Tag: Day-to-day | 3 Min Read

In today’s fierce marketplace, excelling in the modern sales process is vital for businesses aspiring for growth. A key aspect of this process involves identifying and utilizing touchpoints to curate a smooth customer journey. So, what are these touchpoints, and how many should one incorporate into the sales plan? Let’s dive into ‘touchpoints’ and examine their needs in the sales process.

What is a Touchpoint?

Touchpoints symbolize any interaction or encounter occurring between your company and its clients or potential customers, spanning both online and offline channels. These consist of website visits, social media exchanges, emails, phone conversations, live chats, in-person conferences, and any other mode of communication.

The primary goal of touchpoints is to engage potential clients, inform them about your offerings, and prompt them to make purchases. In today’s digital age, touchpoints have significantly evolved to encompass numerous channels and platforms where clients can connect with your brand.

How Many Touchpoints Does One Need?

The ideal number of touchpoints differs based on business size, industry sector, target demographic, and overarching marketing strategy. However, research (generic) indicates that it generally takes 7-13 touchpoints for a prospect to transition into a customer.

To refine your sales procedure, it is essential to embrace a multi-channel strategy that caters to diverse customer inclinations. Implementing a blend of online and offline tactics—including email marketing campaigns, social media engagement, content marketing initiatives, in-person events, webinars, and telephone calls—ensures maximum impact.

Having spent over two decades in the sales industry, I vividly recall being told during my first-ever sales initiation that an average of 5-8 contact points are needed to close a deal. By 2012, this number had risen to 8-12. In today’s tourism sector, one must consider at least 15-20 touchpoints before the sale can be initiated. This increase is attributable to heightened competition, multiple channels and decreased attention spans. 

Our B2B Brand Awareness Package offers 10 to 18 touch points in a year. Click here for details

Here are some tips for effectively utilizing touchpoints in the B2B tourism sector:

1. Know your target audience: The first step in completing a sales process is to know your target market. Knowing them, just their company name and the destinations they sell is not enough. You need to know their communication preference, the likelihood of adding new products, and how they would like the engagement to look like. Learning this early in the sales process helps create a bond quickly.

2. Maintain consistency across all platforms: Your brand should have a consistent voice and style throughout all touch points. Refer to your brand guide and share it with team members responsible for creating your brand’s messages. Consistency helps establish trust and familiarity with prospects.

3. Customize your approach: Adapting your message to address individual customer preferences and demands can significantly enhance engagement and lead to higher conversion rates.

4. Embrace technological advancements: In today’s digital age, using technology to manage touch points along the B2B customer journey is crucial. Use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to keep track of client interactions and essential metrics like conversion rates and response times. Implement email marketing tools for specialized campaigns or deploy chatbots on your site for immediate support.

5. Monitor and analyze: Keep a close eye on the performance of different touch points by measuring essential metrics like engagement, click-through rates, conversion rates, and client feedback. Use this information to optimize your sales process.

6. Follow up consistently: Proactive follow-ups after meetings, sales pitches, or conferences build long-term connections and sustain customer interest. Reach out via email or phone to further discussions on possible partnerships or address any concerns they may have. Regularly checking in with partners, sharing updated materials, and asking for feedback shows your dedication to their success.

Effective sales process navigation requires a well-rounded combination of touchpoints to connect with potential clients. By carefully integrating various channels into your sales funnel consistently and targeting the right audience, you’ll be well-prepared to guide potential clients through their buying journey and ultimately convert them into loyal customers. 

In our fast-moving society, staying connected has become easier than ever. However, a troubling trend known as “ghosting” is rising. Ghosting is the sudden disappearance of communication in personal and professional relationships, often without explanation or warning. Think of it as putting something in an Amazon cart but never checking out or removing the item from the cart. Amazon carts get ghosted quite often, which is why they have automated the follow-up. Have you ever tried leaving a cart with items in the digital world? Try, and your inbox will be flooded with reminder emails from the retailer giving you reasons to complete the purchase quickly!

But what do you do when you get ghosted by a job seeker, employer, client, or supplier? More people prefer ghosting over confronting issues. As someone ghosted by a mentee, I wanted to explore the possible reasons behind this phenomenon.

Probable reasons for Ghosting:

• The Digital Divide

  A significant contributing factor to Ghosting is the wide adoption of digital communication tools. Instant messaging, emails, and social media have made it possible for people to interact without ever meeting in person. While this appears convenient initially, it can lead to detachment from others and create a false sense of anonymity.

• Drowning in Communication

  As our devices are inundated with endless emails, texts, and notifications daily, it’s no wonder some individuals succumb to communication overload. To cope with this situation, they may choose to withdraw completely, ghosting those they no longer wish to interact with.

• Perceived Lack of Consequences

  Online communications often have an apparent absence of consequences for one’s actions. This perception might encourage people to ghost others since they may not have to face them again in real life. A lack of accountability motivates individuals to ghost rather than address complex issues or engage in uncomfortable conversations.

• Avoiding Confrontation

  Many people dread confrontation and feel uneasy discussing challenging subjects or delivering unfavourable news. Ghosting offers an easy way out from these potentially stressful situations by allowing these individuals to vanish and cut off contact altogether, bypassing awkward discussions entirely.

• Evolving Cultural Values

  Engaging in meaningful conversations can appear unnecessary or even cumbersome in our rapidly changing world, emphasizing efficiency and speed. Consequently, Ghosting (by those doing it!) is possibly considered a time-saving and low-effort method to manage relationships.

So, what’s the best way for businesses to maximize their time and resources? Avoid being Ghosted.

• Transparent Communication

  One approach is to emphasize transparent communication right away. By outlining expectations and developing feedback and discussion channels, companies can cultivate a setting where Ghosting is less likely. We’ve begun incorporating an expiration date to establish a clear deadline when submitting proposals to clients. If there’s no response or confirmation, we consider it submitted and move on.

• That Personal Touch

  Moreover, we ensure our potential clients meet or engage with us. A personal touch could be over coffee, lunch, or a casual greeting. With those located remotely, we schedule a ‘let’s get to know each other’ call where we learn about their family and passion.

• The Three-Strike Policy

  This rule also applies to vendors. In the first month, we monitor their ethics and response times. They get a maximum of three strikes. If we see a trend wherein we always have to follow up for a response, we terminate their service as swiftly as possible. Quick and efficient communication is vital for project success in today’s fast-paced business world. When vendors don’t respond or exhibit a disinterest in maintaining open communication channels, it casts doubt on their professionalism and dependability.

Are there some cookie-cutter responses one could use instead of Ghosting? Yes, indeed, and feel free to copy and paste these for your business use:

• For prospective employees: 

  Thank you for the opportunity! I am humbled to have been considered. I regret that I cannot accept the position. I took up another job. It was a tough decision as both organizations are where I hoped to work one day; unfortunately, they both came at the same time. I want us to stay connected as one never knows when our paths may cross again.

• For clients:

  Thank you for the proposal! After review and internal discussion, we have chosen to halt our activities, and we will not be moving forward at this time. I’ll reevaluate when our budget allows us to invest in a project with you.

• For vendors:

  Sorry! Our team cannot cope with the demand, so our level of service has been impacted. There are several options, but give us another try, and we will not disappoint you. Allow me time to get the service levels back on track, and we will reach out to you as soon as we give you the quality that you deserve.

• When you need more time to respond: 

  Thank you for reaching out. I’ve received your message, and I’m currently looking into the matter. I’ll be sure to provide you with a detailed update by [specific day or time frame]. I appreciate your patience and understanding.

• When you are unable to fulfill a request: 

  I hope this message finds you well. After reviewing your request, I regret to inform you that we cannot accommodate it at this time due to [brief reason, e.g., capacity, policy, etc.]. We value our relationship and want to explore alternative solutions that meet your needs. Let’s schedule a time to discuss this further.

• When you are reviewing multiple proposals: 

  Thank you for submitting your proposal. We are in the process of reviewing all the submissions and will be making a decision by [specific time frame]. We will notify you of the outcome as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience.

• When you are not ready to make a purchase: 

  I appreciate your follow-up. At the moment, we are not ready to proceed with a purchase, but I will keep your information on file for future reference. Please feel free to check in with us again in [time frame].

• When you need to decline an offer: 

  Thank you for the offer. After careful consideration, we have decided not to move forward with it at this time due to [brief reason, e.g., budget constraints, different direction, etc.]. We appreciate the opportunity and will reach out if our situation changes.”

These templates can be adjusted to fit the specific context of the communication, considering the relationship. Personalizing the message to maintain a warm, professional tone is always good. If you have not found a template for your specific situations, reach out to us. We create content and would be happy to draft a response up. Check out our content creator service.

To sum up, various factors contribute to Ghosting’s prevalence – digital disconnection, absence of consequences, avoidance of confrontation, communication overload, and evolving cultural norms. While Ghosting might seem like an easy escape at times, it can produce adverse outcomes for everyone involved. To foster healthier and longer-lasting professional and personal connections, we must reassess our communication habits and aim for more transparent and courteous interactions. Use of a cookie-cutter response is better than no response at all.