Every purchase decision involves three phases: Awareness of a need, Consideration of possible solutions, and the Decision to purchase a particular solution.
In our December 22, 2015 post, we addressed reaching potential customer Marlene during her Awareness phase. Because of your efforts in that phase, Marlene—an aging widow whose declining health prompted her to move in with her daughter (see a full description of Marlene in our December 5, 2015 post)—knows about and respects your organization as a trusted source of helpful information regarding aging and senior care. She knows you understand the challenges and decisions she faces. And because of that, she knows that you offer solutions that might address her needs.
As Marlene’s needs increase and she moves into the Consideration phase—actively contemplating her options—you transition from providing her with general information to identifying specific solutions that could meet her needs. It’s still not time for a sales pitch. Rather, it’s time to outline viable options, including those your organization doesn’t provide!
In Marlene’s case, this means outlining the pros and cons of options such as relying fully on family for physical support, hiring in-home care providers to supplement the family’s help, moving into a spectrum-of-care senior facility, etc. It means identifying specific public and private support services that Marlene could consider accessing, and comparing the financial ramifications of various options.
The Consideration phase is a “continuing education” phase that provides Marlene with more detailed information in preparation for her Decision phase.
In a future post, we’ll look at working with Marlene in the Decision phase of her Buyer’s Journey.
Meanwhile, if you have questions about how to leverage your Brand to achieve your sales and marketing goals, please contact me at dhart@movecommunications.com. And to learn even more about your customers, please download our free eBook available here.
