Literature/202603010908 aligning customer journey and strategy

• Source: [[@ghanadan2025Not Buying It: The Art of Selling to Scientists, Doctors, and Other Professional Skeptics]]
• Tags: #customer-journey #sales #science-business #marketing

The traditional sales funnel is outdated for the modern customer journey. Many customers engage with our offering, disengage, reengage at a later point. There are many steps that are not within our control: from customers reading a paper, to attending a presentation.

We should not force a linear trajectory to our customers, but rather support them along the way (202603010858 Buying journey aligned with messaging).

We need to find signals of authority, for example by having a strong or provocative point of view.

We should create likeness, since most people feel attracted to others who are similar.

People like consistency. If they asked for more information, they should be reminded that they asked for it. That triggers better reception and less cognitive stress.

Availability of a problem is not always clear to customers. If you ask: "how often do you encounter this problem", they will disengage emotionally. It is a data-driven question. While asking "when was the last time X happened?" will force them to remember and put themselves in the painful situation.

If we provide value before asking for it, we create reciprocity. And this is a very powerful tool when we want to influence someone. First give, then ask.

Consensus is perhaps the most utilized tool: show that others are already doing it, they are already your customers, it's the social-proof.