Managing the Customer Journey
I don’t hear much of Guardian Angels anymore but they fascinated me as a child. The idea that somewhere there was an angel whose job is was to look after me and make sure that I didn’t get hurt or into any serious trouble – a comforting thought.When I talk about sales process I know that most listener’s minds automatically go to ‘the script’ or ‘the pitch’ or the advertisement that enticed the prospect to begin the process of buying.It is so much more than this! It truly is the complete customer journey and I promise you this: If you invest the time and effort to get the customer journey right then you will have won the heart and mind of your prospect and you will own the business!Guaranteed!Understanding the customer journey is to understand and manage the customer experience and to make sure that every client touch point – whether that is a function of advertising, sales, customer service, product/service delivery or credit is managed in a way that supports the customer’s positive experience.Big companies tend to do a better job at this because they have the money to invest in systems, which ensure consistency of experience – every McDonald’s delivers the same product and same service for example. Where big businesses fall short and where smaller businesses have the advantage is delivering a caring experience – because the people in the business actually care.The reality is that both businesses are capable of delivering a quality, consistent sales experience that will entice, convert and keep the customer for the long run – if the business is prepared to invest in that process.A quality sales process leaves nothing to chance; every step in the customer journey is scrutinized and designed to deliver the maximum positive experience and bring the customer as close as possible. From a sales point of view, imagine a lake stocked with fish. Every year new fish are added, they are feed regularly, the environment is kept healthy and then the lake is fished to deliver a regular and consistent flow of supply. If a fish is caught to early, it is released back to grow until ready.This is the sales pipeline.Now prospects and customers are not fish so we must also look at the sales process from their point of view to ensure that as we are managing the sales experience we are also delivering the customer journey that they want and deserve.Imagine a marriage from a man’s point of view.He wooed her, wined and dined her, seduced her and married her and now she should shut up and be happy – right? Clearly not! To maintain a happy marriage the wooing never ends – we all know this in a marriage – if we want a happy home.Managing the positive customer experience is exactly the same.If we want to keep a customer and get the gold – the referral – then we need to treat the customer more like a spouse than a one-night-stand.Nobody likes to be on the receiving end of a one night stand when we were hoping for more. Many businesses are in the one-night-stand business!Everything seemed nice – lots of attention and romance until the morning when the seller scurries off and all the niceties are forgotten. We are left alone in our underwear – well, you get the drift!If you want strong sales, high conversion rates, long-term happy customers and lots of referrals you don’t need simply a selling system you need a sales process.Understanding the difference is everything here!When selling, don’t think one-night-stand think Guardian AngelFigure out the sales process for your business and you’ll never have a sleepless night again.A quality sales process integrates strong marketing, selling, relationship building and service to create a powerful customer experience and a predictable stream of revenue for the business.