Free or cheap isn't the way to peoples hearts
It absolutely boggles me that businesses don't thoroughly consider the customer journey before jumping into marketing an offer.
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The user experience in their journey can make or break your offer.
In the current economy, free or cheap can seem like the perfect solution to entice more sales. But that's not a solid strategy you should rely on.
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Sure, on the face of it enticing more sales when people are struggling financially makes sense, but have you thought about what's going to happen when they get ready to buy from you?
Because that's where the customer experience can turn their decision into the one where they don't buy from you - and then it's harder to get them back than it was to entice them to consider you in the first place.
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Story time.
After getting the annual sales call from my current provider where they tried to sell me the same thing they did last year and told me they couldn't do what I actually wanted, I decided to look at a new provider.? Went onto their website, duly entered the details they asked for and that's where the wheels fell off...
So I jumped onto their live chat. Great service, but they only confirmed what I already knew and told me to try again later "maybe tonight, should be fixed by tomorrow".
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At this point my confidence has dipped and I'm second guessing my decision...
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Tomorrow rolls round with confirmation that I can do the next thing I need. Which is only to add the second persons details and their email so that person can confirm they want to be part of the account. Two days to finish giving them all the information they would need.
The email goes to that person and asks for all of the details that I've already provided. Every single detail.
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Nowhere had their process allowed for the fact that we're trying to move a joint account across. They hadn't considered the journey for customers like me.
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The real problem
It's at this point that I realised I'd already spent the better part of an hour, spread across three days trying to sign up to give this business my money. A process that literally took me less than 10 minutes with the current telco.
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What this meant
That cost in my time and the frustration, was equivalent to the cost savings I might have had in the account over the year. And if I found it this hard to give them my money, how hard might it be if there is something more difficult to troubleshoot?
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I cancelled the process.?
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Your customer journey isn't just nailing what attracts them to you. It's their decision-making process in purchasing, and whether they'll actually go through with it, or not. The user experience is a key part of this journey.
It's about what happens after that point, how you'll get them to work with you again, and how they'll feel when they consider telling others too.
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Understanding your customer and their journey will help you to build the right experience for them, which will help you to meet all their needs; far better than free or cheap ever could.
gotta love that “free or cheap” dilemma. what’s the secret sauce to keeping it real?
?? Home Organising and Decluttering Coach | Wellington | Making your home amazing.
4 个月Completely agree! I often find that clients who want a service for cheap or even free are not committed to the process and won't get real results!
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4 个月Its the way to appeal to the masses. But close very little meaningful clients or deliver very little impact.
I Help Time-Poor Professionals Manage Their Money & Reduce Their Stress | Fee-Free First Consultation | Wealth Management | KiwiSaver | Retirement Planning | ESG | FinTech
4 个月Smooth onboarding is absolutely vital to client satisfaction. If the process is not 'fall over a log' easy, then it just becomes an impediment to closing the sale. This leads to unfinished business and down the line, lack of referral business. Something I've thought a lot about over the years!