Residential Metal Roofing Executive Report

A Breakdown of the Customer’s Journey

Issue #219 | April 4, 2023 | Todd Miller

Many marketing experts believe that companies should prioritize a positive customer experience to cut through the flood of messages that bombard prospects. This experience starts when customers first hear your name and continues until well after the sale. 

If you google “customer journey,” multiple descriptions and variations will pop up. Some versions simplify it into three stages, and others break it into even more. Our goal is a stellar customer experience, so break down the stages of the Customer Journey.

1. Pre-Awareness. You are an unknown. The customer discovers a need that you can fill. In this stage, think about where the prospect is – which media they pay attention to and trust. Then, leverage that understanding to deliver an attention-grabbing message that garners trust. Demonstrate your competitive advantage early.
2. Awareness. Now, the customer knows you exist. Somewhere they’ve been exposed to your marketing, heard about you from a friend, or driven by your office. Your messaging here should convince them that only you can provide the products and services they need.
3. Interest. Your messaging has motivated the prospect to act. You should firmly plant the seed that they need to talk to you before deciding. Create a clear pathway for them to reach out and connect, with you positioned as the most valuable partner they can choose.
4. Consideration. Your sales team should walk the consumer through a process of defining their exact needs as emotionally as possible. Then, assuming you can solve things, show, rather than tell, how your solution is superior to any other possibility. Ideally, they see themselves as the hero of the story who identified the path forward.
5. Evaluation. Congratulations on making it here! You’ve captured the prospect’s attention and framed a choice between your company, your competitor, and staying inactive. At this point, remind them of their goals and reaffirm that your company can accomplish this better than anyone else. Be factual here; don’t pressure them, and continue to uplift them as a hero.
6. Purchase. Success! At this point, continue to foster a positive experience. Reaffirm the value of working with your company and show testimonials from satisfied customers. Happy customers at this stage are the most likely to remain happy through the rest of the journey.
7. Service. For your company, now the rubber meets the road. You must deliver at or beyond the level you promised. If you provide or exceed the promised value and assert your worth, you may create a lifelong fan who shares their experience with others.
8. Stark-Raving Fan. After project completion, your customers should see you as part of the family. You can accomplish this through various touches and affirmations in the coming months and years. This follow-up prompts referrals and potentially repeat customers.

Creating a positive customer experience during each step of the Customer Journey will make you stand out from your competition. Again, this is the pathway recognized by experts today. Command Your Marketplace by doing the right things. Contact me anytime I can be of help.

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