285. Why Confused Customers Always Choose Competitors

0:00Welcome to Day 13. Use clarity and consistency to amplify your brand. Confusion pushes shoppers away. When a consumer is overwhelmed, unsure, or can't quickly understand what your product is, who it's for, or why it matters, they default to the easiest option. They walk away. Or they grab whatever's familiar. Or they choose the cheapest thing on the shelf. Your job is simple. Make the customer's journey straightforward, predictable, and consistent everywhere they encounter your brand. Do that well and you become the easy yes. Do it poorly and you unintentionally push shoppers toward your competitors.

0:37Let me explain. Clarity plus consistency equals confidence. Up to this point in the series, we've talked about your foundation, your business plan, your why, your idea of customer, your community, your storytelling, your merchandising. Now we're going to layer in something that multiplies the impact of all of those, clarity and consistency. Clarity answers, what do you stand for? What problem do you solve? and what should I do next? Consistency answers, can I trust that you'll give me the same experience every time I interact with you? When those two are in place, shoppers feel confident. Confident shoppers buy more.

1:16Confident shoppers come back. Confident shoppers become evangelists. Consider this, if you're merchandised in one way in one store and completely different in another, if your package changes consistently, if your messaging is different on your website, social channels, and shelf, you're asking your shopper to work harder than they should have to. And shoppers don't want to work. They want to be led. The hidden cost of inconsistency. I see this all the time. A brand celebrates getting into a new retailer and then discovers in one store, they're at eye level. And another, they're down by the floor.

1:52And another, they're in a completely different aisle. And another, they're merchandised like a commodity. No consistent signing, no consistent placement, no predictable experience for the shoppers. This is the Achilles heel of most brands. From now on, when you think about retail execution, I don't want you to only ask, is the product on the shelf? Do I have tags or signs up? I want you to ask, is the shopper journey clear? Is the experience consistent across stores? Is it easy for customers to find and buy my product? Clarity and consistency at shelf are not nice to have. their competitive weapons.

2:29Clarity and consistency are also important online. I frequently find product images of a brand in different places at the same time. In fact, I was once on the board of a company working to solve this very issue. I was surprised how widespread this issue is and how it also impacts the copy that describes your brand. Remember the adage, you never get a second chance at a first impression? My version of this is you never get a second chance to disappoint a customer. This is your moment to lead. I recently had a conversation with Doug Brown on the podcast where he said something I loved. This is a perfect time for massive prospecting.

3:04What he meant was now is the moment for smart brands to step up, lean into clarity, and claim a leadership position in their category. A lot of brands, big and small, are still trying to regain their footing. They're reacting, not leading. They're unassured what the next six to 12 months will look like. This is your opportunity. This is your moment to show up as a category strategic leader. Bring sharper insights others ignore. Help retailers simplify the customer journey. Make your brand the easiest to shop. Understand and support. Clarity and consistency are how you signal that leadership. Perceived value comes from clear differentiation.

3:42Let's connect to this value. I've talked throughout this series about the bread example. Generic bread, cheap, minimal nourishment. You're hungry almost immediately. Best mainstream bread, better, more filling. You stay full longer. Organic, nutrient-dense bread, higher cost per loaf, lower cost per use. Because it satisfies you longer and fuels your body better. Same category, completely different value proposition. If everyone is lumped together, if bread is just bread, then retailers and shoppers never see the difference. That's what commoditization does. It erases perceived value. Your job is to create massive perceived value by making your difference crystal clear.

4:23Who you're for, what problem you solve, how you're better, why you're worth more, what unique shopper do you attract, and then repeat that message everywhere. In your packaging, on your website, on your social, in your pitches, in your demos, in your training, and at every shelf in every store. Clarity creates perceived value. Consistency cements it. Live in the hero's journey. As the guide, think of your customer's experience as a hero's journey. They're standing at the base of the mountain, confused, overwhelmed, unsure what to do next. You've already climbed that mountain. You've solved their problem.

4:58You've created the product. You've done the work. Your job now is to be their Sherpa. Go with them. Show them the path. Warn them about landmines. Give them the right tools. Tell them what to bring and what to leave behind. Walk them step by step toward their desired outcome, and more importantly, make the path obvious. If your instructions are vague, scattered, or inconsistent, they'll give up. If your steps are clear and predictable, they'll follow you, and they'll thank you for it. Use your tribe to clarify your language. One of the lessons I keep coming back to is the idea of building your own community, your tribe, because it becomes your clarity laboratory.

5:37When you have your own tribe, you can ask what they love about your product. You can learn which phrases resonate. You can learn in their words what problems you solve. You can test messaging. You can refine your story. Then you can take their language and use it in your packaging, your website, your pitch decks, your shelf talkers, your digital ads, your presentation to retailers. This eliminates guesswork and makes your messaging feel natural and personal. Personalization, simple, human, and repeatable. Now I know you can't personalize everything at scale in a single store. That's not realistic.

6:13But you can personalize your tone, your story, your onboarding experience, your follow-up. Think about Starbucks. They don't just pour a generic cup of coffee. They ask how you want it. They write your name on the cup. They remember your preferences. That's part of why they can charge$5 or more for a cup of coffee. It's not just caffeine. It's identity. It's community. its perceived value. Or think back to Burger King's old Have It Your Own Way campaign. They weren't selling burgers, they were selling customization and control. You can borrow that mindset. How can you make your customer feel seen?

6:47How can you make them feel like this product was made for them? How can you follow up personally and thank them for choosing you? One tool I've used is video messaging. Send a quick personalized thank you or welcome message when someone joins your course or grabs a resource. It's simple, human, and incredibly powerful. You can apply the same thinking to your brand. Shoppers want you to tell them what to do. This may sound overly simplistic, but it's true. Shoppers want you to tell them what to do and in what order. Online, a confusing checkout process leads to cart abandonment. In store, confusing layout leads to basket abandonment.

7:24Online, if they can't find the price, the benefits, the ingredients, the size, the path to add to cart, they leave. In store, if they can't find your product, understand what it is, see how to use it, and connect it to their need state, they move on. Your job is to create a trail of breadcrumbs. Clear navigation online. Clear signage in store. Clear packaging hierarchy. Who it's for, what it does, and why it's better. Clear call to action. Grade four, perfect win, best use with. The more you simplify the journey, the more you amplify your brand. Day 13 action item. Audit your clarity and consistency.

8:03Today I want you to do a quick, powerful audit. Pick two retailers that sell your product. Visit or have someone else send photos. Is your brand merchandised similarly? Is your message clear and consistent? Compare their websites to your websites. Social and packaging. Do they all tell the same story? Do they use the same core language? Is your why obvious everywhere? Ask three customers from your tribe to describe your brand in one sentence. Does it match what you want them to say? If not, what needs to change? Write down three clarity improvements you can implement in the next 30 days. Shell standards, KPI checklist, messaging updates.

8:42Simple breadcrumb improvements online. What gets written down gets done. What gets done consistently builds brands. In closing, clarity and consistency are your multipliers. Clarity makes your brand understandable. Consistency makes your brand unforgettable. Together, they reduce shopper confusion, increase trust, improve conversion, strengthen retailer relationships, and amplify your story and extend your runway. Tomorrow, in episode 286, we're going to build on this by talking about how to design a simple, repeatable retail execution system so that brokers, distributors, and internal teams can deliver your standards flawlessly in every store.

9:22Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it. Share this episode with a founder who's stuck in random acts of marketing and needs a path to clarity, and download the episode's free guide to go deeper into these strategies. Remember, when you lead shoppers clearly in consistency to the resolution of the problem, you don't just earn a sale, you're in a customer for life. For additional inspiration, listen to the following podcast episodes. Episode 26, Storytelling Secrets to Boost Your Brand with Bobby Umar of RealIn. Explore innovative and creative disruptive retail strategies that put shoppers' desires at the forefront of retail success.

9:59In this episode, we talk about how big brands communicate the value of their brand to their customers, how they use storytelling that resonates with their customers, and how you can learn from these strategies, from the techniques and tactics that big brands use to tell their story and then leverage your strategy so you can differentiate them when you're talking about what's unique about your products and then listen to episode 34 plant-based strategies to drive consumer engagement with my cook with Daya explore plant-based strategies to fulfill consumer needs and drive sales across all categories in the marketplace Daya Foods a plant-based brand creates dairy-free soy free and gluten-free products that mimic traditional dairy plant-based products are gaining popularity due to health and environmental concerns, leading increased demand for transparency and clean labels.

10:47Brand storytelling is a big reason for their success. And then listen to episode 64, The Heart of Successful Brands Building Community with Neil Grimer with Habit and Plum Organics. Discover the key elements behind The Heart of Successful Brands, personal selling story, mission-driven goals, and service. Tip of the day, confusion pushes shoppers away. The customer journey needs to be simple and straightforward. Help lead shoppers through the resolution of their problem, and you will win them for life. Thank you for listening. This episode has a company video with illustrations and additional information I can't share in an audio podcast.

11:24You can watch it at retailsolved.com slash 30-day challenge. You can get the show notes for this episode by going to retailsolved.com slash session 285. Tomorrow's episode is identify your ideal retail partner, including online. This episode will build on today's conversation. Want more sales? How to profitably scale a food business today, tomorrow, and beyond. Here's this week's free downloadable guide. The 30-Day to Prosperity Workbook is a companion to the 30-Day Challenge. This retail-solve blueprint will teach you what you need to know to confidently grow and scale your brand, build a connected community of loyal evangelists, and multiply your brand's impact, sales, and profits.

12:03Every slight improvement means more runway for sales growth, higher brand evaluations, better terms when negotiating with investors, fuel for more innovation, greater support for mission-based causes, and much more. Thanks for joining us today. Please reach out and share your most pressing questions, and I'll do my best to get you the answers that you need on future episodes, including expert advice from CEOs and industry thought leaders. Comment, leave your questions, and get this week's free downloadable guide and the show notes at retailsolved.com slash session 285. Thank you.