taster?

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Does this idea make sense to you? If you have 12.7 seconds, I’d love to read your comment below.

If you can’t think of something to say, write: ‘TASTY’ in the comments, and I will love you for it.

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