How to Fix Your Marketing with One Simple Shift

Here's the truth . Most small business owners are building tactics , not momentum . They're spinning their wheels , making a reel here , writing a blog post there , maybe tossing out a freebie , and none of it connects .

It's like throwing spaghetti at the wall , then cooking another batch of spaghetti and throwing it at the wall too , and without understanding why it's not sticking . I know weird analogy , but bear with me here .

It's really when everything feels scattered and you don't really understand what's going on , it's because your audience is confused , and confused people don't convert . Yep , a confused mind doesn't buy . So let's flip the script . What if , instead of a bunch of disconnected tasks , your marketing became a clear path ?

Every post , email and offer becomes a stepping stone on what I call the Trail to the Sale . But before I jump into this topic , I want to tell you that I have a free guide that will walk you through all the steps . So listen to the very end of the episode and I'll tell you how you can download

that . Okay , so there are eight stages to the Trail to the Sale: Awareness , Consider , Compare , Evaluate , Sell , Supersize , Serve and Send . I know it sounds like a lot , but this is actually based on your customer journey , so it's important to kind of hit all of them . So let me review really quickly what's in each stage .

The awareness stage is where it all begins . Customers discover your business or realize they have a problem that you can help them with . For example , somebody might stumble across your blog post or a social media ad , or your business will appear in a Google search thanks to good SEO . Next is the consideration stage .

This customer starts exploring whether your product or service fits their needs . They might find your podcast , your blog posts and maybe download your freebie . That helps them solve a problem , which is good because you want to get them on their email list here too . But just because they have your freebie doesn't mean they're ready to buy .

They might stay at that point for a while and when they're ready to buy , they'll probably look around a bit . And that brings us to our next stage , the compare stage . The compare stage is where your customer weighs their options and they look at your competitors . This is where your good reviews and testimonials and your website come in handy .

It's also where it really pays off if you have a unique aspect to your product or service that nobody else is replicating . But if they're still not sure you're a good fit , they'll probably move to the next stage , the evaluation stage . This is the point where your customer might want to give you a try with a low-cost offer .

So if you have a trial version , a low-priced product or a discounted version of your product or service , this is the perfect thing for that customer . And then it's on to the sell stage . And then it's on to the sell stage . At this stage , we also look at things like pricing and countering objections , which is huge but an often missed aspect to the sale .

But if all goes well , this is where your customer buys your premier offer from you . But your work isn't done . You don't want to leave money on the table . So then it's on to the supersize stage .

Having an upsell gives you a chance to offer more value to somebody who's already buying , increasing the price of your sale with no additional marketing or cost to you , since they've already got their card out ready to buy , for example , you might offer a complimentary product or service or a slightly different version of your current offer , maybe offering free coaching

or additional services for a small price bump , just like McDonald's used to do when they supersize your meals . But just because the transaction is complete doesn't mean that you are A big part of the sale is the after-sale experience with that customer . I call this the serve stage .

At this stage , you want to impress your customers with your outstanding post-sale service . On average , 60 to 70% of sales come from repeat customers , depending on the industry , so you want that customer to be happy . That might be as simple as a follow-up note , an email or providing them with additional support .

I was in a hotel last week and I got a text asking if everything in my room was acceptable . It was short and simple and probably even automated , but it didn't matter because it was effective . I felt like they cared , like they didn't just take my money and run .

One of the things that a lot of people miss about marketing is that it costs five to seven times more to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one . So this is such an important but overlooked part of the sales journey . And finally , if a customer is happy , we want to send them to the send stage to tell others . In the send stage .

You want to empower your satisfied customers to become your best fans , your advocates . You can encourage them to write a review or share their experience on social media . You could even incentivize them to refer your product or service with a referral gift or an affiliate program .

Now a lot of people call this a sales funnel , but I really feel like the marketing funnel is somewhat obsolete , and here's

why . First , it sounds like customers just fall down into a funnel , but I really feel like the marketing funnel is somewhat obsolete , and here's why . First , it sounds like customers just fall down into a funnel , but in reality , they need to be led down in a very strategic way .

Real people zigzag , they pause , they ghost you and then they come back months later . The Trail to the Sale honors the relationship , not just the transaction . It maps a customer journey that mirrors how humans actually buy , which is a messy , emotional and non-linear way . Second , it focuses on momentum , not manipulation .

Funnels are often optimized for pressure , such as act now or lose out . The trail focuses on building momentum through understanding , value and trust . It's about guiding people , not hurting them . Third , it covers the whole journey , not just the first sale . Most funnels end at the point of sale , but there's more to the process .

The Trail to the Sale includes post-purchase stages , when you serve your customer after the sale and then send them to refer . That's where long-term revenue and loyalty live . You're not just building a one-time buyer , you're creating raving fans . Best of all , it gives strategy to the whole ecosystem .

Instead of just plugging offers into a funnel , you're connecting the dots between your content , email , social media , website and your offers . The Trail to the Sale turns your marketing into a full-on experience , not just a sequence . The genius part of this is that it's built around the customer journey map and it's based on human behavior .

This isn't a fad or an algorithm . Human behavior is fairly predictable . So once you figure out what works for your product and your ideal customer , it takes a lot of the stress and overwhelm away from your marketing . So you're not having to reinvent the wheel all the time . You don't need to do more . You need to do it in order , with intention .

That's how you stop marketing in circles and start creating momentum . So here's your action step . Look at what you're currently doing in your marketing and ask where does this fit in the Trail to the Sale ? What's the next logical step for someone If you can't answer that time ? To rework the flow .

If this made you do a head tilt and think , oh , that's why it hasn't been working , then you're not alone . Let's turn your marketing from random to revenue generating . And the good news this is fixable and I've made it really easy with my free marketing playbook download . Just go to janicehostagercom forward slash trail and you can get it there .

I'll put the link in the show notes for today as well . You can find the show notes at myweeklymarketingcom forward slash 106 . That's 106 . Thanks so much for joining me today . I'll see you next time . Bye for now .