Common journey stages

- There are many decision journey frameworks out there and they each have their own take on various decision journey stages. You can use one of the existing frameworks or make a few changes to one of those frameworks or develop a completely customized framework. There's no right or wrong answer, only what's right for your brand, product or service and customers. Let's take a look at an example. This loyalty journey has six stages. First is consideration. This is when the customer considers an initial set of brands based on brand perceptions and exposure to recent touch points. Second is evaluation, when customers add or subtract brands as they gather information and evaluate what they want. Third is purchase, when the customer selects a brand and buys that product or service. Fourth is the post-purchase experience, which is after a customer purchases a product or service and builds expectations to inform the next decision journey. Fifth is to advocate. That's when a customer has such an amazing experience with your brand that they share their opinions with their network, promote your brand, and influence others to purchase your brand. Sixth is to bond, which is when the customer connects with your brand and establishes a close emotional relationship with your brand. So in this example, companies that manage this decision process well will compress the consideration and evaluation phases or maybe even eliminate them during the purchase process so the customer will jump right to the loyalty stage, and this creates a competitive advantage. Do you see the several stages after buy? I'm pointing this out to show you a very common mistake that even the most senior marketers make, mistakenly thinking that your job is over after the customer makes a purchase. Let me share an example with you to bring this idea to life. Have you heard of the Ritz-Carlton? It's an upscale hotel chain that consistently wins customer service awards. Why? Because they have a unique culture they call their gold standards. Part of this culture is to empower employees to create Ritz-Carlton customers for life, responding to both expressed and unexpressed wishes and needs of customers and to create unique and personal experiences. Well, a family visited the Ritz-Carlton and when they returned home, unfortunately, their young child accidentally left his favorite toy, Joshie the giraffe. So what did the Ritz-Carlton employees do? They created a fun-filled day for Joshie. They took him to the spa, gave him a job in security, introduced him to a few friends, and he relaxed on a lounge chair at the pool. Then they sent Joshie and the photo album back home to the family. Now what would have happened if the Ritz-Carlton employees ignored their customer after the purchase, after they paid for their room and left the hotel? Then they might not have returned, but because of the personalized gold standard service they provided post-purchase, it created an amazing customer experience and a story that went viral. Whether you decide to use an existing decision journey framework or develop your own, just make sure it's relevant for your customers and brand. Think through all the stages from the beginning and past the purchase.