My “buddy” Ankesh created a clever plug-in for WordPress blogs. It offers you the opportunity to donate a beer if you find value in a blog post. This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this tactic. Ankesh has also included a feature that provides a non-alcoholic option. If I had my druthers, I would have a “baby needs a new pair of shoes” plug-in.

Our daughter is growing sooo fast!! .
She has already grown out of these shoes and another pair inside of two months.

In this particular post, Ankesh defends the plug-in’s value.

“It Helps You Know What People Like
If a few of your readers are willing to pay you $3 or $5 for a blog post, you can be pretty sure that many others will pay $10-100 for a more comprehensive report or an e-course.

The beer plugin works as a signal – showing you which topics you should focus on more often.”

Here is the lesson

You may not be a tech-head or blogger, but if you want to have a better relationship with your clients, there is an important lesson here. The plug-in models “The Law of Two Feet.”

You can see the Law in action at a party. Imagine you walk into a large party. On one side of the room is the bar. On another is the band, with a dance floor in front. The food spread is on one wall. People playing board games are on another wall. (Hey, if I’m missing your favorite party activity just fill in the blank ).

Now, imagine if you are greeted by your host at the front door. He gives you one of two greetings:

1. “Welcome, help yourself. Enjoy.”
2. “What would you like to do first?”

What greeting is going to be easier to respond to?

As the party host, you never have to answer this. All you need to do is to see where people go. Clients take their two feet and walk themselves to the activity that interests them the most.

Behavior has a purpose: Need fulfillment

People behave to serve their needs. For your clients, acting on their needs and interests is much easier than answering questions. If you want to know how to frame a service for greater consumption or whether to offer a new product, provide your clients with options.

You will get much richer information than simply asking. And if you can charge for the option, that will make your market research that much more robust.