Yesterday I gave you Part 1, Tomorrow you get Part 3. Today, our focus is on Part 2:
The 3 Phases of Successful Marketing
Expert marketers know that the true goal of their craft isn’t simply to land the initial sale; instead, it is to cultivate an ever-growing base of loyal repeat customers. But many people have a hard time getting the customer to feel satisfied and ready to do business with them again, never mind getting customers so satisfied they’ll spread the word about their offerings.
To make sure you don’t leave money on the table, you need to give your customers the attention and service they deserve at all three critical transaction points: Before, During and After the sale.
Read on to discover if you are doing all the right things that turn a one-time customer into a consistent stream of income for your business.
The Second Stage: During The Sale
Unfortunately for many companies, a customer who was won over by effective marketing decides to abandon the transaction during the buying process. From a business perspective this is a tragedy – and an avoidable one at that. Don’t allow yourself to be one of those marketers who is so focused on capturing a sale that you lose sight of the customer’s experience when they are ready to buy.
Some customers leave because of “impersonal” buying issues. Perhaps you’re not making it easy to find the return policy or the satisfaction guarantee. Maybe your online shopping cart is awkward or your telephone order lines are busy. Or you may even lose customers due to lack of features, like overnight shipping or gift wrapping. As a savvy marketer who is dedicated to understanding your customers, you should recruit someone outside your business to test drive the buying experience to discover if there are any rough spots that need smoothing out.
Other times, the issues that cause customers to cancel a transaction are entirely personal. Perhaps when the order line is finally answered, your operators are less than friendly or unable/unwilling to answer the customer’s specific questions. This kind of painful first impression can lose you much more than the initial sale, as it will leave a bad taste in the customer’s mouth – and you can be sure the word will get around. This is the key reason why many marketers use “mystery shoppers” to test the customer’s buying experience (and you should, too). Make the buying process painless and enjoyable, and you’re well on your way to seeing repeat business and referrals in your future.
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