You already know that you have good clients, bread ‘n butter clients, and pain in the neck (or some other body part) clients.
But no matter what type of business you are in or what goods or services you offer, all of the people with whom you interact are really consumers on some stage of their developmental journey that hopefully leads to a long, happy relationship with you.
Your job is to be the Sherpa, with the task of leading, herding, cajoling, inspiring, and enticing them to continue along the path.
The Five Levels of People Who Will Spend Money with You
Consumers.
At the start of the journey, you will find all the consumers with whom you may or may not ever interact. Perhaps the consumer will contact you. Maybe someone will send him or her to you or your marketing efforts will attract the consumer. If the consumer gets to you, you still don’t know if he or she will buy or even to what degree he or she will permit you to have a relationship with him. But the great thing about consumers is that they always have potential. Consumers may someday (perhaps even today) buy your services or goods. Consumers are the pool where you and all of your competitors must fish and you must be very careful not to ever contaminate that pool.
Shoppers.
Most consultants, entrepreneurs, and small business people don’t refer to their clients as “shoppers”. But even though these more advanced consumers won’t be pushing a grocery cart through your office, shoppers are consumers who have come far enough down the path to engage with you on some level. A shopper has requested a brochure or sent you an email. She has asked for a proposal or has been to your presentation. A shopper has come far enough into your life as to be “browsing” your merchandise.
Customers.
Ca-ching! A customer has transacted business with you and paid you for what you provided. He or she may never be back, but then again … if you treated him right … perhaps you can lead the customer further along the journey.
Clients.
Okay! Now you are getting somewhere. A client recognizes you as the source for the product or service you offer. A client may not be loyal for life, but at this stage, you have a relationship with the client that causes him or her to think of you first when it comes to your specialty or niche. Clients can be stolen; sometimes they wander on their own. But as long as you provide the best quality at the right price, your client WILL BE BACK.
Promoters.
As a Sherpa, when you have successfully led your consumers to the top of a Himalayan mountain peak and you have safely led them back home, they have experienced the summit of their journey. They have moved past all the other stages, consumer, shopper, customer, and client. A promoter brings all his business to you without considering anyone else and a promoter acts as your unpaid marketing arm. He or she brings in other people, so that you may help them on their journey leading them from the confusion and time-wasting state of being a consumer to being a confident promoter who knows that he does not have to think about how he will get his problem solved, but instead can go to sleep at night knowing that when the need arises in his life again for the service you offer, he doesn’t have to think, hunt, comparison shop, or flounder in pool with the other fish. You are his or her solution because all consumers want to become promoters.
