Your customer has researched, deliberated, procrastinated and finally resolved to purchase. What happens after you close the deal? They sail off into the sunset, product tucked under their arm, happily ever after. They’ll never buy anything again and will remain satisfied with that product for the rest of their lives.
If that’s true for your business, count yourself lucky. Put your feet up, you deserve it.
But for the rest of us, that single sales transaction exists in a continuum of purchase, upgrade, re-purchase and complementary purchases. Most customers are building ecosystems in which your products will live – how does that speaker set fit into the decor of the living room, how does this skin cream improve their morning regime, will that appliance make cooking easier?
Sometimes the best value you can provide a customer is just before the sale, offering them discounts or free shipping to get them over the line. However, most businesses leave it there and don’t consider that the value you provide after the sale will keep them in your ecosystem.
Here’s where email automations can help you provide value.
Do you know how your customers will use the product? Have you thought about putting together a “best practice guide” to your products? Are there some fun lifehacks that make your product even more impressive? They can be generic enough that they aren’t tied to a specific product. Automate the sending of this for a week or two after purchase so your customer can get the most out of their product.
Sometimes products play better together. Does that speaker system you just sold need a sick amplifier to go along with it, does that blender have additional gadgets that change or improve the way you use the product? You can’t shampoo without conditioner, you can’t brush your teeth without toothpaste.
What products do you stock that will improve, upgrade, extend or enhance your customer’s experience of your product? Automate product recommendations that actually add value, not just generate extra sales. Show care, empathy and understanding in what you’re recommending and the value will be obvious.
When you sell your product, what is it’s shelf life? Is it a product that people will re-purchase or will the new model be out before you know it? Automate the notifications which help inform and empower your customer’s decisions and puts you top of mind.
Ultimately, the difference between a sales journey and a sales lifecycle is that a sales journey is about closing a deal, a sales lifecycle is about closing a customer’s repeat business. Provide value on both sides of the transaction and you’re closing the loop so you can create new opportunities later.
Want to add value after the transaction? Talk to us about setting up automation streams which show your customers how to use, extend and enhance their products.