Structuring the Client Journey Part 2

The client journey begins with every prospect, from the moment they even begin to consider working with you. The transition from prospect to a client is only the tip of the iceberg, but it can set the tone for your entire relationship.

When people first take an interest in your business, they immediately become a prospect, and at this stage, they can either feel confident and certain, or they can feel doubtful and skeptical. As business owners, it’s up to us to earn their confidence.

If we do this right, they become a client, at which point, they can either feel excited, or they can feel a little scared. Again, you’re the deciding factor between excited and scared.

 

Let’s say you do it all right and move on to the onboarding stage, where they start to feel welcome and valued, ideally. However, if we onboard them with a blank face, so to speak, they’re going to feel a sense of buyer’s remorse.

Next up is the stage of actually being in business together. Here, they’ll keep on feeling great bout the partnership if they feel really informed, but if they start to feel like they’re not being taken care of they have questions that aren’t being answered, they’re going to start to question their decision, making that sense of buyer’s remorse even stronger. 

Finally, we get to the end of their journey, and again, this can go one of two ways. If they feel delighted, they’re going to refer you at every chance they get, they’ll become return business, and you’ll probably even be able to resell them somewhere down the track.

However, if they get to this stage and feel a sense of relief, you haven’t really delivered on your promise. That’s the end of the relationship and it’s very difficult to spark it back up.

Let’s go back to the beginning and focus on the foundation of your client’s journey. What are some things you might do to help your prospects feel certain? For some, it’s a tour of their facility or an informative trial run. Of course, this will vary depending on your business, but if you can offer some kind of valuable experience that gives them first-hand insight into your world, they’ll start to feel sure about working with you, having seen how you operate.

What about when we go one step further? What happens after they say yes and come onboard? Whether it’s a simple welcome package or a discount code, this is a crucial time to show your new client that you value their business and that you deliver beyond expectations at every stage.

Eager for ideas to improve this part of your client journey? Let’s get into it.

Here’s a list of 6 things you can implement or improve in your business to help your prospects build confidence in you.

1. Communication: Constant and regular communication keeps an open channel of trust and reliability while also reminding them over and over again that you’re available if they need you and that you want to work with them.
2. Get to know them: Find ways to learn as much about them as you want them to know about you.
3. Introduce yourself: Find ways to help them learn about you and your business, which will ultimately lead them to really know you, then like you, then, sure enough, they’ll learn to trust you, and finally, they’ll buy from you.
4. Invite them in: Show them your world and give them an opportunity to see what goes on behind the curtain. Give them a taste of what they’ll get if they do decide to work with you.
5. Be prepared to go above and beyond: Show them you’re committed to their happiness and go out of your way to meet their needs.
6. Know what they want: Take on their perspective and try to understand exactly what they’re looking for, the gap in their life, and what’s going to fill it in.

Which of these 6 things can you do this week to help improve your client journey? 

Now let’s go one step further and think about what you can do once they’ve said “yes” to really amplify their experience and make them excited to work with you.

1. Build anticipation: Send them snippets of what’s in store and give them a taste of what’s coming next.
2. Give them a treasure map: Show them exactly what their journey will look like and pre-frame all the milestones.
3. Show them the way: Share testimonials and success stories that will feel relatable to them.
4. Build intensity: Find ways to motivate them with specific moments that celebrate the milestones that happen along their client journey.

Which of these 4 things are you going to start doing to build excitement for your new clients?