How can I get more customers for my business is something 1000s of you ask google each month. If you understand the phases of the customer purchase lifecycle or put more simply why and when someone buys then you will be in a much better position to be able to have them buy from you.

What was the last online purchase you made?

• Where did you start and where did you end up?

• Did you purchase on the same day that you started looking ?

• Did you see positive and or negative advertising about the product?

• Did you see it in a magazine or on TV before you saw it online?

• Was the price an issue for you? Did you search for it cheaper elsewhere?

• What was the last thing in the analysis process before you actually purchased the product?

• Did you go on Social media sites for some purchasing guidance?

There are many things you can learn from taking a look at how you, purchase something online. You may not follow all of the steps exactly as your visitors. You may research things differently from others in the early stages, but the last few steps in the process before deciding to buy are universal to the majority of customers.

Known facts about a customer:

1. Customers are rarely going to buy on their first point of contact with a product

2. Typically it takes a person 7 views of a product (this could be website visits, email etc.) before they actually make a purchase online.

3. Customers do not buy from people they don’t trust.

4. Customers will be exchanging “money” for something that will improve their lives in some way.

5. Customers have more access to product information and reviews than ever.

6. Most customers can see through scammy promotions.

We will be taking a look at how we can leverage these facts to make sure the potential customer becomes your customer but first let’s look at the 3 phases people go through from the time they learn of a product to the time they actually purchase it.

Research, Decision, Purchase.

These are important stages in the Customer Purchase Lifecyle and you need to be aware of, and understand them. These are usually the main factors in deciding how close a potential customer is to becoming a paying customer. The better you understand these phases, the better you will understand how to approach the customer at those particular stages.

Research Phase

Some purchasing decisions are spontaneous. You may have seen a TV or magazine advertisement and thought I want that and you will go straight to the website advertised and buy.

In lots of cases however we want to learn before we buy and that is because we don’t really have product awareness just yet. This might be something we have heard of or read about on social media for example. The learning about a product or service is usually done online and for most of us, we pop over to google and search for it.

We all know that the World Wide Web is our information highway and we can find just about anything on there. And we can find lots of potential customers while they are researching.

How to approach customers at this stage: the best approach here is to get people onto a mailing list or get them to follow you via your social media channels (Pinterest,Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google +). Once they are following you in some way you can start to walk them through the next two phases. You are unlikely to make an instant sale at this point. Engage people at this point by directing them to your website content and you are likely be able to get them to revisit your site when they are,ready to buy.

This stage is where we take in to consideration points 1 and 2 of what we know about customers.

1. Customers are rarely going to buy on their first point of contact with a product

2. Typically it takes a person 7 views of a product (this could be website visits, email etc.) before they actually make a purchase online.

Decision Phase

As we have said some people will have already made up their mind as to what they are going to buy, and they will want it now. Thankfully for us, most people will go through a decision phase where they will be researching a number of different products or services before deciding which suits them best.

In this stage people can easily be persuaded by other people’s views and or experiences with a product or service. They will read reviews or look to what people are saying in their social media circles

How to approach customers at this stage: This is a great phase to pick up potential customers. What we need to be doing is, reviewing products or services that the person is looking for. Remember people will also look for negative reviews too. You can also use these, as there are lots of really bad products out there and in almost any market. A Negative review which then points to a better product can really help potential customers go to the next phase. When they are searching for anything in this phase, they will typically search for “review, scam, comparison, information” on the said product or service. So use Keywords that help them find your review first.

People are likely to buy at this stage if they feel comfortable with your review and you can build trust with your visitor.

It is during this phase that we satisfy points 3 and 4 of what we know about customers.

3. Customers do not buy from people they don’t trust.

4. Customers will be exchanging “money” for something that  think will improve their lives in some way.

Purchasing or Action Phase.

The final phase is the one that is the one where we can make money by our affiliate links or product. No commissions or payments for us, unless there is some action on the part of the customer. This could be a click, a lead, or a sale. Your reader needs to become a customer to complete the purchasing lifecycle.

You will not deter someone from their purchasing decision when they are in this phase. They will have done their research and made the decision to buy. They may now just be looking for the product at the cheapest price. The best deal out there. They may now search for “product name, best price, order product name, buy product name”

The best approach at this stage: Our goal is to either get someone to this point or to catch them at this point. So you may lead them through initial contact by email or social media to your review or you catch them by using the right keywords to get them to your review. Ensure you have the right affiliate or product links in that review. The one that points them in the right direction to buy through you.

This will satisfy point 5 of what we know about customers.

5. Customers have more access to product information and reviews than ever.

When you write a review on a product or service, remember that you are in the business of helping, not selling. Keep this at the forefront of your mind. You are helping people make an educated purchasing decision. If you are honest in your views you will help them make the purchasing decision whilst they are on your page.

In the real world most of us don’t like to sold to, we like to be helped into making a decision, yes or no. In the online world you do not have the benefit of talking a customer round if you start off on the wrong foot. You are not eyeball to eyeball and people are just a simple click away from dismissing you.

Get this right and you will satisfy point 6 of what we know about customers.

6. Most customers can see through scammy promotions.

In conclusion

We get more customers by understanding them. Knowing the customer purchasing lifecycle will help you to write your posts or pages to capture them at each stage but do you really know who your customers are? Or do you just think you know?

Do you read regularly about your niche or subject?

Can you effectively communicate with others in your niche? Do you speak in the same language style?

Do you understand your customers issues or desires?

If you don’t, then you need to spend some time learning about your niche and more importantly, your potential customers own particular idiosyncrasies.

Thank you for taking time to read this post and I hope it has been helpful in guiding your towards getting more customers. If you want more of this kind of help check out my review of wealthy affiliates here. If you have any questions or want to share your own customer stories please comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

With Grace and Gratitude

Karen