Here’s a roadmap for turning casual buyers into raving fans who buy everything you sell and refer everyone they know.
When bad customer experiences are the industry norm, it’s hard to picture what a delightful experience looks like. Here are 5 elements of an amazing CX that boosts KPI’s, profit margins, and customer success.
Reading time: 12 minutes
Here’s what we’re discussing in this post:
- how to fill your business with brand champions (people who buy everything you sell and refer everyone they know)
- optimized Thank You/order confirmation pages
- automated onboarding process
- clear navigation through the customer journey
- nurture sequences (it’s not just email!)
- customer service automations
- bonus elements of an amazing CX
- how to turn these ideas into results
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After designing and building unique client/customer experiences for different brands in different industries, the number one thing we’ve learned is this ~ raving fans (or as we like to call them, brand champions) aren’t a special type of person your brand can attract.
Brand champions are CREATED by the experience people have after paying you.
Even the most motivated person won’t feel like finishing your offer (or leaving a positive review) if the experience left them unsatisfied.
Meanwhile, the shyest introverts will publicly gush about your brand if they have an amazing experience!
Your buyer’s experience starts the moment they share their payment info, and continues until they’re telling all their friends about your brand and buying from you again (and again.)
Your brand’s ability to get 5-star reviews, client testimonials, UGC, repeat sales, referrals, and raving fans happens inside your client/customer experience (we’ll call it CX or just “experience” from this point on.)
Same goes with your refund requests, customer service requests, “headache” clients, and bad reviews. These things are caused by a frustrating experience that doesn’t deliver on what the sales page promised.
The good news is ~ a bad customer experience can be fixed and a meh experience can be improved.
And an amazing CX leads to bigger results across all your KPI’s, including profit margins.
In this article, I’ll share a list of ways we create amazing experiences. But here’s the thing ~ you don’t need ALL of these things to turn casual buyers into raving fans.
Each offer, audience, and brand are unique, so it makes sense that every CX would be just as unique.
But I at least want to hand you a map of “roadside attractions” you can build into your CX that will improve your results.
Optimized Thank You/Order Confirmation Pages Are The #1 Element Of An Amazing CX
Every CX package and strategy we’ve ever created has included improvements for the first page buyers see immediately after they complete their purchase.
Why? Because it has the biggest impact on whether your buyer actually uses the thing they just bought, asks for a refund, or turns into a superfan that jumps at the chance to buy from you again.
95% of all the Thank You/order confirmation pages I’ve ever seen have been wasted real estate that chases new leads away instead of bonding with them and bringing them closer.
I could go on for hours on this one topic alone, but I’ve already published whole blog posts and podcast episodes on it, so I’ll keep this brief. (For example: The moment that boosts retention & referrals, 3 Thank You page optimizations, and Is your sales page breaking trust after the sale? to name a few….)
If the page your new lead sees after paying you (or signing up for a freebie) says things like, “check your inbox for next steps” or “join the Facebook group” then you’re chasing them away to a place that’s filled with messages from your competitors.
In many cases, the inbox (or social media channel) is a source of overwhelm, guilt, or stress for your new lead. (Unopened emails and notifications, family and friends they’ve been neglecting, reminders of all the things on their to-do list they haven’t had time for…)
You’re expecting a lot from them when you tell them to go away and find your email/group somewhere else. Often times they’ll get distracted along the way or simply put it off until later (and then forget about it.)
FACT: Just because they paid for it, doesn’t mean they’ll keep it top of mind and follow through with it! In this world of nonstop news and notifications, they might be paying you to provide the motivation and reminders to take action and solve this problem!
Instead, use the Thank You/Order Confirmation page to bring them closer.
They literally paid to see what’s beyond the paywall. Make it an experience!
Give them something meaningful to do right away that will give them a quick win in the first 5 minutes. Make them feel like they’re already getting a return on their investment before they leave the page. (More on this in the next section…)
And yes, this is possible with order confirmation pages for physical products too!
Getting a return on investment doesn’t always mean getting the thing they just bought. It might involve giving them some small result in the emotional reasons they bought this product.
Or helping them prepare for its arrival on their doorstep so they can get better results right away (and feel like they’ve already started using it because they’re getting specific about how they’ll use it.)
An Automated Onboarding Process
This can start on the Thank You page and continue through the first hour, first day, first week, and beyond.
The onboarding process ensures your new customer or client is guided down a path that helps them use the thing they just bought, get results, fall in love with your brand, and get excited to buy from you again.
One of my favorite ways to start the onboarding process is to open a dialogue on the Thank You page and learn more about their needs, hopes, or reasons for buying.
Yep, we’re still on the Thank You page. THAT’S how much this single page can do to bond with your new buyer and have them falling in love with buying from you!
You can use video, a survey, a quiz, an embedded social media post, or any other format that matches what they just bought (or signed up for.)
Ask them to respond by recording themselves talking, filling out a form, leaving a comment, or some other form of engagement.
Giving them opportunities to engage with you/your brand right away makes it more likely that they’ll engage and participate throughout their experience with your brand.
That means, they’re more likely to participate in your customer communities, comment on your social media posts, tag you in their own posts, create UGC, positive reviews, and defend your brand against haters!
The next thing I like to deliver right there on the Thank You/Order Confirmation page (based on years of experience and client data) is a “quick win” that’s related to what they just bought.
Usually this looks like giving them a quick taste of the success they signed up for. Whether that means pushing play on the first video/audio right there on the page, showing them how to think about the problem differently, giving them a quick exercise they can do right away, or anything else that helps them see an immediate result related to what the sales page promised.
This one sounds harder than it is!
Just ask yourself, “what can this person do right now, that will feel like a mini success within the next 1-5 minutes?” And make sure it’s related to what they just bought.
If you’re not sure what to use, read through your sales page and look for the promises it makes (implied and clearly spelled out) and try to turn one into a quick win.
Getting an immediate result ~ no matter how big or small ~ makes them feel like they’ve already started to see a return on their investment.
Which means it short circuits the desire to ask for a refund and makes them more excited to keep going and see what other results they can get with this thing they just bought.
And yes, you can do this with physical products too!
Virtually no one buys a physical product without an emotional reason. They want to look a certain way because they want to feel a certain way. Or, they’re buying this product to organize a tangled mess in their life which means it will continue to be a source of stress until the product arrives. So think about how you can help them feel some relief right away!
Give them a quick exercise or tip that will make them feel that feeling while they wait for the product to hit their doorstep.
Why do I keep spending so much time on the Thank You page and the first 5 minutes after the sale? Press play to find out:
And, keep reading to find out what an amazing CX does after the first few minutes.
Beyond The Thank You Page
Ok, let’s move past the first page and the first 5 minutes after they completed their purchase.
Depending on what software you use, you can deliver an automated experience that feels delightful and personalized. And trust me, even the most beginner business with only a payment processor has at least some automation options!
Your automated onboarding process might send the contract over for them to sign (even if it’s 2am in your time zone and you’re sleeping peacefully.) Or it might instantly add them to your community so they can start engaging right away (without waiting for someone to let them in.)
It can include emails, onboarding wizards, and/or an interactive chat bot that will show them how to start using the thing they just bought and answer questions along the way. (We’ll talk more about automated customer service options in just a moment.)
In the first week after their purchase, you might send them emails to highlight different features or options available and spotlight the success other users have had with the product/service.
If they stop logging in or get stuck somewhere, you might have automations that nudge the to return with reminders of where they left off and what’s ahead.
Automations can also show up in front of your new buyer at the perfect moment to inspire a positive review, UGC, social media shoutout, referral, and so much more! (Keep reading for the “even more examples” section that goes into more detail.)
Automations should be used to send celebratory messages when they complete milestones, certificates of completion when they finish (if applicable), and add them to a nurture sequence that will prepare them to buy the next thing.
A beginner business might have only one automation option available: to redirect the customer/client to a specific URL after payment is completed. If that’s the case, make sure your Thank You page creates a delightful experience!
A more sophisticated business might use its sales funnel software to create a whole funnel after the sale that guides them through the process of opening the product/service, using it, get results, celebrate their wins, rave about it on social media, leave a 5-star review, refer others, and jump at the chance to buy the next thing.
There’s no specific number of touchpoints or “elements” your post-sale experience needs. If you can delight a buyer and turn them into a brand champion with only 3 touchpoints, then stick to 3. If it takes 13 touchpoints, then don’t stop at 12!
Clear Navigation Through The Customer Journey
I think this is a major blindspot for business owners. Many are so used to the platforms they use that the navigation seems obvious. But to a brand new user, it might be as clear as mud!
Give them too many choices or possible paths and they’ll feel lost, confused, and frustrated. And it’s reeeeeeally hard to rewrite that story once they’ve lived it. In their mind, your offer will always be the one that was hard to navigate.
Instead, clear the path. Make it obvious and then keep repeating and reinforcing how to get from “just paid” to “step 1.” Then make it easy to find the path from step 1 to step 2. And so on.
Once you have a clear path, set up milestone checkpoints so they recognize their achievements and take a moment to celebrate them.
Help them recognize their wins, and the results they’re getting, so it’s clear to them that they’re getting their money’s worth.
It also helps them attribute their successes to buying your offer. Which makes it more likely that they’ll rave about your brand in public spaces, mention your name when people ask for recommendations, and publish positive reviews without being asked.
And, as noted above, all of this can be automated. Create a clear path and then gently nudge them any time they fall off it or disappear.
Leave signposts at the right spots along the path so they share their wins, leave a review, or take the next step.
Instead of presenting them with 4 to-do’s at the end (fill out a survey, leave a review, buy the next thing, and refer a friend), sprinkle each activity along the path at the point when they’ll feel the most inspired to do so. When it feels natural and rewarding to do so.
That way there’s only ever 2 choices ~ do the thing or don’t.
At the end, there’s only 2 choices ~ buy the next thing or don’t.
You’ll get more YES’s at each intersection this way!
An Amazing CX Includes Amazing Nurture Sequences
Another area I see a lot of businesses mess up is relying on email for all communication.
To the point that most email nurture sequences have become formulaic, predictable, and easier to ignore than to open and engage with.
Instead, use a mixture of emails, text messages, social media DMs, targeted ads, posts in your customer community and/or social media to keep reminding them of their purchase, the reasons they purchased, the results they want, and the way this offer helps them get those results. (Again, you don’t have to do ALL of these things! But also don’t put all your eggs into an email inbox.)
Use multiple channels to help motivate them to keep going, celebrate their wins, see how others are using the offer and getting results, and warming them up for whatever is next.
And if the thought of using more than one channel for communicating with your customers sounds like a huge pain in the ass for you ~ it might be time to consider using a CRM tool that makes it easy.
For example, in Fern CRM, you can see and respond to ALL incoming messages from one inbox. And when you respond to a message, it’s delivered via the same channel the original incoming message came from. So, on your side, it feels like you’re just responding to emails in the order you received them. But if the message came from Instagram DM’s, your response shows up in their Instagram DM inbox. If their message came via text message, your response is sent via text. And so on.
Omnichannel engagement can be easy if you let it!
Nurture Better
Nurture sequences aren’t just about leading them to the next sale. They’re also for helping them finish this offer so they’re ready for more. It’s about helping them recognize how this purchase is helping them get results. And, in some cases, being ready for the next offer.
And “nurture” can mean showing them how others are using the offer to get results (to inspire them to try it again and get their own results.)
It can mean showing them how to get unstuck from the spot where they stopped using it (to make it easier to pick up where they left off.)
It can mean keeping in touch with them over months or years in a way that feels comforting and supportive so they line up to buy again when they’re finally ready for the next step. (Because everyone is solving this problem at their own pace.)
And sometimes it means giving them the tools to earn loyalty rewards and/or refer you to others (because sometimes they’re ready to share before they’re ready to buy again.)
Nurturing can also mean staying top of mind in a way that feels good (not salesy) so they fall deeper in love with your brand even when they aren’t actively tackling the problem your offer solves. (Or showing them which other problems your other offers solve.)
When in doubt, ask yourself, “Does this message help them and will they see it as valuable to them? Or does it help me and feel valuable to me?” Ideally it should be both. But it’s more important that it helps them and feels valuable to them.
Focus on impact first and the income will follow.
Customer Service Automations Help People Help Themselves
Want to reduce the number of hours you’re paying a customer service team to answer questions? Or reduce the number of times you feel like pulling your hair out because you feel like you’ve already answered that question 4 times for the same client?
You might be ready to add more self-help or automated customer service options.
AND, in case you haven’t encountered this before ~ automated customer service options can be fun for the customer to engage with!
One example (of many) ~ chatbots get a lot of disdain because most brands use them badly, but we’ve helped clients create some that users love to engage with. They know they’re interacting with a bot and they don’t care because the bot has unique flair and helps them get the answers they’re looking for.
Wikis and knowledge bases and help docs might be less “fun” but humans love them because they like discovering answers for themselves. Finding our own answers makes us feel smarter and less indebted to someone else.
These days, a lot of people don’t actually want to engage with a human to get help with their problem until they’ve exhausted the self-help section.
But you don’t have to take humans out of the help equation entirely! Customer communities are another great source of help 24/7. Humans naturally love helping each other and showing off their knowledge on a topic. So giving your buyers access to each other can drastically reduce your stress and expenses. (There’s also the risk of too much misinformation being shared by people who don’t know enough about your offers, so this option works better for certain businesses than others.)
Helping your customers/clients help themselves as much as possible right from the beginning also reduces refund requests, churn, bad reviews, and customer service hours.
Even More Examples Of A Delightful Buyer Experience
Honestly, this is just the tip of the CX iceberg! There’s so much more you can do to provide an amazing buyer experience that turns casual shoppers into die-hard raving fans and repeat buyers.
Things like:
~ engagement campaigns that inspire customers to leave honest, organic comments about their experiences and results on social media ads that sell the offer
~ waiting list nurture experiences to keep existing customers warmed up and excited for the next launch. Having an early bird or pre-launch nurture sequence helps fast action takers know that something is coming and helps slow action takers get used to the idea so they’re ready to buy when it launches. These sequences sometimes include waitlist-exclusive bonuses and resources for those who want to be an affiliate when the offer is launched publicly.
~ web pages, surveys, wizards, and more to help customers tackle a complex process in a way that feels less overwhelming so they actually do the thing and see the results.
~ community engagement campaigns to help customers connect with each other and help each other out.
~ cause marketing right there on the Thank You page. If your brand donates part of each sale to charity or reduces pollution with every sale, you can use the Thank You page to show your buyer the impact of their purchase and introduce them to other ways they can help.
There are sooooooo many more examples I want to share, but hopefully this post has sparked ideas for you and helped you to see what’s possible.
We have other posts that go into greater detail, if you’re interested. But first, let’s talk about how to turn these ideas into bigger impact, income, and influence for YOUR business.
How To Turn These Ideas Into Results
When bad customer experiences are the industry norm, it’s hard to picture what a delightful experience looks like.
If you want expert help with how to create the most amazing, on-brand experience that helps your buyers fall in love with buying from you, check out our CX Starter Kit. It’s the fastest, most inexpensive way to dip your toes in and test the waters without a big commitment.
It’s the ideal next step for DIY, done-with-you, or done-for-you help because it will give you a clear picture of what you need to improve your current system. Learn more here: CX Starter Kit
If you’re a numbers guy/gal and want to learn more about the signs and symptoms that show up in your data (before asking us for help), sign up for our free email list and we’ll show you exactly what to look for, where it shows up, and what it means.
And no matter what you do next ~ document your results. Keep track of how often people rave about your brand on social media, leave positive reviews, refer others, and buy from you again. These are key KPI’s for how delightful your post-sale experiences are.
Especially referrals. If you get rave reviews but not a lot of referrals, it’s a sign that people love the results they eventually get from you, but don’t want to refer others because the experience has too much friction before the results are delivered. (I did a whole podcast episode on this, which you can read or listen to here: “How To Boost Referrals By Fixing The Leaks In Your Client Experience”
Key Takeaways
✅ You don’t need ALL the elements listed here to create a delightful experience that has your buyers falling in love with your brand and excited to buy from you again.
✅ Start with the first page they see after they pay (your Thank You/Order Confirmation page) because it has the biggest impact with the least amount of time or effort. Every amazing CX has an amazing Thank You page. Full stop.
✅ Then put yourself in your buyer’s shoes and go through the journey yourself. Try to see it the way they see it, without knowing what else is up ahead, waiting for them, if they keep going. Ask yourself again and again, “Is this designed to help my buyer get results? Or is this designed to boost the business’ bottom line?” If it’s the latter, then it probably needs to be shifted to support your buyer more.
✅ Ruthlessly clear the path your new buyer takes from each step to the next step so they don’t get lost along the way. Check your data often to see where they stop, get stuck, disappear, or DNF.
✅ Watch out for anything that feels or appears formulaic. Copying what other businesses have done (or following a template) makes it harder to delight & easier to ignore. ESPECIALLY in email subject lines and even how often a new person receives emails from you after signing up or buying something.
✅ Document your stats before and after making changes to see how much of a difference it makes. Don’t forget to track how often people rave about your brand on social media, leave positive reviews, refer others, and buy from you again!
➡️ If it feels like too much time, effort, or energy to figure out on your own, get in touch! We have a fast, affordable service to help you identify which areas need improvement and exactly what changes to make. You don’t need to settle for a meh CX when we can quickly help you create an amazing CX! It’s called the CX Starter Kit and you can learn more here: CX Starter Kit
