EP23: Customers Drive Growth: 8 “Yeses” You Need to Care About

We can talk about new technologies and strategies to drive business growth until we’re blue in the face and one thing will always remain true: customers drive growth. 

Without attracting, converting, and retaining customers, you have no growth. You need customers to pay you money and, well, keep paying you over time.

And that’s why it’s so important to understand how customers operate—as humans, not just as data points or KPIs.

Each customer is a human with real problems and needs, searching for a solution. They make a myriad of choices every day that can contribute to your business’s revenue or growth.

But it’s not just about the choice to enter their credit card into your point-of-sales system—that’s just one “yes” a customer makes.

There are actually eight (plus a sneaky bonus) “yes” every customer makes that directly contributes to your ability to attract, convert, retain, and expand in your business.

Some are a mindset “yes” and others are an action-oriented “yes”—but all are essential to understand.

So, here are the 8 customer “yeses” you need to care about and why they’re so important.

1. Yes, I have a problem

It always starts with recognizing there’s a problem. Before any change takes place, customers need to know they have a problem that needs to be solved.

This is the first mindset shift that starts a chain of “yeses” towards becoming your customer.

2. Yes, I want to solve the problem

It’s not enough just to recognize a problem—you need to actually want to solve it.

The reality is that it’s near impossible to brow beat people into a solution. No one likes being forced into change. And, even if you could, they wouldn’t stick around for the long-term.

Instead, customers need to come to a point where they know there’s a problem and are actively looking for a solution.

3. Yes, I want to try your solution

Most customers, after recognizing the problem and need for a solution, will look around at their various options. Then, they’ll create a shortlist of solutions to try.

If your product-market fit is aligned properly, they’ll consider your product or service as a solution to the problem.

Once they’re willing to try your solution, you have a chance to demonstrate the value you can offer to solve their unique problems and needs. In the SaaS industry or with subscription-based services, this exploration takes place during a trial period or initial collaboration.

4. Yes, I understand why this is valuable

After using your solution for some time, you need potential customers to see the value you offer them.

If someone doesn’t see the value in your solution, they’re simply not going to become a customer. This is why the focus always needs to be on creating value for customers that meets their real-world problems.

5. Yes, I want to become a customer

This is the first “yes” that brings in revenue. Whether it’s a simple credit card transaction or a lengthier custom contract process, this is where they convert from potential customer to a paying customer.

Too often, we stop here. You’ve onboarded a new customer, collected their payment, and the journey ends. But the reality is there is so much more to come.

If you stop at the “yes” to become a customer, you’re leaving money on the table.

6. Yes, I want to renew

Many of us in the SaaS industry are subscription-based. This meant that we need customers to keep saying “yes” on a monthly or yearly basis to our products and services.

And while payments may be automated, your customers are still evaluating the value they receive and whether they want to continue.

When they start questioning the value of the product, they may become inactive and even forget about the charges each month. This will show up in your analytics and can be a good predictor of churn rate or clients you may lose.

Customers need to continually get value to keep saying “yes” each month.

7. Yes, I think that new plan or add-on will be valuable to me

Attracting, converting, and retaining clients is all fine and good. But if you want to truly grow and expand, you need to think bigger.

And this is where new plans, add-ons, or product tiers come in.

You create greater value for your customers by meeting their ongoing needs, which may go beyond their initial purchase. If you don’t offer add-ons and upgrades, they may take their business somewhere else.

8. Yes, I recommend this product

Ultimately, you want your customers to be active promoters of your company, not detractors.

Whenever their friends or colleagues ask their opinion, you want it to be an enthusiastic, “yes, I recommend it.”

The truth is that there will always be customers who don’t like your product or service. But if you can focus on turning most of your customers into promoters, you’re on a good track. Focus on, again, creating value, but also going the extra mile to surprise and delight customers.

Bonus: Yes, I’m cool with these price changes

This last one is a bonus and builds off of #7. You will, inevitably, need to increase prices or change the pricing structure. When this happens, happy customers will be fine with it they’re getting the value they want, so a price increase doesn’t make or break their decision.

So, why do all these “yeses” matter?

It’s so easy to get caught up in KPIs that we forget customers are humans with human problems and human decisions to make.

By going back and thinking through each “yes,” you can identify the gaps in your business and roadblocks to bringing in more revenue. Every time a customer hesitates to say “yes” at any stage, you’re leaving money on the table.

So, take some time to evaluate where your customers are getting stuck to say yes. You can look at your KPIs, talk to customers, and tap into your intuition to identify those barriers.

Then, take some time to evaluate how you can make changes to your business so that customers are saying, “yes-yes-yes” and you’re bringing in the revenue.