We Know About the Customer Experience—What About the Prospect Experience?
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In my book, The Power of Differentiation, I explore the critical role of the customer experience and how customers don’t distinguish between their experience and the brand itself. The two can become one and the same. That means a poor experience can tarnish the entire brand and potentially cost you the customer forever.
But what about the prospect experience? I’m referring to how potential customers are treated before they make a purchase.
This is more important than ever. A recent PricewaterhouseCoopers customer experience survey found that loyalty often begins long before the first click or store visit. In other words, the prospect experience is not the warm-up act—it can mark the beginning of the relationship.
Even before a prospect sets foot in your offices or stores, or decides to buy your offerings, they will judge you based on a number of factors, including your website, your response time, and even your style, in order to determine if you have differentiated yourself from competitors.
Here’s a true story of a prospect experience that resulted in one company winning and two losing.
My wife and I were shopping for a new financial advisory firm, so we turned to our trusted accountant and lawyer for recommendations. They suggested three companies and emailed each one to see if they were interested. All three responded immediately.
I then emailed each firm a questionnaire and asked them to complete it. Two responded that they would have it back to me within 24 hours—even though the next day was a Saturday. Impressive. The third asked if responding the following Tuesday was acceptable. I told him, “Do what you want.”
The next day, firms one and two responded with thoughtful and thorough answers, so I spent the weekend reviewing them. On Sunday evening, I reached out to schedule meetings with them for Monday or Tuesday. Both chose Tuesday.
Then, on Tuesday, the third firm responded with their completed questionnaire. I scheduled a meeting with them later that day as well. They sent a 30-minute invite, while the other two had sent us full-hour invites. Interesting.
Up to this point, all three firms offered essentially the same products at similar fees. But this is where the prospect experience really revealed itself, and where differentiation, in this case, had little to do with the products or price.
The first firm presented professionally and proactively offered two references they said were ready to speak with us. The next was a stodgy firm that was professional but did not want to provide references. They said, “Talk with your accountant and lawyer. They know best.” Based on their style (mostly) and response, we disqualified them.
The third firm (the one that waited until Tuesday to respond) was friendly, but as the conversation progressed, it became obvious their firm was in the middle of a leadership transition. They, like firm number two, preferred not to share references and also suggested we speak with our accountant. When we asked what it was like to work with the firm, the leader proudly stated he “didn’t like conflict.”
After the meeting, my wife asked what I thought about that comment. I told her I didn’t like it because there are times when conflict is necessary in order to make progress or solve issues. Still, she felt a little more comfortable with that firm, and at this point, we assumed they would be our choice. But our prospect experience was not quite over yet.
We decided to make our decision the next day.
Early that morning, I spoke with our accountant and told him we were leaning toward the third firm. He said they were good and admitted that the first firm could be a little irritating because they sometimes questioned or challenged items in the tax returns. But he conceded, “Two heads are better than one.”
I then spoke with a reference from the first firm, and she shared something that stuck with me. She said she loved working with them because they were able to spot errors, or at least question the tax returns or legal recommendations being made on her behalf.
That resonated with me because it was essentially the same thing our accountant had told me (only he shared it from his point of view). That first firm was willing to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions, and create a little friction when it served their client’s best interests. That was a striking contrast to the third firm’s leader, who had proudly said he “didn’t like conflict.”
This prospect experience illuminated a lot. Two firms worked over the weekend; one didn’t. One anticipated that a reference would be valuable and did the homework; two didn’t. One was willing to be “bothersome” on the client’s behalf; another avoided it.
In only four business days, we learned everything we needed to make an informed decision and ultimately chose the first firm. The deciding factor was the prospect experience we received.
Difference-Maker #1: How you are treated as a prospect is a strong indicator of the customer experience after the sale.
The fast response and willingness to answer an email after hours showed sincere interest. Sometimes waiting until tomorrow or when it’s convenient isn’t in the customer’s best interest. Research has long shown the importance of responding promptly to prospect inquiries. According to Harvard Business Review, most companies do not respond to online leads fast enough.
Difference-Maker #2: Listening between the lines is most revealing.
Sure, if you’re given a reference, it will be of a satisfied customer. But that’s not the value. The value is listening for the little things—the surprises—that give you a true idea of what may be in store for you.
Difference-Maker #3: Conflict avoidance is job avoidance.
Most customers looking for help need more than an order taker or a cheerful voice; they need an advocate. That’s what my wife and I needed: someone willing to do what it takes to protect us. It’s easy to glorify being the “nice person” who never creates a stir, but discerning customers will need a partner willing to create discomfort to serve them better.
Difference-Maker #4: Your website can make a difference—or none at all.
In this case, each company looked similar to the next. None stood out or resonated with us. That was fortunate for the firm we chose, because if one of the others had stood out, it likely would have swayed us. Rather than focusing first on getting customers to view your site, start with your message (and the experience you deliver) and how it distinguishes your company from competitors.
The customer experience after a sale matters, but your prospect experience determines whether or not a sale happens in the first place.
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