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What Stage Are Your Customers At?

by fasteasysuccess
12 replies
Wanted to discuss something was working with a client with recently. I'm speaking about buying stages online.


A lot of business owners think that when customers come in to their store or visit their site, they're all at the same "stage", but...


Any customer can be at a different point. Let me give you an example real quick...


Let's say you have been driving your car for a few years now.


You been thinking about getting a new car, but not in a rush. Maybe you check the papers now and then, maybe you drive through a lot now and then, but no hurry.


Now what about this situation...


You have been driving your car for a while. The problem is that it's older. You keep throwing money in it here. Money in it here. Seems like you're fixing stuff a couple times a year, but nothing major. Just a hassle now and then.


Not really sure you want to have new car payments and deal with down payments at all.


Maybe you browse online, check out a couple dealerships, but not pulling the trigger without a killer deal. Now the last situation....


The car is junk now. Always throwing major cash at it. The thing breaks down all the time and it's no longer dependable. The car is keeping you from getting to work all the time and etc...


Do you see that during each of these situations, we're still doing similar things? Were checking online, maybe talking to dealerships, hitting the papers, but...


If you had to bet, which of those 3 "stages" or "cycles" do you think you would be most likely to buy a new car from a dealership or the place you're shopping?


Number 3 of course.


Now I know some of you are thinking...


"That's great Eric, but I don't sell cars"


That car example can be applied to your business. No matter what you sell.


Just by simply realizing that people are in different cycles or buying stages when they come to your site...

You can come up with marketing or sales steps to move those people closer to the must have or buying now stage.

I know a lot of you are wanting to sell to everyone the same way, but by setting up different "stages" of marketing-sales steps and pieces, you can quickly bring in more sales from buyers in those different stages.

Plus...


You can start looking at the buying stages or cycles to quickly start attracting more results and sales from the potential buyers ready to buy now.
#customers #stage
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  • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
    Originally Posted by fasteasysuccess View Post



    If you had to bet, which of those 3 "stages" or "cycles" do you think you would be most likely to buy a new car from a dealership or the place you're shopping?


    Number 3 of course.


    Now I know some of you are thinking...


    "That's great Eric, but I don't sell cars"
    Why? Just skip to the #3 as your target market, and not waste time on 1 and 2?

    Truth be told...it is what most savvy successful marketers do. They don't waste time on the first two in your example.

    GordonJ
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  • Profile picture of the author myob
    Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

    Why? Just skip to the #3 as your target market, and not waste time on 1 and 2?

    Truth be told...it is what most savvy successful marketers do. They don't waste time on the first two in your example.

    GordonJ
    This is entirely incorrect. Only the deep-pocketed heavy hitters and advertisers can afford to be in such a position to capture that "stage 3" target market (desperate).

    A good sales funnel should accelerate "stage 1" prospects to buy from you at "stage 2", or even while still at "stage 1" (shiny new thing), and certainly before they reach "stage 3", before the product breaks down. If you're only chasing "stage 3", the competition will be so intense that your chance of getting the sale is approaching slim to none.
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    • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
      Originally Posted by myob View Post

      This is entirely incorrect. Only the deep-pocketed heavy hitters and advertisers can afford to be in such a position to capture that "stage 3" target market (desperate).

      A good sales funnel should accelerate "stage 1" prospects to buy from you at "stage 2", or even while still at "stage 1" (shiny new thing), and certainly before they reach "stage 3", before the product breaks down. If you're only chasing "stage 3", the competition will be so intense that your chance of getting the sale is approaching slim to none.
      Maybe so in some IM. But he chose CARS as his example, not IM product. I have never met a single car dealer anywhere who wastes time on a "funnel". Their ad dollars are spent bringing in the ready to buy NOW, and that is why we see the high pressure tactics in the industry.

      But, even in IM, or other marketing...the #3 is by no means DESPERATE...THEY have needs and wants, desires. So, as I stand by my original assertion, the SAVVY marketer sp-ends time going after those closest to the finish line.

      But, if one needs a funnel, then that has to do with the product/service offered, so perhaps, a better choice could have been made at their beginning??

      GordonJ

      PS. They are PROSPECTS, only become customers when they do buy. In a funnel, a large % of prospects never become a buyer.
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

        Maybe so in some IM. But he chose CARS as his example, not IM product. I have never met a single car dealer anywhere who wastes time on a "funnel". Their ad dollars are spent bringing in the ready to buy NOW, and that is why we see the high pressure tactics in the industry.

        But, even in IM, or other marketing...the #3 is by no means DESPERATE...THEY have needs and wants, desires. So, as I stand by my original assertion, the SAVVY marketer sp-ends time going after those closest to the finish line.

        But, if one needs a funnel, then that has to do with the product/service offered, so perhaps, a better choice could have been made at their beginning??

        GordonJ

        PS. They are PROSPECTS, only become customers when they do buy. In a funnel, a large % of prospects never become a buyer.
        Getting the attention of a targeted audience early on in the sales cycle (stages #1-2) is called "branding". This process is very effective, and successful ("savvy") car dealers DO use variations of a funnel system.

        Prospects in "stages" #1-2 can be accelerated into "stage 3". This is called "selling".

        Prospects who are already in "stage 3" are hammered by expensive ad campaigns and high pressure sales tactics. Using direct response may capture some of these in the "buy NOW" mindset, but it's extremely competitive.

        A website or even a store are seldom going to be effective for prospects who have already arrived near the end of the buying cycle. Unless there is already some kind of established relationship, this phase is tenuous at best for making the sale.
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      • Profile picture of the author Paul Hancox
        Originally Posted by GordonJ View Post

        Maybe so in some IM. But he chose CARS as his example, not IM product. I have never met a single car dealer anywhere who wastes time on a "funnel".
        Maybe that's an opportunity then

        Their ad dollars are spent bringing in the ready to buy NOW, and that is why we see the high pressure tactics in the industry.
        Well, that's a shame for them. If they'd perhaps spent some of those ad dollars cultivating a relationship with the "stage 1" and "stage 2" prospects, they could also build desire, demonstrate their expertise, and gradually steer prospects into coming down to the showroom. The "high-pressure tactics" are a lot easier when people are already pre-sold on you.

        But, even in IM, or other marketing...the #3 is by no means DESPERATE...THEY have needs and wants, desires. So, as I stand by my original assertion, the SAVVY marketer sp-ends time going after those closest to the finish line.
        Sure, and even savvier marketers help those further away from he finishing line, to get closer to it. It doesn't even take all that much time. Most of it can be done automatically.

        But, if one needs a funnel, then that has to do with the product/service offered, so perhaps, a better choice could have been made at their beginning??
        Funnels can do lots of things that ultimately contribute to the sale - build trust, educate, demonstrate expertise, build desire in an admittedly slower way than the traditional "hard sell."

        By the way, I'm not against "hard sell." I've worked in a related industry, so I know it's effective. I'm just saying, it's not an either/or proposition. You can also build sales via a funnel, and it has the advantage of feeling more natural for the prospect.

        PS. They are PROSPECTS, only become customers when they do buy. In a funnel, a large % of prospects never become a buyer.
        That's also true of advertising. At least with a funnel, you have the opportunity of "advertising" to them again, but virtually for free... although I prefer to think of it as "pre-selling" rather than advertising.

        Even if 90% of people in a funnel never buy, you can never be 100% sure who the 90% are.

        I think car dealers will always benefit from effective salespeople who can close the deal, taking prospects from "yeah, I'm just lookin' at the moment" to "ok, where do I sign?"

        But a funnel can build their desire to step into the showroom in the first place.


        For car dealers, it could be an effective "lead generation" tool.
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  • Profile picture of the author fasteasysuccess
    Absolutely Myob, it's about moving the stages up levels. If you only chase the "stage 3" you not only have more competition, but you also losing major sales by ignoring the other stages.


    You should have your messages adjusted to reach each stage of the buying cycle and then move them to the next. This is the most profitable way.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mabu Map
    My Customers?

    They are at all kind of Stages.

    But i agreed with you about "setting up different "stages" of marketing"

    That's why i put them into different list

    Yay man
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  • Profile picture of the author Princess Balestra
    Here's where we fusion out on the part in Breakthru Advertizin' 'bout the 5 stages of market ... an' how this relates to PUSS CATS.

    Kitten jus' wants to play around with the tassles on your latest SKOIT.

    Older cats prolly jus' throw up on the fkr.

    So you gotta handle these feline babies real diffrent, even tho you the same super flexible person.

    Thing 'bout 'stages' is how they kinda arbitrary, dependin' on what model you usin' to explain or generate stuffs.

    Look in on 'stage' purely from the perspective of havin'

    1) A buncha people got sumthin' to SHOW or OFFER.

    2) Another buncha people show up an' WANT IN.

    Figure here we got a dialog, sum kinda myootyool space.

    Whatevah 'stage' anywan at, they all agreed -- actschwlly, it is cool we met up here & exchanged stuffs for myootyool benefit.
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    Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.

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  • Profile picture of the author fasteasysuccess
    Yup. Market to the different stages with different messages and by segmenting those stages or putting on separate lists, you will have a much more chance of moving them to the direct stage of buying now or through your funnel to the buy stage.
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  • Profile picture of the author cearionmarie
    To be honest, this should be common sense, but many won't really realize it until someone says it in their face. Thanks for this man.
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    A lot of it depends on PRE QUALIFYING traffic

    Too many IM folks fail because they think all traffic sources are equal

    Common and all too tragic mistake
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  • Profile picture of the author fasteasysuccess
    unfortunately a lot of business owners send same ad or message to everyone regardless of stage at. Simply by segmenting your messages and lists, you can easily grab people ready to buy now and also move the just looking up the ladder to the buy now stage as well.
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