Structuring Your Clients Journey

Whenever someone new comes to your business, they embark on a journey where every single step plays a crucial role in how much value they get out of your business and how much value you get from them.

What are some structures your business has that ensure your clients get the best possible experience with you? Often when I ask this question, people immediately think of their so-called “onboarding” process–their welcome pack. But true success and

long-lasting value in any business relationship come from the consistent, ongoing effort. Your clients may feel really great about working with you at the beginning, but that can fizzle out pretty quickly if they don’t feel they’re being looked after.

The first step to making sure your clients have a great experience time and time again is to truly understand their journey. Every client begins as a prospect. Then, over a period, they reach a sort of “end” point. This isn’t always a hard and fast end point. In fact, many of us have circular client journeys, rather than linear, where each time a client reaches that endpoint (say, for example, you solve their problem, and they write you a stellar review) they begin again as a prospect.

Whether your business operates with a linear or circular client journey, each of your clients will undergo a journey that looks something like this:

Prospect—-––––––––Activation–––––––Consume–––––––Rely––––––——–-End/Restart

Doubtful                       Neutral/Negative experience                                            Relieved

  Certain                             Positive experience                                                          Delighted

It’s easy enough to commit yourself to make clients feel assured, confident, and certain about working with you in your sales pitch. You might also think that getting them to just say yes in the first place is enough to make them an asset to your business. Sadly, that’s not the case. 

It’s all too easy to put in a ton of work in the early days and then accidentally let their journey go downhill from there. There’s a lot of legwork that goes into making your clients feel valued and remain confident right through until the day your job is done. This leg work is what makes your clients feel delighted that they chose you, and ultimately feel confident in returning to you when they need to.

Remember, delighted clients will refer, they’ll return, and you’ll more than likely be able to resell them. Essentially, they become raving fans.

In my next article, I’m going to reveal a proven structure for your client journey to help you turn every client into a raving fan.