Okay, your hero has discovered they have a problem and have launched themselves on an epic journey to find a solution.
They’ve met their mentor (you) who has given them a gift to help them get a small, quick win along the way.
You’ve urged them to move forward in their buyer’s journey, guiding them through emails that give them more information about how to solve their problem.
Your hero has reached the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey, where they know what is wrong and see that there are available solutions (your products and services.)
Now, your hero needs to put the ideal solution to their problem in their sights and get ready let go of their feelings and fire… I mean buy your product or service.
Yes, that was a Star Wars reference and yes, that is a lot of links. That’s what happens when I write a blog post series.
Revisiting the Stages of the Hero’s Journey
A quick recap.
When we last saw our hero, they had received the call to adventure, resisted, but been persuaded to move forward in their quest by their mentor. Their mentor had given them a gift that would help them in their quest and had provided further guidance so they could use the gift on their adventure.
For Star Wars fans, we have left Tatooine after Luke’s aunt and uncle are murdered, been drawn into the Death Star by the tractor beam and we’re now somewhere in the process of rescuing the princess from the detention level.
For Matrix fans, we’ve taken the red pill, discovered what the “real world” looks like and have gone through the simulations to learn everything from Kung Fu to how the Matrix works. We should be somewhere around the visit to the Oracle, watching kids bend spoons.
I use these two movie comparisons because they are both based on The Hero’s Journey, as recounted by Joseph Campbell, noted author and anthropologist.
He came up with the theory of The Monomyth as stories that were found in every single culture everywhere on the planet. The Hero’s Journey is one of the most common of these stories.
Revisiting the Stages of the Buyer’s Journey
So far, our potential customer has been made aware that they have a problem and have been given more information that will help them solve that problem.
Next, they meet and receive a gift from the mentor (that’s you or your business) that can show them how to succeed in solving their problem on a very basic level but doesn’t solve their ultimate problem. (That’s your lead magnet.)
Plus, you’ve given them further guidance on how to reach their goals via automated and regular emails so your company stays top of mind and is seen as a trusted source when it comes to good information about how to solve this problem.
Now, your potential customer needs to take that final step toward finally finding their ideal solution.
This is the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey. It’s where your potential customer is “most aware” of their situation and your product or service. They only need that last, gentle push to make a purchase and reach their goals.
I point out the similarities between the Hero’s Journey and the buyer’s journey because they are very similar.
We are all the “hero” in our own stories. We repeat this cycle of going through trials and coming out victorious but changed, over and over throughout our lives.
In the same way, we are all the “potential customer” in our own stories. We’re the ones searching for that ideal solution to our problems and making the choice to buy something that will help us solve it.
Reaching the Most Awareness Stage of the Buyer’s Journey
After receiving your lead magnet and emails offering additional information, your potential customer should be fully aware that you offer a solution to their problem.
Copywriting legend Eugene Schwartz refers to this as the stage of being “most aware.” It’s an easy stage to deal with, because all you have to do is show your potential customer how they will benefit from having your solution in their lives.
You’ve already done most of the hard work of showing them what is wrong in their lives and making them aware of your existence. Plus, you’ve proved yourself a reliable source of help and information.
In your continuing role as the mentor, your job is to persuade your potential customer to decide they want your solution and make a purchase.
How do you do this?
Sending a sale email triggered by certain events performed by your potential customer is a good way to start. (Yes, automation is this sophisticated. You’ve probably received these emails and never knew that you did something to trigger them.)
If you have a sales staff, contacting your potential customer directly is another good way to get them to say yes. This gives your potential customer the opportunity to ask any remaining questions and to see that you’re doing everything possible to make sure they’re comfortable with their purchase.
Speaking of which, a money-back guarantee is another way to instill confidence in your potential customer. If they see that there’s an option to get their money back if they’re not happy with their results, they’re more likely to say yes.
Accept That This Process Takes Time
First, not every single person on your email list will say yes right away.
Some of them may require more persuading. They may want more information or have certain questions they haven’t seen answers to yet.
Don’t stop reaching out. It can take weeks, months, or even years for some subscribers to become customers.
This isn’t a bad thing. Everyone has a different length of their buyer’s journey.
Next, there will be people who sit on your list and never buy.
Maybe they’re not that interested in solving their problem. Maybe they’re just not ready to face what they need to deal with.
This is not a reflection on you. It is their choice and they need to make it when they’re ready. Which may be never.
However, if these people continue to open your emails and respond occasionally, leave them on your list. You never know when their minds will change. Nor do you know whether they’ll like and trust you enough to recommend you to someone else who has the same problem.
Using the Most Awareness Stage of the Buyer’s Journey to Help Your Customer
Let’s be mercenary for a moment here. Your goal is the sale. It’s why you’re in business.
However, your goal should also always be to keep the relationship with your potential customer going through, and well after the sale happens. You want this person to be happy with what they’ve purchased and come back for more.
Once someone has bought your product or service, you need to switch from your goal being the sale to your goal being adoption of that product or service.
So many people buy the “ideal solution” but don’t use it. Or they try once or twice but get discouraged if they don’t get the results they want right away.
Don’t desert your potential customer. Continue to be their mentor and guide them through the use of your product or service so they can find success. You can do this through onboarding processes, emails, surveys, and customer service responses.
We’ll talk more about that next week.
Whether or not someone buys your product or service, you want to stay in touch with them regularly, so you stay top of mind. Use my list of 30 Subject Lines to Keep Your Subscribers Opening and Reading Every Email as inspiration, so it’s easier to write those regular emails and build that relationship with your subscribers and customers. Click on the button below to get your copy now.
I have at least one more to go in this buyer’s journey series, possibly two. I hope you’re enjoying them. Feel free to check out the earlier parts of the series if you’re new to this blog. The links are at the top of this post. More exciting buyer’s journey next week.