Do You Have A Discount Problem?

Jump to,

• The Real Pain
• Know Your Customer
• The Value Gap
• Two Fixes

Wellness Brand Growth Strategy

Nothing is more exhausting for a wellness business owner than the fear that their brand is not relevant without a sale. We're going beyond the surface to uncover 3 common reasons customers wait for a discount, plus I'm sharing the "Ask Why Three Times" framework I use to communicate your brand's true value.

3 Customer Questions

2 Essential Fixes

3 Customer Questions

2 Essential Fixes

01,

Where Are You Really Operating From?

Before we talk about discounts, we need to name what's actually driving your decisions to run a sale. Because if you're running discounts from any of these places, what you need is not simply a strategy, but a change of mindset.

You fear your brand is not relevant

So you run discounts just to stay visible instead of building visibility.

You can't hit your numbers without running a code

Which means your acquisition, positioning, and pricing model may need a revision.

You feel like your competitors are everywhere

So you attempt to duplicate their strategy instead of leading with yours.

You feel like you're not doing this marketing thing right

Which causes you to doubt yourself and make decisions out of fear, not data.

You don't have time

So the discount becomes the default because it's fast, not because it works.

It's easy to operate from fear, doubt, and comparison, but you don't have to. Your customers already love your products. You brought this business here. Now find the real gap and go make some money.

02,

Three Questions About Your Customer

This is not the ideal customer you wrote down in the "Target Persona" section of your business plan. This is the person that is actually buying from you right now.

01 Who is actually buying from you? Does that person match who you think you're selling to? +

Your ideal customer and your actual customer are often two different people. It actually takes a lot of money and a lot of analysis to nail these 2 people, but you just need to make sure you're showing up when they need you.

Anika's example

Anika is the owner of a non-toxic skincare brand that designed a stretch mark lotion for pregnant women. There's a problem (or rather, an opportunity!): Most of her reviews come from fitness-focused women going through menopause. That's a different customer, a different wallet, and likely a higher willingness to spend.

The decision

Should Anika keep marketing to pregnant women or pay attention to who's actually showing up? What would you do?

02 Where are your new customers actually coming from? +

Ads, social media, word of mouth? The source of a customer changes everything about how you need to speak to them and what they expect when they land on your site.

The decision that can't wait

If 60%+ of your store visitors come from ads, but they don't match your ideal customer, you're going to have a hard time seeing any ROI from ads. Find out who you want to sell to,who you want to connect with. Doing nothing costs you money, time, and relevance.

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Doing nothing is also a decision; the most expensive one on this list.

Branded Quote Graphic

03 Who uses discounts more, new customers or repeat ones? +

Repeat customers are anyone who has ordered from you two or more times. This number tells you whether your discounts are building loyalty or manufacturing it.

What this number means

If repeat customers use discounts the most, then you may need to analyze if your loyalty depends on discounts or the quality of your products. If new customers use them the most but their LTV is not that great, you may need to revisit your acquisition efforts.

The harder truth

Discounting can manufacture loyalty that looks real in your numbers until the day you stop, and no one comes back. Pull your data before you run your next code.

2×

Minimum orders to count as a repeat customer
Know your number

3

Customer Questions

1 Who is actually buying vs. who you think?

2 Where are new customers coming from?

3 Who uses discounts most, new or repeat?

03,

The Value Gap

Your product is valuable. The key is to communicate that value in your customers' language. If they don't find it valuable for THEM, they're not willing to pay what you're asking for. These questions help you see where the gap actually lives.

01 How is your product different from what's already at big box stores? +

This is not a competitive analysis exercise. It's important to understand what your customer is comparing your product to when they're deciding whether you're worth the price difference.

A skincare example:

Anika has a stretch mark lotion for women who have given birth. This cream is more expensive than the ones in Target,where her customers usually buy from. The value for Anika is not whether her formulation is better, but if her customer knows that. The promise is not "this cream visibly removes the appearance of stretch marks", but "feel confident in your own body at the beach this summer."

The decision

Can you say why your product is worth the price difference in one sentence? If you can't say it in one sentence, your customer can't either.

02 Does your product page match your customers' expectations? +

Customers land on your website with very specific expectations, whether they're aware of it or not. When it comes to wellness, it's important to show the "W+H" questions: When to use it? Where to use it? Who should use it (and who should not)? How to use it? How soon will I see results? If your description doesn't assuage their worry, speak to their specific situation, or meet their exact needs, they will either leave or wait for a discount to take the risk out of the purchase.

Let's go back to Anika

Anika's customer wants to know if the product works,that's the first thing. Then she needs to understand exactly how to use it and how soon she'll see the results. The other things,won't irritate skin, safe for breastfeeding, natural, doesn't stink, doesn't stain, easy to apply,are bonuses, not value.

The decision

Read your product description right now as if you are your customer who knows nothing about it. Is every concern answered?

"

Assuage their worries and speak to their specific situation.

Branded Quote Graphic

The distinction that changes everything

Worth

$57

A customer intellectually agrees your product is worth what you're asking for. They may nod along, believe your story, appreciate your quality, and still not pay for it.

Willing to Pay

$25

The gap between worth and willing-to-pay is a communication problem, not a pricing problem.

Remember this

Don't ask "how much do you think this is worth?" Ask "how much do you think this costs?" Worth and cost are not the same answer.

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Try this before your next launch

Have someone you trust read your product description. Then ask: "how much are you willing to pay for this?"

If the number they say is lower than your price, ask what piece of information they need to know that will make them pay more for it?

04,

Two Fixes. Make the Call.

These are the two decisions that stop the discount dependency.

1

Fix Your Positioning

Ask Why Three Times

Your product is valuable to you, but you need to communicate that value in your customers' language. This process forces you to find the real reason people buy from you.

1 Choose your bestseller. Why is this product your bestseller?

2 Ask why again. Go deeper than the obvious answer

3 Ask why one more time. Now you're at the real thing

The decision: Take your top-selling product right now and do this exercise. The deeper you go, the more you'll notice you're tapping the emotional, psychological, and identity promises of your product. And that is revolutionary.

2

Fix Your Calendar

Plan It

Stress discounting tells your customers your business is not organized. An unorganized business is not trustworthy. A winning marketing calendar is not about running a 15% off on July 4, but about meeting your customers where they are.

1 Identify the dates that actually matter to YOUR customers, not the holiday calendar

2 A promotion doesn't have to be a discount. Try giveaways, free shipping, season-only bundles.

3 Plan 90 days out minimum. It's easier to see your customers behave in 90 days, than month-by-month. Plus, you'll feel more organized.

The decision: Is your current discount pattern a strategy or a stress response? Be honest.

Ask Why Three Times in action. Anika's example

1

First Why

Anika's stretch mark cream is a bestseller because it actually works. Customers testify to its results. Why?

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2

Second Why

Because this makes them feel comfortable in their bodies again. Why?

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3

Third Why

Because becoming a mom is scary and exciting. And the priority is to be the best mom possible without losing the body they love.

What she's selling

Not a cream. Not stretch mark prevention. The right to feel comfortable in your own body as you become a mother. How much do you think a customer will pay for that?

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Now do this with your own bestseller. Stop at the third "why" and read it back. If it doesn't make you feel something, go deeper. That's where your real positioning lives.

Growth Strategy for Wellness Brands

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