Go With The Flow Not The Funnel

Customer JourneyEvery time I hear the term “funnel” I cringe.

There was a time when the only people that used the word were sales managers. Today it is bandied about by every Tom, Diane and Harriet as if it is a real thing.

The funnel idea keeps you from seeing how the customer journey has changed.

The funnel falsely assumes that every customer goes through the same process to purchase your products or service.

The funnel sucks the life out of the customer’s desire for an approach tailored just for them.

Personalization has always been the hallmark of successful Small Businesses. We have a greater opportunity now than ever to deliver custom marketing.

In my view marketing is:

  1. Go where the money is.
  2. Sell what they want to buy.
  3. Do it again.

In order to get them to buy you need to remember: “Who you know matters, what you know is important but to build your business the single most important thing is who trusts you.”

Marketing is about getting to trust, making the sale and keeping the customer.

Marketing is providing the information the prospect needs when and how they need it.

Marketing understands that no two customer journeys are the same.

Even as the suppliers of Enterprise level automated marketing talk about tailoring their approaches to the customer journey they overlook that prospects want to be treated like individuals.

We can’t afford the mistakes the “Big Guys” are making.

We don’t have the budgets and we don’t have the time.

We have to go with the flow, build a relationship and sell the solution.

We have to find a way to connect with the prospects that reject the Big Guys funnels.

Look at the numbers: (averages drawn from multiple sources)

  • Average Blog Click Through Rate           5% or less              (95% didn’t)
  • Website/Landing Pg. Data Submission   45% or less             (65% didn’t)
  • CTOR in a Nurturing e-mail                    21% or less             (79% didn’t)           Click to open rates # of clicks / # of opens
  • Closing or Conversion Rate                    30% or less             (70% didn’t)

 

Look at the didn’ts.

Prospects are running the rapids to get to the solution they need.

Prospects will stop and look at your solution and others.

Some will go straight to your offering.

A few will simply bail out.

Others will bounce off multiple offerings.

It is their choice so you have to do everything you can to accommodate them.

Talk to them.

In 2014 the single most important trend in marketing was one that hasn’t changed:

“In spite of all the growth in digital tools and tactics 67% of B2B marketers considered  in-person events like trade shows their most effective tactic for content marketing, with 69% rating it a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale.”

The Takeaway

Get in the raft with them.
Go where the money is.
Sell what they want to buy.
Do it again.
Go with the flow, not the funnel.

Jerry Fletcher’s blog normally recaps conversations with clients, prospects and a group of business development professionals. Today’s blog is one he put together on a cross country air trip.

Jerry has been researching and implementing small business marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for 25 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule Jerry for a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

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About Jerry Fletcher

Jerry is the CEO of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. which he founded in 1990. He is an expert at business development and has changed the way the way new business is acquired and introduced on three continents. He is known to meet with clients in dining rooms and boardrooms. He stopped counting successful introductions of new products at 207.