Post-Purchase Matters: A Self-Audit to Help You Deliver Customer Experience Magic
Picture this…
Go back to when you were a kid and maybe it was your birthday or sometime during the holidays. You, having no appreciation for nice gift wrapping paper just yet (PaperSource, anyone?), rip the paper off, tear open the box and are PUMPED to see EXACTLLYYY what you were hoping for.
You’ve been waiting and praying that this was going to be yours and as you try to turn the toy on… *drumroll please*.... nothing happens.
No lights.
No sound.
No anything.
You turn the box around and read three little words that take you from a level 10 excitement to a zero.
“Batteries not included.”
Even if you manage to dig through your junk drawer and even steal some batteries from the TV remote and get it to work, the excitement just isn’t the same.
This situation isn’t really that different for you as an adult today.
Missing out on the opportunity to wow your customers when they first get in touch with your product or service can be awful.
Don’t Forget the Batteries
Enter: The Customer Life Cycle. As you can see below, the customer life cycle is composed of three main phases: pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase.
I have a very high degree of confidence that most of your time is spent on the left side of this chart - in the“pre-purchase” phase. This is where typical marketing and advertising fits in. All of your lead magnets/freebies, landing pages, email funnels, sales sequences, social media campaigns live here. If at this point, you’re thinking, “oh, those are ALL the things I spend my time on!” you’re not alone, but it is a problem. If all you do is hand over the product or service your client purchased, your clients are never, I repeat, never, going to make it to the loyalty and advocacy stages of this chart. They are never going to shout your praises, rave about how amazing you are to their friends, and be a champion for your business.
Here’s why -
Think back to anytime you’ve purchased a product or service and you spotted anything that was less than desirable… buyer’s remorse instantly flooded back in and you were likely left questioning your decision, feeling anxious, doubtful and uncertain. From this point on, the company was now playing catchup to reconcile your experience.
This is what you’re doing to your clients if you aren’t creating special experiences for them along the way.
Perform a self-audit by asking yourself the following questions:
What is the first major interaction you have with your customers after they sign your contract/purchase your product/put a deposit down for your service?
From the buyer’s perspective, what does it feel like? Is it special and memorable or does it feel like ‘just part of the process’?
Are you actively working to create remarkable experiences after they purchase? If so, what are they?
As things currently are, where 1 is “crappy/nonexistent” and 10 is “world-class”, how would you rate the experience your customer has immediately after they sign your contract/purchase your product/put a deposit down?
Things You Can Do To Create Customer Experience Magic
In Joey Coleman’s book, Never Lose a Customer, he calls the initial magic we are creating the “activate” phase and says that, “activation by the very nature of the word implies a sense of energy, enthusiasm and excitement.” So this is what we’re aiming for here.
Here are a few ways you can activate your client's experience -
After your client signs on, send them a personalized welcome video thanking them for their business and what they can expect from you next.
Send your client a gift or throw in a free tool they were not expecting. (Don’t hit me with the “don’t do anything for free” line here. Even the largest brands in the world give away free samples when you purchase from them and I KNOW you are delighted when you receive them. This is what I’m referring to here 😊.)
Upon delivering your product or service, give your client a phone call asking them how they are utilizing the product and check if things are going exceedingly well. This allows you to be proactive in identifying potential issues rather than the customer having to reach out to you with the problem.
Hannah