Positive Customer Lifecycle Experiences
Today's experience driven consumer is typically no longer loyal to product or brand, they are loyal to the most positive lifecycle buying experience. Outlined here are the four phases of this lifecycle experience and the generic buying and universal selling process embedded into the Active Buyer phase. This lifecycle and selling process applies to businesses engaged in both business to business and business to consumer sales of company offerings (products, services or experiences).


Today’s Consumer Lifecycle Experience

Outlined here and detailed in the rest of this document are the four phases of today’s experienced driven customer lifecycle.
   Phase 1: Targeted Consumer: Shopping (Know/Like)
   Phase 2: Active Buyer: Purchase (Trust/Buy)
   Phase 3: Expectant Customer: Ownership (Try/Favorite)
   Phase 4: Established Client: Usage (Repeat/Advocate)


The Foundation for Success
The foundation for success in any size or type of business today is to consistently create positive customer experiences that capture the initial sale and leverage customer lifecycle revenue. These basic strategies will also help to leverage potential customer circle of influence revenue.
   - Align processes and profiles (people) with offering and targeted consumer
   - Gain customer attention, build interest and engage at each touch point
   - Align processes and profiles (people) at each touch point
   - Establish customer friendly systems, processes and people at each
      touch point
   - Meet expectations and deliver value at each touch point
   - Capture and leverage accurate information (data) at each touch point


Lifecycle Phase: Targeted Consumer/Shopping (Know/Like)
Marketing (Approach) Strategies
     - Suspect – Awareness stage (Top of mind awareness)
         Everyone in targeted consumer segment that has a need
         for your offering
    - Prospect – Discovery stage (Attention and purchase preference)
        Everyone in your targeted consumer segment that has
        identified and/or expressed a need for your offering


Lifecycle Phase: Active Buyer/Purchase (Trust/Buy)
The generic buying process aligns with the universal initial selling process
The process expands or consolidates based on type, scope and complexity of the sale
Success at each stage requires process, skills, strategies, knowledge and resources
     Stage 1: Interest (Engagement/qualification sales strategies)
     Stage 2: Assessment (Analysis/feasibility sales strategies)
     Stage 3: Involvement (Desire/design sales strategies)
     Stage 4: Commitment
                 (Recommendation/conviction sales strategies)
     Stage 5: Action (Approval/closing/follow-up sales strategies)
    
Types of Initial Sales
There are four distinct types of initial sales
The potential for the sale increases with the alignment of process and profiles


Business to business (business to government) sales
   Commercial sales: Consultative seller – New system buyer
     Solution Sales: Investor window, pull sales, inductive messaging
       - Strategic investments: Buying team – Decision matrix
       - Decision makers, sponsors, users and strategic investment influences
     System Sales: Expert window, push sale, deductive messaging
       - Tactical acquisitions: Buying process – Purchase procedures
       - Expert, financial and procurement buyers and tactical purchase influences


   Relationship sales: Route seller – Established system buyer

Business to consumer (consumer to consumer) sales
   Consumer sales (Strategic investments): Closing seller – New product buyer
   Retail sales (Tactical purchases): Display seller – Commodity buyer

Lifecycle Phase: Expectant Customer/Ownership (Try/Favorite)
Offering acceptance/delivery/implementation and new customer support
Relationship (transition/incremental) sales strategies

Lifecycle Phase: Established Client/Usage (Repeat/Advocate)
Offering performance and client service
Relationship (aftermarket/leveraged) sales strategies

Sales Force Management

Regardless of type of selling or size and type of sales force (direct, distribution, in house, outside or other), sales success is often driven by effective sales force management. Whether you have one manager or several, effective sales forces have a better chance of meeting or exceeding expectations through three levels of management.
     - Sales Force Management
     - Selling Team Leadership
     - Individual Seller Coaching