Lack of engagement from customers is a common issue we face in customer onboarding.

If stakeholders are misaligned and resources aren’t available to implement the product - no one wins.

But if you can influence customers to take ownership over their level of onboarding then it’s smooth sailing right through to advocacy!

Okay… that’s an oversimplification but I’ve got a project for you this week that could really make a difference.

Shall we? ↓

🧠 The Theory: Anchoring Bias

Someone asks you to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar. Before you answer, they mention the number 500.

Your estimate is now likely to hover around that figure, even if it's way off. The number 500 acts as an information anchor.

This mental shortcut causes our brains to rely heavily on the first piece of information we receive when making decisions.

It influences us in countless situations, from estimating distances to forming first impressions of people.

Understanding anchoring bias can help us to be more aware of our thought processes and make more balanced decisions.

(If you’re curious, Adam Grant goes deeper into the jelly bean experiment in this Business Insider video.)

👀 The Example: SaaS Pricing

If you've ever considered purchasing SaaS software, you've likely experienced anchoring bias. There are usually 2 or 3 options and one of them says something like “Most Popular”.

It’s pretty much industry standard by this point.

Look at Notion’s pricing page:

It shows how anchoring bias has been incorporated into business models, influencing customer perceptions and decision-making.

The goal is to make the jump from Free to Business less of a leap given that the anchor is clearly on the Plus package.

It’s a highly effective strategy in SaaS - that’s why we all use it!

So now that you’ve put a name to this theory - how can we use it in customer onboarding?

🧪 The Project: Anchors Away

This project aims to use anchor points to influence the customer engagement in the onboarding process.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Establish a high impact welcome

Set the scene in your first interaction with your customer. Your aim is to demonstrate how expert users maximise value across all product features. You can do this in an email, a pre recorded video, a dedicated webpage, or on a call. Choose the format that makes the most sense for your program. Keep it concise and to the point.

Options:

• Link to a case study of a highly successful customer in their industry

• Share a short Loom video explaining how the top customers achieved success

• Create a pre-recorded video series highlighting the success of different customers

• Include some snippets of information on your top users in a call

You’re aiming to set an anchor for product use and value. This shapes the customer's expectations from the start.

Step 2: Create a tiered challenge

This is all about influencing adoption of the product. Develop three tiers of product adoption plans. Basic, Advanced, and Expert.

Present the Expert plan first. It should be ambitious but not impossible. This anchors customers to a high level of engagement. Allow customers to choose the tier. Frame the Advanced plan as the standard recommendation.

To give you an example:

This not only sets up engagement expectations early on but the customer makes the decision. This creates a sense of ownership over their own onboarding.

Remind yourself about the power of ownership from one of my earlier articles.

Step 3: Have anchor focused checkins

Always reinforce the anchor and the progress they are making. Highlight their usage and results and relate it to the original plan. Praise the customer's progress.

If they are falling behind, you can choose to “move them down a plan” and reset. If they are exceeding the expectations - excellent! This is what you want. You can choose to move them up a plan or continue on.

🤓 The Analysis: Sail Through Onboarding

Customers experience anchoring bias when purchasing SaaS products like Notion. There’s no reason why we can’t utilise the same principle to move towards a world-class onboarding experience. It’s important to be transparent and not “trick” customers. You can do this by being open about the different plans and what works best for them.

By consistently reinforcing the anchors, you are subtly setting expectations and encouraging engagement from the customer.

It’s simple and effective.

What to expect with this project:

• In depth product adoption

• Identification of issues early on

• Smoother time to value realisation

• Better alignment with stakeholders