Keeping It Simple

My sister has a foster child who is in his mid teens. They have worked out an allowance system: he has a set allowance, yet certain chores have to be completed in order for him to receive his full allowance. For each chore that is not completed, a portion of the allowance is deducted. My sister and her husband aren't forcing him to do his chores: the hope is that he will be self directed to do what he is supposed to do in order to get his full allowance.

To date, the child has never received his full allowance. Some weeks, he doesn't receive any allowance. He does just enough to get what he wants at the time and lets the remaining funds go untapped. He doesn't yet see the value in doing the extra work needed to acquire the additional funds.

It might sound odd, but small businesses are like that, too. If they don't see the full value in responding to your call to action, signing up for your trial offer, or participating in your survey, they won't. If the process is too complex and the payoff too little, participation will be low. To motivate small businesses to participate in your offering, the offer must be short, clear, compelling, easy, and possess clear payoffs. Otherwise, they could be leaving valuable information and resources on the table -- and never truly realize the full benefits of what you have to offer.