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To find customers for your business (systematically and consistently), you need to know the 3 WHYs your customers buy from you (you might be surprised). Answering these 3 simple “whys” succinctly and persuasively will help you build the bridge that leads your prospect/customer from where they are now to where they want to be. That bridge is your product, your service, or your offer.

I’ve illustrated each “why” with real examples from my work as a web agency CEO. And I won’t stop there, but I will give you a single formula for mapping out your customer journey which you can apply immediately in your marketing.

Most people think that there is a lot of hope involved when it comes to marketing.

I had this belief myself when my partner and I started AirDesigns back in 2013. I had no idea about building a business. I had no idea about marketing – just a lot of enthusiasm and a vision to make the web a better place for everyone.

What did I do? Nothing. I believed I could find customers without marketing.

And that worked at the beginning. At least, it’s what I thought.

It took some time before I realized that I had to close every customer that came in through recommendations because we didn’t have any choice. We needed clients desperately, and we had to turn every prospect into a client.

I won them thanks to the low prices.

What result did I get?

A lot of work with a tiny profit. My partner and I worked many hours. We were exhausted with no money in the pockets.

Then I tried to run Facebook ads. I tried Google ads. I tried cold calls. I hired a sales guy for 1200 euros per month for a year. And he didn’t bring in any business. I lost 14400 euros with this guy.

It never worked. And I was wondering why.

Then, we decided to hire a marketing expert to help us with the marketing jungle. He could tell us how to do that.

It was a long journey.

I hired a marketing guy. Tested what he suggested. Caught a problem. And then hire a new guy that helps me solve the problem, and so on.

So instead of hoping for results and not hitting your revenue goal, you need a systematic approach that will get you where you want to be.

What I’ve learned is put together here in my article.

The first important lesson I learned was that NOBODY could do these three things for you:

• Your strategy
• Your offers
• Your target

These are the fundamental basis for your business, and I never saw results when somebody outsourced them.

If you outsourced them, what will you receive?

• Abstract and general ideas
• Thousands of EUR for useless strategies
• Thousands of EUR spent on ads without results
• Frustration, anger, bankruptcy.

How do I know that?

At the beginning of my business, I tried with a few big marketing agencies and freelancers. I always received a 20-page document with a strategy that includes only general knowledge accessible everywhere.

That’s good, but nobody can execute it because it’s general. The strategy must be specific to your business so the marketing guy could understand your goals, your target personas, your offers, and run the ads for you. 

The second lesson I learned was that I didn’t get the customer acquisition process right. It all starts and ends with a simple question: Why do people buy from you?

#1 reason why customers buy from you

They buy from you because they know what they get.

We all say: I do marketing. I do consulting. I advise businesses. I make WordPress websites. Buy my stuff. I am the best at doing marketing. I am the best consultant.

That’s a surefire way to waste money on ads. You will get very poor results. Nobody is interested in what you are doing. Everyone is interested in what they get.

And that must be the perspective you have when you do marketing – not what you do, but what your clients get.

#2 reason why clients buy from you

Clients buy because they want something, AND they do not get it themselves or better elsewhere.

They want you to solve their PROBLEMS.

The trigger to buy something is driven by the intention of them wanting something. You can’t sell something if a person doesn’t want it.

I mean, you can try to convince them, put some pressure on them, etc., and they will buy. But that’s a hard sale. They will get home and will realize that they do not want it. You won’t make them happy.

For me, it’s important to see people succeed with what they receive from AirDesigns as a service or product.

It’s easier to sell if people want something. And they want you to solve their problems.

These are two important components you should respect when you try to sell something:

You must sell something that people want
You must sell something that solves a problem for somebody.

Nobody just buys it because you sell it.

PROBLEM – SOLUTION

That’s all selling is about.

#3 reason why clients buy from you

They buy from you because they want a change.

And your business with its services and products helps them going through the change or transformation.

So when you solve their problem, you help them with a change. You can also call it transformation, which in my opinion is a better term for it.

So what you offer is a service or a product that provides transformation.

If you have no idea how to win new clients (or you just have low revenue, or your revenue doesn’t increase, or whatever your problem is), and I help you win new clients, systematically, so that your revenue grows in a year from now, your situation will change. You will feel less pressure. You might be prouder of what you do and your achievements. You can afford new things. 

It’s not like this marketing blah, blah – I changed the life of everyone. That’s what you commit to doing. But you need to understand that to solve a problem, you lead a person to a change, which will actually change their lives.

Even if I build a website for a marketing manager, I help them change their life. Why? The marketing manager gets pressure from his boss: “You need to make more sales, you need to make more leads,” “Our website is crap.” The sales team tells him: “You do not generate enough qualified leads.

That’s a typical marketing manager’s situation: pressure from the boss, pressure from the sales.

Now, I’ll build a website, not because the client wants a website.

I build a website that helps them create new content with ease, attracts users, and measures results. It’s easier for you as a marketing manager to ultimately win leads that your sales team can close so that they appreciate you. And maybe you can get a reward. You can get more money. That’s how this changes the life of a marketing manager.

That’s why you should always respect the person you are selling to and understand their real needs and problems so you can help with this transformation.

That’s what your business and services do.

When we talk about change, there are just two ways for a change that people try to follow.

One direction is AWAY FROM PAIN .

That’s the marketing manager that gets pressure from the boss, pressure from the sales team. Doesn’t feel appreciated. Doesn’t get rewarded. Just always has to run in the hamster wheel.

You can help this person move away from this pain by whatever your services do to help him. This should be your perspective.

I don’t sell a website.

I sell a website in order to …

At AirDesigns, we transform the lives of business owners and marketing managers who have serious problems. That is our attitude.

Another direction is people move TOWARDS PLEASURE.

They want more joy. That’s how you typically sell a vacation, holidays, travels, restaurants. That’s all related to pleasure.

The purpose of your business is to build that bridge.

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You should give a helping hand. You should show: Here I am. I understand you. I know your pain. I know your problems. And by the way, here is my story: I went through the same, so I know what I am talking about. And then you help them build a bridge from where they are today to where they want to be.

The bridge is your product, your service, or your offer.

You do not necessarily have to offer the whole bridge. It can be a process – one step (service or product) after another. You just take the hand of your client and lead them over the bridge.

That is the so-called Customer journey. Nothing abstract. It’s very clear. If you know where the client is standing and where he wants to be, you can build a bridge and help them over.

If you do not know that, and typically, that’s the case, you have to ask them.

Let’s take as an example a person who is making a workshop. He wants to provide value to the attendees but he doesn’t know what will make them satisfied and happy.

OK, did you ask them what they want as a result from this workshop? NO. So how can you make a workshop that helps them solve their problems?

Marketing should help people become aware of their problems and then lead them through the bridge from where they are today to where they want to be. I will show you how you can do this, very concrete with your ads and the whole funnel.

In one of my next articles, I will show you how you can do this very concretely with your ads and the whole funnel.

Let’s build your customer journey

What I just described can be summarized in a single formula for the whole customer journey.

It always starts with a CHARACTER (BUYING PERSONA) who wants something. That is your client. For my agency as an example, that is:

The marketing manager wanting to be appreciated for generating more qualified leads that the sales team can close.

The business owner who wants to grow their business. This will help them win independence and feel proud of their achievements. Ultimately be happier.

But how do you know what your clients want?

Nobody can tell you. You need to know that. I will show you how you can test that and figure it out in my next articles.

If your buying persona didn’t have a problem, they would not need you. This is how we reach the next part of the formula is:

A CHARACTER (BUYING PERSONA) who wants something encounters a PROBLEM. A problem that causes PAIN.

If there is no problem and there is no pain, then you cannot sell anything.

At the peak of their despair, a GUIDE steps into their life and shows them a PLAN.

That’s you, your business, your marketing. That’s the helping hand.

Hey, Mr. Marketing Manager (Mr. Entrepreneur), I know your problem. I know your pain. I was there so I can help you. Here I am.

And then you need to show a plan. Remember this bridge. Show them how they can get from where they are to where they want to be.

And CALLS THEM TO ACTION

If you don’t call them to action, they will not move at all. They won’t move any step further.

Click this link, and I will show you exactly how you can win clients online. Then, of course, you need to live up to your promise. Not just blah, blah, blah because they will leave away and don’t trust you.

The next step is to tell them WHY

This is the MOTIVATION why they should take action – purchase your offer, book a meeting, whatever you want them to do

Motivation is something that helps them AVOID PAIN and ends with SUCCESS.

Book a call with me. I can show you how you can win clients online so that you don’t need to trust marketing agencies anymore blindly, and you don’t need to desperately hire salespeople that don’t bring new customers to your business, etc.

That’s the pain that gives them the motivation of why they should take action.

And then show them what success looks like.

Tell them so that you can win clients predictively, have more revenue, etc. The SUCCESS is actually the other side of the bridge. The place they want to be.

Simple, right?

I didn’t invent this. This formula is described in the book Building the story brand. I am your guide to help you put together what exists and get it practically working))

This book only describes the process and ends there, but you will still no idea how to execute it. In my next article, I will guide you through how to do that in practice.

So, subscribe to my newsletter so that you do not miss my next article.