• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Passion For Business Logo

Small Business Consulting for the Self-Employed

  • About Us
    • Meet Karyn Greenstreet
    • Meet Aly Greenstreet
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Home
  • Consulting
    • Small Business Development & Strategy Consulting
    • Marketing Strategy Consulting for Small Business
    • Small Business Consulting Programs and Fees
    • Compass Master Program
    • How to Select a Small Business Coach or Consultant
    • Industries We Serve
    • Small Business Coach vs Consultant?
    • Small Business Consulting Testimonials
    • FAQ
  • Coaching
    • How Coaching Works
    • Quiz: Are You Ready for Coaching?
    • Small Business Coach vs Consultant
    • Small Business Consulting Programs and Fees
    • Mentor Coaching For Coaches
      • Free Resources
        • Discover the Missing Link
        • Setting and Raising Your Fees
        • Speed Up Growth: Start a Mastermind Group
        • Are You Ready to Take the Leap and Grow Your Business?
  • Blog
  • One Action Now Book
  • Speaking
    • Meet Karyn Greenstreet
    • Clients
    • Locations
    • Speaking Testimonials
  • About Us
    • Meet Karyn Greenstreet
    • Meet Aly Greenstreet
  • Contact
  • Search
  • Home
  • Consulting
    • Small Business Development & Strategy Consulting
    • Marketing Strategy Consulting for Small Business
    • Small Business Consulting Programs and Fees
    • Compass Master Program
    • How to Select a Small Business Coach or Consultant
    • Industries We Serve
    • Small Business Coach vs. Consultant – What’s the Difference?
    • Small Business Consulting Testimonials
    • FAQ
  • Coaching
    • How Coaching Works
    • Quiz: Are You Ready for Coaching?
    • Small Business Coach vs Consultant
    • Small Business Consulting Programs and Fees
    • Mentor Coaching For Coaches
    • FAQ About Small Business Coaching and How it Works
    • Industries We Serve
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
    • Discover the Missing Link
    • Setting and Raising Your Fees
    • Speed Up Growth: Start a Mastermind Group
    • Are You Ready to Take the Leap? Business Self-Assessment
  • One Action Now Book
  • Speaking
    • Meet Karyn Greenstreet
    • Clients
    • Locations
    • Testimonials
Home > Self-Employed Success Blog > Marketing & Sales > Nurturing the Not-Ready Customer Through the Buying Cycle
Nurturing the Not-Ready Customer Through the Buying Cycle

Nurturing the Not-Ready Customer Through the Buying Cycle

Karyn Greenstreet

Wouldn’t you love it if you could close every sale with a new customer in 30 minutes or less?

But that rarely happens. A sales cycle can last up to six months, depending on how much research the potential customer has done before he or she comes to you.

Before customers are ready to sign on the dotted line, they first must go through a well-researched route to purchasing products and services, called the Buying Cycle. You need to nurture these potential clients and help them along this route to ultimately choosing the solution you’re offering them.

Studies show that 79% of website visitors aren’t ready to buy. They’re somewhere else within the buying cycle. They may not be aware of the scope of their problem, and may simply be in the early stages of researching a possible solution.

Even if they’re not ready to buy, it doesn’t mean there isn’t an opportunity for you as a business owner. If you continue to educate them and nurture those leads – wherever they are in the buying cycle – you’ll be at the top of their minds when they’re ready to buy.

The Buying Cycle

The typical buying cycle goes from having an awareness that there is a problem, to evaluating the possible solutions, choosing one solution, and then implementing it. It ends with a long-term, meaningful relationship with a customer.

Here’s a detailed explanation of the buying cycle — what actually is happening in your prospective customer’s world:

  1. Acknowledge there’s a problem they need to solve. Something is broken – either a physical product, like their washing machine, or a process in their business – and they need to fix it.
  2. Make a decision to fix this problem. They have to decide if they want to tackle this problem now or wait.
  3. Determine exactly what results they want. What’s their end goal? What outcome or results do they want after purchasing and implementing a solution?
  4. Gather basic information. They’re searching for companies that can help them, and often doing this research online. Perhaps they’re asking friends or other business owners who’ve had similar problems about their chosen solution.
  5. Identify possible solutions or vendors that will give the result or results that they want.
  6. Compare those solutions or vendors.
  7. Select a vendor/product.
  8. Negotiate the deal.
  9. Make a purchase decision. This can mean either signing a contract or making a direct purchase.
  10. Implement the solution. Your relationship doesn’t end with the purchase. Now you have to help them use your product or service wisely to get full results.
  11. Forge an ongoing relationship. This allows for repeat business from the same customer and ensures ongoing customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth referrals.

Recognizing where your customer is in this buying cycle is key.

When a customer first makes contact with you, have a set of questions ready which determine where he or she is.

  • “Tell me about your situation?”
  • “Have you looked at other solutions?”

Their answers to these questions can show you whether they’re still early in the buying cycle, or if they’re close to making a decision.

Pick Marketing Techniques Based on Buying Cycle

Choose different marketing techniques for each phase of the buying cycle.

For instance:

  • A well-designed website can help customers early on in the buying cycle by allowing them to gather information.
  • A free whitepaper outlining possible solutions and comparing them helps mid-way through the buying cycle.
  • An email campaign helps prospective customers through the pre-purchase process, and later forges an ongoing, repeat-buying relationship near the end of the buying cycle.

Supplying content for each stage tells your customer, “We’re ready when you are.”

If they’re early in the buying cycle, back off and let them explore, but be available to answer questions. If they want to discuss possibly buying from you, be available for a phone or in-person meeting, and have marketing material ready to help them make a choice from among your offerings.

By being aware of the different stages in the buying process, and thinking about what questions your customer are asking at each stage of the cycle, you can provide a prospective customer with the appropriate marketing technique at the right time.

Filed Under: Internet & Social Media Marketing, Marketing & Sales

Previous Post: « Categories for Small Business Goal-Setting Categories for Small Business Goal-Setting
Next Post: Designing Your Perfect Week Designing Your Perfect Week »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gina R.

    March 5, 2013 at 8:48 am

    So helpful! I guess I go through these same steps in my own life but never saw it laid out this way before. Now I get it. 🙂

  2. Chris

    March 5, 2013 at 10:21 am

    This is very helpful!

  3. Christina

    March 6, 2013 at 12:05 pm

    Hi Karyn: Thanks! I love the summary of the buying cycle..

  4. Dana Wilson

    March 7, 2013 at 10:53 am

    Thanks, Karyn. As usual, a very helpful and informative post! This seems to run in cycles for me; everything is humming along just fine and then a few unexpected things come up and… well, you know. Another related tip is to allow enough margin in your life for the unexpected. (I never do.) 😀 I recommend a book titled, simply, Margin

  5. Helga Matzko

    March 12, 2013 at 11:55 am

    Karyn, as so often, you manage to give the most helpful suggestions. Thanks so much. Helga

    • Karyn Greenstreet

      March 12, 2013 at 11:57 am

      You’re welcome, Helga! My best ideas for blog articles come from small business owners just like you! 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. Is the Problem Traffic or Copywriting? | Self Employed Success says:
    June 20, 2016 at 11:27 am

    […] studies show that 79% of visitors who come to your website are not ready to buy. If you’re not getting enough traffic to your website, you won’t have enough people […]

Footer

Services

  • Small Business Consulting
  • Small Business Coaching
  • Compass Master Program
  • Mentor Coaching for Coaches

FAQ

  • What is Coaching?
  • Small Business Coach vs Consultant
  • Industries We Serve

Resources

  • Self Employed Success Blog
  • Free Ebook: Discover the Missing Link
  • Free video tutorial: Setting and Raising Your Fees
  • Free Tutorial: Start a Mastermind Group

Connect

+1 (610) 381-4332

Email Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Site Footer

Copyright © 2023, Karyn Greenstreet, All rights reserved. This entire website copyrighted: United States Copyright Registration Number PAU3-147-048.
Privacy and Cookie Policy