There’s so much opportunity lost or left on the table because people don’t understand the Buyers Journey.

So what is the Buyers Journey?

The Buyers Journey is made up of 3 stages which are; future buyers, soon buyers and now buyers.

And only 1-5% make up the now buyers – the people ready to buy right away.

So people spend money on marketing to put people on the Buyers Journey and only focus on that 1-5%.

And this is where there is so much money left on the table because people don’t nurture the future buyers and soon buyers, giving them the right information for where they are on the Buyers Journey.

Essentially, the Buyers Journey is a process that buyers go through to become aware of, evaluate, and purchase a product or service.

As mentioned the Buyers Journey is a three-step process:
 

 
Future buyers are at the discovery stage when they realize they have a problem.

Soon buyers are at the consideration stage when they define their problems and research their options to solve it.

And the now buyers are at the decision stage when they are ready to choose a solution that solves their problem and select the person or the company that they feel is the best fit for their needs.

During the Discovery stage, buyers identify their challenges or an opportunity that they want to pursue. They also decide whether or not it should be a priority.

In order to fully understand the Awareness stage of your buyers, ask yourself:

• How do buyers describe their goals or challenges?
• How do buyers educate themselves on these goals or challenges?
• What are the consequences of inaction by the buyer?
• Are there common misconceptions buyers have about addressing the goal or the challenge?
• How do buyers decide whether the goal or the challenge should be prioritized?

At the Discovery stage, your aim is to educate your buyers the benefits of ownership, why they need your offer. This can be simply a downloadable report on your website that explains the benefits of ownership or the pitfalls to watch out for when they’re purchasing.

 

 
During the Consideration stage, buyers have clearly defined the goal or the challenge and are committed to addressing it. They evaluate the different approaches or the methods available to pursue the goal or solve their challenge. And here you ask yourself:

• What categories of solutions do the buyers investigate?
• How do buyers educate themselves on the various categories?
• How do buyers perceive the pros and the cons of each category?
• How do buyers decide which category is right for them?

During the Consideration stage, this is where you need to overcome any objections they may have to purchasing, objections like, “Would it be easier to buy new rather than remodel?” You should overcome the objections by explaining how remodeling adds value without the hassle of relocating, finding new schools, new friends and so on.

 

 
In the Decision stage, buyers have already decided on a solution category. For example, they could write a pro/con list of specific offerings and then decide on the one that best suits their needs. The questions you should ask yourself to define the Decision stage are:

• What criteria do buyers use to evaluate the available offerings?
• When buyers investigate your company’s offerings, what do they like about it compared to alternatives? What concerns do they have with your offerings?
• Who needs to be involved in the decision? For each person involved, how does their perspective on the decision differ?
• Do buyers have expectations around trying the offerings before they purchase it?
• Outside of purchasing, do buyers need to make additional preparations, such as implementing plans or training strategies?

At the Decision stage is where you can offer your consumers guide to show them why you are the logical choice for moving forward with. The consumers guide outlines your qualifications, recommendations, your credentials, comparisons and should ask questions.

So the idea of your marketing is to put people on the Buyers Journey. And the Buyers Journey moves your ideal clients along their journey through educating them on why you are the logical choose and expert in your area for what they want. This moves them into the next step which is your buyers funnel where the buyers are ready to move forward with you.