Creating the Ideal Customer Experience
Many marketers have been taught the concept of
the marketing funnel. The idea being that you bring leads into the top of the
large opening in a funnel and push the ones that become customers through the
small end. The problem with this approach is it turns all the focus on the
chase. Bill Brelsford happens to
think that real payoff in marketing comes from expanding and focusing your
thinking on how to turn a lead into an advocate for your business.
When you overlay our definition of marketing –
“getting someone who has a need to know, like, and trust you” with the
intentional act of turning know, like and trust into try, buy, repeat, and
refer you get the entire logical path for moving someone from initial awareness
to advocate.
The key is to systematically develop touch
points, processes and product/service offerings for each of the 7 phases of the
hourglass.
Know – Your ads, article, and referred
leads
Like – Your web site, reception, and
email newsletter
Trust – Your marketing kit, white
papers, and sales presentations
Try – Webinars, evaluations, and
nurturing activities
Buy - Fulfillment, new customer kit,
delivery, and financial arrangements
Repeat – Post customer survey, cross
sell presentations, and quarterly events
Refer – Results reviews, partner
introductions, peer 2 peer webinars, and community building
Far too many businesses attempt to go from
“Know” to “Buy” and wonder why it’s so hard. By creating ways to gently move
someone to trust, and perhaps even creating low-cost offerings as trials, the
ultimate conversion to buy gets so much easier.
Bill Brelsford is the owner of Rebar Business Builders and a Certified Duct Tape
Marketing Consultant. As one of the original members of the Duct Tape Marketing
Consultant Network, Bill has been helping business owners and professional
service providers install the Duct Tape Marketing System since 2004.
