Build your customer journey in 5 steps
Clear statuses keep deals from being forgotten. Here is how to define the steps a prospect goes through before becoming a client.
A customer journey is the list of steps a prospect goes through before signing. When it is well defined, it tells everyone where a deal stands and what is left to do.
1. Start from what really happens
Look back at your last ten sales and write down each key moment: first conversation, meeting, quote sent, approval. The steps that come up every time make up your journey.
2. Keep between four and seven statuses
Fewer, and follow-up lacks precision; more, and nobody updates the records. Merge steps that always follow one another.
3. Name each status after a fact
“Quote sent” can be checked, “Interested” cannot. A status should match something that actually happened.
4. Assign an owner to each step
Link a group to each status: sales for first contact, presales for the demo, management for approval. Everyone knows when to step in.
5. Review the journey every quarter
Look at where deals stall. A step that loses many of them deserves an automatic follow-up, or to be split in two.