When I think of Seven Eleven I think of the 24 hour Convenience Store.
Recently a friend was telling me about their theory that customers need 7 hours or 11 touch points in order to develop a relationship with a business to reach the point of making a purchase decision.
Interesting idea. My friend wasn’t quite sure where the idea came from so I headed to Google and wasn’t able to find anything to substantiate the 7/11 claim; I love a good statistic!
Whether the stats are actually correct of not this did get me thinking about the idea:
A buyer wants and needs to develop a relationship with the business in order to have the confidence to purchase
and
that relationship is based on trust. Trust gained from the value provided through the 7 hours or 11 touch points.
There are many businesses that just say “Buy My Stuff” without really establishing a relationship or offering any value prior to purchase.
Really successful businesses are always looking for new ways to add value for customers and potential customers long before asking them to buy anything.
One good example is Apple. They offer so much value for free; free in store wifi, use their computers in store, itunes and much more.
Is it any wonder that by the time some one makes their first purchase they already feel a strong relationship with the company?
Offering value and creating value for the customer and the potential customer is the essence of the Seven Eleven concept.
When you are making a purchase decision what do you look for? What are the things that you value? How could a business create value for you when you are still a potential customer?
And so in your business:
What are you doing to add value without asking for anything in return?