You may have heard me say in the past that people are ready to buy when they’re ready to buy, not when you’re ready to sell to them. This is correct, but does that mean you’re at the mercy of the prospect to make a sale?
Of course not. Every buyer goes on a buyer’s journey. Some people move quickly through that journey, and some take their time, but with information, contact, and education, you can greatly influence that journey and ultimately get more customers.
The 3 Phases Of The Buyer’s Journey
Awareness
In this phase, buyers don’t even know you exist, so they can’t know what your product is or if they need what you sell. It’s your job to find these people (I call them suspects) so you can let them know who you are, what you do, and that your business exists.
When you’re creating this lead magnet, or content to attract these suspects, focus on helping your suspect solve a problem they have. Once someone’s opted in, they’ve taken the first step.
Consideration
The prospect now has an awareness of you and your company, but they still aren’t ready to buy. They need more information.
Make sure you provide them with info that is focused on helping them answer their questions. Enlighten them. Show them pain points your product or service is able to solve, and tell them all about the benefits and features you have to offer.
Having a solid nurture campaign can increase sales opportunities by 20 percent or more.
The consideration phase can literally last weeks, months, even years. It’s all dependent on you, your follow-up, and the needs of the prospect. During this phase is when you want your prospect to chat with your sales person or watch your selling webinar.
Advanced Tip: While you’re giving great info to your prospects, make sure you tell the prospect why it’s important for them to take action. Most companies never address the issue of doing nothing — they only address why they are better than their competitors, without realizing that they lose far more deals to people kicking the can than they do to people making the decision to use a competitor.
Decision
Once your company is on the short list for a buying decision, the prospect’s purchase comes down to simple verification of facts and last-minute negotiations. Answer these questions well, and you’re on your way to having a brand-new customer!
Unfortunately, getting a new customer is only half the battle. Once you’ve acquired your new customers, your job becomes turning them into loyal, repeat customers.
Making sure that your customer onboarding, repeat purchase, and customer retention processes are on point will protect your investment and help you see long-term ROI for each new customer.
By focusing on campaigns that walk each new prospect through their decision-making process, you’ll be better positioned to not only be on the short list come decision time, but to be the company that wins the customer at the end of the day!
Once you’ve acquired your new customers, your job becomes turning them into loyal, repeat customers. Learn more about how custom print newsletters increase retention and maximize referrals by clicking the button and requesting a copy of our Amazon bestseller, The Ultimate Guide to Newsletters
