Frequently asked questions.
What working with LonelySquare looks like, what you get and what happens next.
Is this for me?
What does LonelySquare actually do?
LonelySquare is a consultancy focused on how customers choose. I look at how people compare their options and what makes them choose one over another, drawing on experience across more than 40 markets.
I find the moments where your business could win more customers over and show you exactly what to change.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
I work with good businesses that aren’t being chosen as often as they should be.
Whether you sell products or services, customers have moments when they choose you or move on. Focusing on those moments means the work can apply to almost any business.
What goal can we focus on?
Every project is built around one goal:
- More new customers
- More repeat customers
- More spend per customer
- More customer referrals
You pick the goal, and I focus the work on helping you reach it.
Can one project cover more than one goal?
No. Each project focuses on one goal, so your team has a clear priority and every change works towards it.
We can tackle another goal in a separate project.
What if we don’t know what needs fixing?
You don’t need to. Finding it is my job.
You pick a goal. I use it to narrow down where you’re hard to choose, including moments that seem fine but could be winning more customers over.
If you’re not sure which goal to pick, we’ll work it out on our first call.
When isn’t this a good fit?
It isn’t a good fit if:
- You’re still working out whether people want what you sell.My work helps you get chosen more often once you know there’s demand.
- You’re not sure who you’re for or why customers should choose you.That’s positioning work, and it comes first. I show you what to say and do to win customers over, moment by moment.
- You want someone to make the changes for you.I give your team or agency the exact words and a plan to follow. They make the changes.
If you’re unsure, we’ll talk it through on our first call.
How this is different
Why not just spend more on marketing?
You can. But you’re bringing more people to the same moments: your website, your quotes, your follow-up emails. If those moments don’t show why you’re the better choice, you could just be paying for more people not to choose you.
I work out what needs to change in those moments to win more of those people over. That helps you get more from the people who already find you, and from every dollar you spend on marketing after that.
Is this positioning work?
No. Here’s how my work is different from positioning:
| Positioning | My work | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | The overall reason customers should choose your business | Winning the moments where customers decide whether to choose you |
| What you get | A defined position: who you’re for, what makes you different and why it matters | Exactly what to say and do at each key moment, and how to roll it out |
Is this customer journey mapping?
No. Here’s how my work is different from customer journey mapping:
| Customer journey mapping | My work | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | The customer’s whole experience: what they do, think and feel on the way to their goal | Winning the moments where customers decide whether to choose you |
| What you get | A visual map of the customer experience, highlighting problems and opportunities | Exactly what to say and do at each key moment, and how to roll it out |
Is this conversion rate optimization?
No. Here’s how my work is different from conversion rate optimization:
| Conversion rate optimization | My work | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Generally focuses on getting more people to buy, book or enquire through your website or app | Winning the moments where customers decide whether to choose you |
| What you get | Research and ongoing tests to find which website changes get more visitors to act | Exactly what to say and do at each key moment, and how to roll it out online and offline |
Is this branding?
No. Here’s how my work is different from branding:
| Branding | My work | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Making your business easy to recognize and shaping how people feel about it | Winning the moments where customers decide whether to choose you |
| What you get | A brand identity: what you stand for, your logo, colors, fonts and voice, and how to use them everywhere | Exactly what to say and do at each key moment, and how to roll it out |
Then what is it?
I guess the nearest overlap is customer experience work (CX), but CX is a broad field. It can cover the whole customer journey, along with the people, processes and technology that shape it.
My work has a tighter brief: make your business easier to choose.
We pick one goal, like more new customers. I find the moments that matter most to that goal and work out what would give customers more reason and confidence to choose you.
Here’s how the two compare:
| CX | My work | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | How customers feel about every interaction with your business, from buying to getting help | Winning the moments where customers decide whether to choose you |
| What you get | Depends on the brief: research, journey design, changes to services or processes, and ways to measure improvement | Exactly what to say and do at each key moment, how to roll it out and how to track the results |
The playbook
What is included in the playbook?
The map
Where you’re hard to choose, and which moments matter most to your goal.
A play for each key moment
- The finding
- What’s getting in the way, and what would win customers over.
- What to say
- The exact words to use.
- What to do
- The exact actions to take, including when and how.
- The rollout
- The steps to put it in place, and a way to track the results.
Do you just tell us what’s wrong?
No. I work out how to win customers over. For each key moment, you get wording that’s ready to use, the exact actions to take and a plan for rolling it all out.
Then I take your team through each play, so they know exactly where to start.
Thirty days later, I check in to answer any questions your team may have about the plays or the rollout.
How soon could we see results?
Once your team puts the changes in place, the timing depends on your business and your goal. For example:
| Goal | Could show sooner | Could take longer |
|---|---|---|
| More new customers | A pizza shop wins a new customer’s dinner order that evening. | A builder’s customers spend weeks considering a quote. |
| More repeat customers | A laundromat customer comes back the following week. | A carpet cleaner’s customers may not need another clean for months. |
| More spend per customer | A café gets customers adding a cake to their coffee order. | An IT provider needs to wait until clients renew their contracts to sell a bigger package. |
| More customers recommending you | A gym gets referrals straight away through a bring-a-friend offer. | A wedding photographer’s past clients may not know anyone getting married yet. |
Each play tells you what to track, so you can see how the changes are working.
Working together
What do you need from us?
Five hours working with me:
- First call30 minutes
- We talk about your business, what you want to achieve and whether this work is a good fit.
- Questionnaire30 minutes
- You answer questions about your business and customers, tailored to your goal.
- Kickoff1 hour
- We go through your answers together, fill in any gaps and agree on what the work needs to focus on.
- Walkthrough2 hours
- I take your team through the map and each play, explaining what to say, what to do and how to roll it out.
- Follow-up1 hour
- Thirty days after the walkthrough, I answer any questions your team may have about the plays or the rollout.
Depending on your goal, the questionnaire may also ask for a recorded sales call, a customer email exchange or your reviews. You can send these over or give me access.
Will you talk to our customers?
No. You don’t need to set up interviews.
People can’t always reliably explain why they chose something. I work from the conversations and feedback you already have, including recorded sales calls, emails and reviews. I look at what customers ask, what concerns them and what they say about their experience.
I also go through the moments customers have with your business, as a customer would, to see what could make you easier to choose.
Do you put the playbook into action for us?
No. Your team or agency does that. I give them the exact words to use, the actions to take and a clear plan to follow.
I take your team through each play, so they know exactly where to start. At the 30-day follow-up, I answer any questions your team may have about the plays or the rollout.
How much work will the rollout involve?
Some plays are as simple as rewriting part of a quote or adjusting when you send a follow-up. Others could involve how your team handles enquiries or helps customers choose between options.
The value comes from getting all those moments working together towards your goal.
The primary focus is on recommendations that use the systems and resources you already have, so your team can start rolling out the playbook straight away.
If a moment calls for a bigger project, I’ll flag it. You’ll still get a play your team can roll out now, without waiting for that bigger work to happen.
Do you work with more than one business at a time?
No. I take on one project at a time. While I’m building your playbook, your business has my full attention.
I’m often booked weeks ahead, so it’s best to get in touch early.
How does this fit with our team or agency?
I build the playbook, and your team or agency handles the rollout.
If you have an agency, the playbook gives them a clear brief for each key moment. They can join the walkthrough meeting too.
Cost and getting started
How much does it cost?
One fixed fee for the whole project. I’ll quote it after our first call, before any work starts. Once agreed, it stays fixed.
That includes your playbook, the walkthrough meeting and the 30-day follow-up. There’s no ongoing retainer.
Half is due when you book your start date, and the other half when you receive your playbook.
How long does it take?
Your playbook is ready two weeks after kickoff. We then go through it together at the walkthrough meeting.
I follow up 30 days after the handover.
You’ll spend about five hours working with me, including the follow-up.
How do we get started?
- Fill out the form.I’ll get back to you within 48 hours to arrange our first call.
- Have a 30-minute call.We’ll discuss your business, your goal and whether we’re the right fit. If we are, I’ll send you a fixed-fee quote afterwards.
- Book your start date.You pay half the fee, and we set your kickoff and walkthrough dates. Then I send you the questionnaire.