Mapping The Buyer's Journey In The Water Market

-The Buyer’s Journey is not really a linear path anymore.  It’s about being ready with the content prospects need when they are making a decision.

-Dillon Ally

I’ve said many times in my presentations, and it’s been published everywhere, that a prospect will need multiple interactions before they become an actual customer.  Some studies suggest that number of touches is 7 and others say it’s as many as 12 or more.  Regardless of the exact number of steps, it’s clear that the journey is not as fast or straight forward as many water and wastewater manufacturers would like it to be. 

Here is a summary of the 4 interaction steps I like to call the “Water Industry Customer Journey.”

First: Initial Interaction

This is simple.  Your goal is to capture their attention and get them to interact with your content.  From there your goal changes to getting them to continue to interact with you and your content.  It’s important to understand a couple of specific points about this stage.  First, the customer is not ready for a sales pitch, sales call or sales e-mail at this stage. Inserting an overtly sales message during this stage will actually turn them away.  Second, all of your content should be around benefits and not features.  Paying for your product at this point is not a clear path for them yet.

Second: Getting Familiar

If you truly view this as a journey for the prospect then you’ll need to treat it like one.  Stop thinking they are at the finish line when they are in fact, just starting out on their journey.  The best chance your company has to reach these potential buyers is to walk with them.  The only way they will let you walk with them on their journey is if you offer them content that speaks to the deepest problems they have and helps them solve those problems. 

Third: Problem and Solution Review

They now have a problem and you can help.  It’s now time to appropriately present the features your product can offer.  You have earned their attention because you have earned their trust by helping them instead of badgering them with sales pitches over the past few months, years, etc...  Congratulations, you are now in the driver’s seat.  For example, if you walk around WEFTEC you’ll see at least 30 different pump manufacturers, all of whom believe their features are much better than the competition.  How can the potential buyer tell them all apart?  Well, it starts with who they have interacted with previously and who has given them a reason to invest attention and time into their offering.

Fourth: Post Purchase

With water and wastewater-related engineered solutions, it’s imperative to do more than take the contract and run.  Most engineers and operators tasked with utilizing your equipment don’t take the time to properly train themselves on “how” to use it properly.  This is where you need to proactively offer your time and attention.  By walking them through this process, they’ll be much more comfortable in the investment they just made.  Not to mention, they’ll look to you first when they need more of the same or expand into another area in which you could help them.   

So here’s a challenge for you to consider: Map out a few steps of your customer’s journey and compare this to your content approach. Where does it align? Where could it be improved?