Mastering the Client Journey - Episode 197

 One of the biggest myths out there is that if you just get more leads, your business will magically take off. The truth is, it's not about how many people come to your door. It's about what happens after they show up. 

How you guide someone from curiosity to trust, from transaction to transformation, and from client to local advocate, that's where growth really happens. Today, we're going to dig into something most business owners overlook, mastering the client journey. Welcome to the Budding Entrepreneur Podcast. 

Good day and welcome to the Budding Entrepreneur Podcast. I'm your host, Randy Bridges. In each episode, we dive into practical business strategies that you can put to work in your business right away. 

We also focus on inspiring stories from leaders who are shaking and making things happen in their industry. It's all about giving you the tools and insights to take you and your business to the next level. So get comfortable and let's jump right in. 

All right, all right, we are on episode 197 of the podcast, and today is Friday, May 2nd, 2025. Last week, we talked about the one-page business dashboard, giving you clarity and focus for everything moving forward in your business. This week, we're going inside the engine that actually fuels your growth, the client journey. 

Here's what's on deck today. We're gonna get a great quote to set the stage. We're gonna talk about what the client journey is in very simple terms. 

The seven stages you need to know. The real-world example from a business just like yours, and a few clear steps you can start using today to strengthen your client journey. So let's kick everything off with our quote of the week. 

Zig Ziglar once said, you don't build a business, you build people, and people build the business. When you're thinking about the client journey, it's not about transactions. It's about building people, guiding them, serving them, and helping them succeed. 

If you focus on building people first, the business will always follow. So moving into our topic, we're gonna look at what is the client journey. And let's break this down into plain English, because there's a lot of people that have a lot of different ways of looking at this, but really it comes down to this. 

The client journey is the story of how someone experiences your business. From the first time they hear about you, to the day they're proudly sending others your way. It's not about what they buy, or even when they buy. 

It comes down to how they feel, what they need, and how you show up for them every step of the way. Think of it like a roadmap. Every touchpoint, whether it's a website visit, a casual media post, or even a conversation and event. 

It's a chance to build trust or lose it. And it's important for us to remember that for many, especially for customers in service, the journey isn't a straight line. People jump around, they come back, they leave, they second-guess. 

That's all normal. And when you understand the real path that your client takes, the questions they ask, the hesitations they have, whatever it may be, you can make the whole experience smoother, more personal, and way more effective. And at the heart of it, it's about building a journey that customers and clients want to stay on. 

And a relationship that keeps them coming back. Now one last caveat. If you don't intentionally design that journey, chaos will design it for you. 

And we have to remember that chaos does not scale. So let's take a look at that client journey in more detail. So let's start by breaking down the seven stages of the client journey. 

Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Commitment, Delivery, Retention, and Advocacy. These are the seven parts, seven stages, if you will, of the client journey. And we want to take a look at each one, go in a little bit of depth, so that we better understand what is supposed to be in that particular part of the journey, at that particular phase or stage. 

Here's a high-level view of what that journey looks like. Stage one is Awareness. This is where they find out you exist. 

You utilize ads, referrals, events, content, something to draw them in. Stage two is Interest. They decide they want to lean in. 

They want to know more. Stage three is Evaluation. They check you out against other options, your competition, maybe even no decision at all. 

Stage four is Commitment. They're willing to say yes, but how far that yes goes, you're not really sure. The next stage is Delivery. 

You fulfill your promise. Now this is huge, because most people stop thinking after the sale. They put the sale as the primary focus, and once that's done, man, they're like, okay my job's done. 

And the answer is, no it's not. The next stage is Retention. You keep them engaged and satisfied over time. 

And the final stage is Advocacy. They start telling others about you, because they want to. We can build stronger relationships and increase client lifetime value, and ultimately turn clients into brand advocates. 

An important point of all of this though, and this is something that is often missed, your job in the client journey or customer journey, is not to push people through these stages. Your job is to lead them naturally by building trust every step of the way. So now that you understand more about how the client journey works, let me give you a real-world example of a company that we worked with. 

I'm going to change their name just simply because, well, we don't necessarily want to always give away all of the fun of what happens. This is a company we call Everworld Financial Advisors. They're very much like a lot of the companies many of you probably run. 

They knew they couldn't just sit around hoping that clients would stumble in and stay with them for a period of time. They came to us and we sat down and worked with them and started building a client journey for them, centered around some very basic principles, many of which a typical consulting company of any kind or an advisory company is going to be doing. Here's how we built with them a powerful client journey. 

In the awareness step, we work with them to build short two-minute YouTube ads, offering simple tips like how to regain control of your finances. When we move to interest, when people would click on the ad, they were offered a free download, the financial health checklist. When we move into the evaluation phase, after the download, prospects would receive a nurturing email sequence, I believe it was five or seven steps, inviting them to a free consultation. 

In the commitment stage, at that consultation, Everworld mapped out a personalized high-level financial roadmap, before ever asking for any commitment. They would follow through the sales process and get to a delivery phase for certain people. After signup, clients received immediate wins, like consolidating their accounts or uncovering hidden fees, and they did it all within 30 days. 

In the retention stage, Everworld did quarterly check-ins to adjust the plans and keep their clients moving toward their goals. And in the advocacy stage, after about six months, they would invite their happiest clients to share a testimonial or to refer a friend. No pressure about it. 

Now, I want you to notice something about that client journey. There's no confusion. There was no hard-selling. 

It was just a clean, professional, human experience. And guess what? This client's referral rates doubled inside of 12 months. Now, that speaks highly to a process that matches what customers and clients are actually looking for. 

So, how do you start putting this into place without creating a giant 80-page blueprint? Well, here's three simple focus points that will make all the difference in the world for you. Number one, be clear at every step. People should always know what's coming next. 

Uncertainty creates hesitation, but clarity builds momentum. Even something simple like, the next step is booking your consultation, makes a huge difference, both for the person who's providing the service and the person who's receiving it. It's good to know you're going and what's going to be coming in case you have need to do something different, or maybe you've tried that before and it didn't work. 

So, these are good things to bring into play. Number two, focus on quick wins early. Nothing will kill a client journey faster than having to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait for results that you thought you should have gotten right away. 

Early momentum, that equals lasting loyalty. Get your clients a meaningful win inside the first 30 days, sooner if you can do it. It doesn't have to be life-changing, just a meaningful enough way for them to say, this was a good decision. 

And number three, create natural referral moments. Referrals don't come because you ask for them, or that you ask better. They come because you serve better. 

When a client or a customer feels seen, heard, and helped, you won't have to beg for testimonials. They'll be proud to talk about you. I've done testimonials for companies that I was happy to do it. 

They didn't even need to ask me, and I would give it to them. Nonetheless, the good companies always did ask. And final thought, it's not about automation first, it's about relationships first. 

Automation supports the relationship, it doesn't replace it. So, let's wrap this up. Number one, the client journey is everything. 

It's the heart of sustainable growth. Number two, you can design it intentionally, or you can leave it to chance. And boy, I don't know that you want to do that. 

And three, you don't need complexity. You need clarity, quick wins, and trust building moments. If you'd like some help building that client map, just give me a call or reach out. 

We have our maximum business impact session. It's down in the notes link to it. You can sign up for it, pretty easy. 

And we go through this and build it out to match what you need. Now next week we're staying right on theme, because the natural step after the client journey is mastering the client experience itself. So join me next week for the client experience advantage, how fulfillment fuels growth. 

That's it for this episode. I hope you picked up some valuable insights and maybe even sparked a few new ideas. If you want to keep the conversation going, or maybe even explore partnerships, don't hesitate to reach out.

And hey, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs to hear it. The steps you take today could be the start of something big tomorrow. For the budding entrepreneur, I wish you the best in your health, your wealth, your business, your family, everything about you. 

Take care and we'll see you back here next week.