Your Buyer's Journey has Already Begun

Unless your buyer is unaware of thier pain, they have already started interviewing vendors. Much of the Buyer's Journey takes place without vendor involvement, and since so few companies have formally mapped the Buyer's Journey, they miss opportunities to connect with prospects at many points in the buying cycle.

What is the difference between the Sales Process and the Buyer's Journey?

A sales process is an internal instrument used to report on activities related to the sales pipeline. It is also a way of driving sales to stay on track with prospects. Now, read the steps in your company's sales process from a buyer's point of view. Are any of them written in the voice of the buyer? Most likely no. They are all written in the voice of the seller, and the buyer does not care about the seller's internal processes, only their reputation and the value of the solution.

The Buyer's Journey maps out the steps a prospect takes from the moment they discover they have a need until they have taken delivery of the solution. A well defined Buyer's Journey allows a smart business to plan and execute marketing programs that support the sales effort. It also assists sales people in moving from bothering the prospect with sales calls to understanding how to advance a complex sale by addressing needs.

In my next post I'll talk more about the steps your business needs to take to reduce marketing costs while increasing market awareness.

Call us today for a free sales and marketing consultation and to receive a free copy of our integrated sales & marketing toolkit. 410.782.0360.