In this blog we explore the value of thinking through the journey you are hoping your customers will follow.

The journey template we set out below has many steps along the way, but we assert even upping our game in one or two will improve results. Even identifying the stages that are critical to our sales is useful.

business is out there

At Co- we are fond of saying that a business is founded in the mind of the customer. To formulate our customer journey we need to start over there in the mind of the consumer and to try to get into their world and inhabit their lives a bit.

Who are they? Where do they live? How old are they? What are they dealing with? How much money do they have? Where are they looking for help?

The answers to these questions should give us a Target Market, a Customer Profile and start to suggest the core messages that they need to hear from us and how we might deliver those messages to them.

For the time being they are just there, going about their daily lives but the first step of this journey must be that….

They become aware of your business

If we are going to be responsible for the success of our business we need to make sure enough people are aware of it. Mostly the budget doesn’t allow us to pursue all channels so we have to decide which ones we focus on, and with this we have the start of our Marketing Strategy.

There is also a difference between seeing something and becoming aware of it. We might think about that as well. What will make someone conscious of what they are seeing or hearing. Perhaps it is the repetition or something clever that grabs them.

They become interested

People are too busy to waste time on ads that have no relevance to them. So we had better also think about the message that makes clear we can give them something they are looking for.

Bear in mind that people are much more motivated to avoid pain than enhance pleasure. Whichever motivation we focus on we will need some simple messages that address people’s needs, all within a few seconds.

they show interest

Showing interest could be as simple as liking a post we put on social media, or signing up to your newsletter. It can be really useful to think about how we might acknowledge that interest at this point. A well timed communication could be really useful at this point but probably nothing more than something along the lines of ‘great that you are interested, let’s stay in touch.’

And obviously it would be really useful to log that interest for a later date and keep in contact.

We need to establish a habit of checking who is showing interest or a lot of our work will be lost.

they get onto your ‘list’

That could mean your email list or your LinkedIn network. Whatever it is, one aim of our marketing must be to grow our list. These people are important. They have at least some interest in what you have to offer, they could refer your business on to their contacts.

With this in mind, what list(s) are we focusing on?

We can also make sure they don’t drop off our list by giving them value for staying there, whether that is a newsletter, posts on social media, a call to everyone now and then.

they approach you for information

Now we know things are getting more serious. At this point it is a mistake to waste time on flim-flam. If they didn’t think you could do something for them, they wouldn’t be asking.

They still don’t have time, so don’t waste it. We need to begin to establish that we will be easy to deal with and that we can deliver.

Give the information they need to make a decision. Here we need the answers to simple questions at our fingertips. What marketing material do we therefore need at this point?

We should also not be afraid to point out the things that they should be asking. The bigger the sale that is now in play, the more we may have to scope out the sales process. What information do they need about your sales process and what do you need to know about their purchase process?

We might think ahout how we align on the sales process in a way that establishes trust and delivers value.

you inform them

This is a great opportunity to provide value and establish credibility. What questions will you ask that show you know what makes a difference and that show you are taking care that they get what they need?

The questions you ask, the meeting agenda, the information you provide and how you provide it are all an opportunity. Thinking about the quality of what we do at this point and its presentation can massively improve our success in making a sale.

They make a choice about your business

We should follow up for sure. It is amazing how many people never pop the question - ‘so would you like to go ahead with this purchase?’.

But how can we gain even if they say no? Let’s not assume this will never work. What is our system for keeping the channels open?

If they say yes, now is the time to validate their choice. How do we do that? How do we give them the confidence to fully benefit? What can we put into our sales process to cement the relationship when it is still fragile?

they come to trust your business

It’s a mistake to see the customer journey at an end at the point of making the first sale, in many ways it is just beginning. It is much easier to get an existing customer to buy from you again than to get someone new to buy for the first time.

To establish trust we need to deliver on our promises which in turn might take us back to thinking about what we say in the stage which is about providing information, being clear and realistic about what we can do and can’t do.

If you don’t have your product or service offering to a basic level of reliability, better not to start marketing. That will be a lot of effort to lose customers quickly.

Our process, our communications and our delivery need to reassure them their choice was right, that the problem they needed to handle is handled.

They don’t think twice

At the most elevated level of trust, you tell a customer they should buy something and they buy it. Not because you have hoodwinked them but because they no longer question whether your business provides value, it always does.

Even if we never quite achieve that level of trust with customers, it is worth thinking about what could make them think twice. How do we continue to deliver? How do we keep up with competition? And how can we make it clear we value them and continue to have their best interests at heart?