Successful Companies Turn Individuals into Great Sales People
There are only four steps for an individual to become an enthusiastic customer and an unpaid sales person. Just remember: A.I.P.S.
- Become Aware
Obviously, an individual must become aware of your product or service before they can even consider becoming your customer, let alone a sales resource.
For the second half of the 20th Century, companies built awareness using mass media. While this continues to be important, today the focus is moving to helping drive discovery via social media and word of mouth.
- Become Intrigued
Next, individuals must become intrigued with your brand, which symbolizes the emotions that capture their state-of-mind just before committing to a purchase.
- Fascinated
- Charmed
- Captivated
- Absorbed
- Enthralled
Some customers move immediately from the spark of awareness to full-fledged desire while others s-l-o-w-l-y move along an emotional spectrum before finally realizing that this is something they’d really like to have.
Companies help this process with great products and presentation, but realistically there has to be a personal connection for this step to happen.
- Make the First Purchase
Obviously, the first purchase is critical, without which you’ve lost not only a sale but also potential future benefits and profits.
Similar to “Intrigue”, companies can lead the individual to this stage but the final purchasing decision is driven by personal emotion.
- Start Selling Others
With social media amplifying word-of-mouth, what happens after the first purchase has become even more important.
- Did they have a bad experience and become toxic telling hundreds or even thousands how unhappy they are with your product or service? If so, the sale cost your company much more profit than it delivered.
- Did they simply move on to your competitors for their future purchases? This suggests that the product and sales process were barely adequate and not sufficiently special.
- Did they go on automatic pilot to continue purchasing and become loyal and profitable customers?
- Did they amplify their own purchases by becoming brand enthusiasts actively encouraging others to also purchase?
Profitability for most products comes only when:
- Customers return and repeat their purchases and become loyal and profitable annuities; and
- A meaningful segment of these loyal customers become unpaid promoters repeatedly getting those they influence to be intrigued about your brand.
I believe that this simple 4-step approach also provides a useful process for thinking, planning, communicating, and measuring most marketing and operational functions.
Do you have a different thought process to help marketers look at the entire process from gaining attention to generating enthusiasts who amplify your sales efforts?