5 Surprises We Found Journey Mapping for Clients
AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising has led journey mapping and sales funnel exercises for healthcare, education, nonprofit and B2B clients. We’ve noticed a few trends that surprised us as we conducted our journey mapping sessions.
Developing a comprehensive journey map can be rigorous work, but it is an enlightening, creative tool to broadly understand your customers’, patients’, donors’ moments of truth.
1. Fundamental sales processes are not always shared by team members
We are always a little surprised that team members are not aware of fundamental sales components necessary to complete a sale, attract a patient or entice a student to attend a college. The touch-points, or as Google calls it “moments of truth,” are siloed and poorly understood by others who could enhance or optimize touchpoints for the good of the organization.
2. Inefficient touchpoints or processes are identified and eliminated
One of the most satisfying parts of running a journey map process is when there are “aha” moments around unproductive touchpoints. It usually starts with a question, “Why do we do that?” And can end with, “Let’s invest in some other critical touchpoint.”
3. There are large communication gaps in the sales funnel
By doing a visual journey map, you can quickly see where large communication gaps exist. The prospect is waiting for information, but the next touchpoint doesn’t come or is so late interest is lost.
4. Empathy is built from the customer’s perspective
A truly surprising twist of perspective comes during the journey map process—a true empathy seems to build for the prospective patient, client, donor or student. Walking a few miles in the customer’s shoes forces us to look outside-in rather than inside-out. It’s a new perspective that will yield results.
5. Most are relying on luck to play a large part in the sales process
We all appreciate lucky moments in the sales process, but some organizations seem to be only built on luck and hope. Unfortunately, neither is a strategy. Proactive, strategic approaches work best and become luckier and luckier.
To discover what you can learn about your sales process through journey mapping, connect with a marketing research specialist at AMPERAGE Marketing & Fundraising today.
Erin Bishop
As AMPERAGE vice president of strategy, it is not surprising one of Erin Bishop's strengths in Gallup's StrengthsFinder (now called CliftonStrengths) is "Strategic." Erin leads the account services team, research, brand development, marketing planning and strategy departments at AMPERAGE Marketing and Fundraising. Erin received her undergraduate degree from Wartburg College in Communication Arts and Public Relations. Prior to joining the AMPERAGE team, Erin worked for Strategic Marketing Services, a research organization on the University of Northern Iowa campus. Erin actively engages with nearly all AMPERAGE valued clients. Her research and strategy skills have predominantly been utilized in healthcare marketing, including work for Memorial Health System in Florida, Mercy Medical Center in Iowa, Upland Hills Health in Wisconsin and IowaHealth+. She has presented at numerous conferences, including Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations & Marketing Society (WHPRMS), Iowa Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (ISHMPR) and the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR District 5). As a community leader and volunteer, Erin's passions are primarily in her children's schools (including escorting a group of Cedar Falls Aldrich Elementary 5th graders on a bus trip to the Iowa Capitol). However, Erin has found time to be a board member of Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, a Grow Cedar Valley Ambassador and a member of Cedar Valley Women Connect (Cedar Valley branch of Women Lead Change). If you need to identify your organization's strengths and move the needle, Erin is your strategist.
