Regardless of how you are found a person will take seven steps before they become a customer. Whilst these steps can not all be controlled by the business, there are always ways in which the business can made it a smoother transition.
- Discovery
Before this stage a person may not have any idea you exist. They may not have a need for your product or service and are therefore not in the market. However, this doesn’t mean that they won’t be in the market once you are discovered and they know more. As a business, it is important that you are actively looking for new ways to be discovered and how this can be made easier fro potential customers.
- Awareness
Just because someone knows you exist doesn’t mean they know what you do. They may have a slight understanding that you sell something but they don’t know exactly what. This is a crucial stage of opportunity for you to inform the prospect of your offering. How you make them aware of what you sell could make or break the relationship. They may not need your product now but you want them to choose you if ever they do.
- Top of mind
The awareness doesn’t stay around forever. People move on and see other things, they get distracted. In order to maintain awareness in the prospects mind you must reach top of mind. 80% of conversions are made after 5 follow up calls so you need to have a strategy in play to regularly contact the prospect.
- Desire
Over time, be it through your awareness or top of mind efforts or simply a change of heart, people will find a need for your product or service. They have heard about what you offer through you, your competitors and friends and family and now believe they need this specific product. Having strategies in place to ensure that they opt for your brand is a necessity.
- Information
Whilst the person may have a desire to own the product they still don’t have the required level of education to invest. They want to find information that is going to help them to make a decision. Being that business that is on the front foot and can provide them with the help they need will help to convert the sale.
- Value
For more complex sales, value is something that is highly regarded. By this stage your business will have built a relationship with the person. Being able to concisely explain the value and point of difference is the final stage in the relationship build.
- Action
Once the person understands the value, is informed about the product and has a desire to purchase it, it’s time to complete the sale. Ask them if they would like to purchase and highlight the benefits it will have for them.