Great Sales and Marketing Ideas: Convenient must know easy

For those of us iPhone users the much anticipated iTunes Wi-Fi Music store became an available download today. Like everything Apple when I went to sync my iPhone all of the necessary software automatically downloaded perfectly.

Within minutes I was on the iTunes music store sampling and yes.... buying music.

That's when it hit me. Not only was it convenient to do (I am rarely without iPhone in hand), but it was easy. The interface was intuitive to understand and unlike other cell phone companies it didn't require a manual to understand. In fact, my iPhone didn't even come with an owners manual because its so intuitive.

But we will save intuitive for another day. Today convenient and easy are intersecting.

Remember back when you were shopping with your mom at the grocery store? What was the best part (besides the cereal isle)? --Of course it was the checkout. That is when you could talk her into getting some candy. It was convenient--the candy was right there. And it was easy--simply put it on the belt with all the rest of the food.

Welcome to the essence of a quick and repeated sale.

When convenient meets easy you have a happy customer, a repeat customer, and a viral customer. If its easy to buy your product, people will happily buy and buy and buy. Then they will tell their friends to do the same.

Look at what happens when convenient doesn't know easy. Take cigarettes for example. They are convenient--right behind the cashier. But not easy--you have to show your ID. But that works perfect for that product.

And when easy exists all on its own. There is a take and bake pizza place in my city, but its on the other side of town. It's easy to order when I get there, just not convenient--so I don't get there very much.

Here is an idea for you...

Do you make it Convenient to oder or re-order your product?
-A website, an 800 number, or a fax number.

And if you do--great! But now how easy is to use those methods?
-Is the website confusing?
-The 800 number buried on the order form.
-A fax number that is always jammed.

Convenient must know easy, and easy should have convenient on speed dial. As for me--I am back on the iTunes Wi-Fi site where easy and convenient are on a honeymoon in the repeat sale islands