How Many Options SHOULD You Give Your Customer

Choice is good.

Too much choice can be paralyzing.

Paralyzing that angry Tiger that’s just escaped from it’s cage 10 feet from you is a good thing.

But paralyzing your customer is, well, positively dangerous when it comes to making sales.

Can you “package” your products and services so that your customers face less confusion and don’t get bogged down in the details?

Marcia Yudkin reminds us of this fact in a recent article on “Narrowing Options” so that your customers aren’t moved to inaction by too many choices.

When your childhood toothpaste brand presents you with “Tartar Protection,” “Sensitivity Protection,” “Cavity
Protection” and 14 other versions, it’s easy to conclude that more choice is better.

However, two studies by Columbia University psychologist Sheena Iyengar contradict this. When researchers invited gourmet food shoppers to try samples of exotic jams, only 3 percent of those who tried one of 24 varieties purchased a jar, while 30 percent of those who tried one of just 6 varieties purchased.

Likewise, when Iyengar compared employee participation in 401(k) pension plans at almost 1,000 companies, she found that as the number of mutual funds offered in a plan rose, the rate of employee participation fell.

Present too many options and people balk.

This explains the wisdom of certain marketing strategies:

* The effective direct mail letter asks the reader to take one action, not choose among five.

* Special offers should highlight a deal on one product, not provide a discount on anything in the store.

* Pointing different types of customers toward their best option not only makes buying easier but reduces buyer’sremorse.

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Look for the link in the yellow box:
http://www.yudkin.com/become.htm