LOGO board members at Google in Munich
And it’s also about the customer journey, a typical CRM topic.
Jörg Veit and I would like to know what Google has to say about it.
There are so many interested parties in the Google future workshop that it gets really crowded.
On the topic of the customer journey, we learn that it has changed dramatically. Also in the B2B sector, although much more so in B2C.
In fact, we also experience that prospects who call us or fill out our contact form on the website and ask for a webinar are already very well informed.
Statistics that are quoted show that today, before a purchase decision is made, on the one hand, numerous competing products are checked and that the prospective customer also already knows quite a bit about prices and services.
A large part of the customer journey is therefore already behind him before he has direct contact with an employee of the supplier for the first time.
This means that sales strategies have to change considerably compared to the past. Much of what used to be explained in an initial conversation is now already known to the caller.
It has become really important to understand the previous steps of the customer journey. One of the first questions I ask is: How did you find us?
Via web research, recommendation or do you already know our product from your own experience?
If CRM is used well, this information can be read there later.
In the talk, Google shows how you can use Google Analytics to measure where the person visiting a website is coming from. And you can record what they did before they decided to make a purchase.
Again, this is more relevant in B2C and web shops than in B2B, and especially in logistics, which is where our clients come from.
But more and more, logistics services are also being booked via web portals, and that’s where it becomes interesting to see how customers were directed to the site.
It is fascinating to see how you can statistically evaluate the different stages of the customer journey and the conversion rates depending on the origin of the click.
This event was, of course, also about how to increase sales and brand presence with SEO and SEA.
Google itself and numerous service providers help to track the right clicks with tracking cookies and place suitable advertisements on various pages.
And of course this doesn’t just apply to the shoes you (sorry, woman) last looked at at Zalando, but also to the software products or services you read up on.
Unfortunately, products that have already been purchased are still being advertised. So there is still room for improvement.
I’m always amused by the fact that CRM advertisements appear on my screen.
I can tell you: I already have one, I’m already using one and I’m not going to buy another one …