Most business owners I meet are crystal clear on what they sell. Fewer are clear on how customers buy. That gap – the difference between selling and buying – explains why so many sales are lost, marketing budgets are wasted, and customers leave frustrated.
Mapping and optimising the customer journey is not a fluffy exercise. It’s one of the most practical tools you can use to increase conversions, improve loyalty, and boost profitability. Yet far too many small and medium-sized businesses make the costly mistake of leaving the journey to chance.
In this article, we’ll explore what the customer journey really is, why it matters, the dangers of neglecting it, and how to fix it.
What is the Customer Journey?
The customer journey is every step a person takes from the moment they become aware of your business until long after they’ve bought from you. It’s not just about the sale; it’s about the experience.
The journey typically moves through five stages:
- Awareness: The customer first discovers you – through ads, referrals, SEO, events, or word of mouth.
- Consideration: They weigh up their options, compare you with competitors, and ask, “Is this right for me?”
- Decision: They choose to buy – or walk away.
- Retention: They return for repeat business if their first experience was good.
- Advocacy: They tell others about you, becoming free marketers for your brand.
Notice how much of this happens before you even know they exist. The customer journey is not controlled by you, but it can be influenced, smoothed, and optimised by you.
Why Mapping the Journey Matters
Businesses that map and refine the journey consistently outperform those that don’t. Why?
- You improve experience: By identifying friction points, you remove confusion and make it easier to buy.
- You boost conversions: A smoother path means more people complete the journey.
- You build loyalty: Consistency across touchpoints makes customers trust you and come back.
- You save money: Marketing spend goes further when prospects don’t get lost along the way.
If you’ve ever spent thousands on ads but seen poor returns, chances are the problem wasn’t the ads – it was the journey afterwards.
The Cost of Getting it Wrong
Neglecting the customer journey shows up in painful ways:
- High website bounce rates because visitors can’t find what they want.
- Customers saying, “I didn’t realise you offered that service.”
- Low repeat business because the follow-up process is weak or non-existent.
- Confused, inconsistent experiences across different channels.
One of my clients had fantastic marketing – plenty of leads coming in. But their checkout process online was so confusing that 60% of people dropped out before paying. That’s not a sales problem. That’s a journey problem.
How to Fix It
Here’s a practical playbook to start:
- Walk in Your Customer’s Shoes
- Pretend you’re a prospect. Google your service, click through your website, fill in your form, try calling your business. How smooth – or clunky – does it feel?
- Map Every Touchpoint
- Write down each stage of the journey from awareness to advocacy. Include ads, phone calls, emails, website forms, delivery, invoicing, and after-sales support.
- Gather Feedback
- Ask your customers. Run short surveys, talk to them directly, and monitor social media comments. They’ll tell you where the pain points are.
- Simplify Transitions
- Make it easy to move from one stage to the next. Reduce form fields, shorten checkout processes, and ensure customer service is visible and accessible.
- Continuously Refine
- Review your journey regularly. Markets and behaviours change, so what worked last year may not work now.
Real-Life Example
A client of mine was struggling with a high drop-off rate on their website. Leads were plentiful, but sales were not. By mapping the journey, we discovered the problem: the checkout had too many steps and customers were abandoning halfway through.
We streamlined the process to three simple steps and added a live chat feature to answer questions in real time. The result? Conversion rates jumped 35% in a month. Customer satisfaction improved. Revenue grew without increasing ad spend.
That’s the power of mapping the journey – it turns wasted opportunity into bottom-line results.
Final Thoughts
Leaving your customer journey to chance is like asking people to navigate a maze instead of giving them a clear path. They’ll give up, turn around, and find someone easier to deal with.
The fix is not complicated. Walk in your customer’s shoes. Map the touchpoints. Listen to feedback. Remove friction. Keep refining.
Your product or service may be excellent, but if the journey to buy it is confusing, you’ll lose business. Don’t let Mistake #11 hold you back. Optimise the journey and you’ll unlock the full potential of your marketing, sales, and customer loyalty.
Call to Action
What’s one friction point you can remove from your customer journey this week? Start small, make it easier, and watch how quickly the results compound.
And if you’d like help mapping and optimising your journey, reach out – I’d be glad to walk through it with you.
Chris Whelan is a business and leadership coach based in the Wellington region, helping small and medium-sized business owners grow profit, build strong teams, and lead with purpose.
Want to connect? Visit www.chriswhelancoaching.com or email me directly at chris@chriswhelancoaching.com.
