The Forever Client
A show about keeping the clients in your online group program - forever - improving retention and revenue for courses, masterminds, coaching programs and memberships.
Did you know that it costs up to 15 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one? So why do so many entrepreneurs obsess over getting new people?
Imagine waking up in the morning NOT worried about where your next clients are going to come from, because the awesome ones you already have don’t leave!
In each episode, Andrea Ames shares a specific tactic or strategy you can make to keep your paying clients longer, allowing you to spend less time on lead generation, and more time on doing what you love.
The Forever Client
How You’re Losing Clients Seconds After They Hit the Buy Button
Mere seconds after they buy your program, you could already be losing your customers! For many online entrepreneurs, the thank-you page is the first place we begin to ignore our customers. As someone who helps clients design programs every day, I see the gap between the checkout-page Submit button and the Welcome video almost every day. Don’t lose one more customer’s attention before they’ve even started your program – or worse, don't make them feel like they are just a transaction! In this episode, I’m going to give you my top 3 tips for getting intentional with your thank-you page, and show the massive impact it can have on how successful your customers will be!
What many online entrepreneurs don't realize is that mere seconds after buying your program, you could already be losing your customers. For many of us, the thank you page is the first place we begin to ignore them. We don't go out of our way to ignore our customers, but when we're not intentional, that's what happens. When you created your funnel, you probably focused most on your sales and checkout pages. And when you created your program, your content was king. As someone who helps clients design programs every day. And after spending many thousands in programs myself always in evaluate the experience mode because, well, I can't help myself, I see the gap between the checkout-page submit button and the welcome video almost every time. In this episode, I'm going to give you my top three tips for getting intentional with your thank you page and show you the massive impact it can have on how successful your customers will be. Don't lose one more customer's attention before they've even started your program. Or worse. Make them feel like they are just a transaction. And I'm going to share a thank you page technique that not only benefits your customer, but is also a business booster for you. So make sure you stay till the end of the episode for that. Now let's jump in. Did you know that it costs up to 15 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one? So why are entrepreneurs overly obsessed with getting new people when increasing retention in your online group program is so much more profitable? Imagine waking up in the morning, not worried about where your next clients are going to come from because the awesome ones you already have don't leave. Welcome to the forever client with Andrea Ames. Welcome to episode number one of the forever client. I'm Andrea Ames, customer success, coach and retention strategist to the stars. And I'm excited to be sharing this new podcast with you. Whoo hoo! Imagine buying something in a brick and mortar store where a sales person takes your money, puts a receipt on the counter, and disappears without a word. Not even saying thank you. You probably wouldn't feel very appreciated. This is the in-person experience I see played out so often in the online sales process. I buy something. I get a thank you page with a receipt on it. It might say, thank you. Then it's up to me to figure out what to do next. Your thank you page is the first opportunity to ignore or engage your customer. And I know you want to engage them. So let's get to those tips for getting intentional with your thank you page. First tip for getting intentional with your thank you page: Congratulate them. Tell them why this was an amazing decision for them. Remind them that they've taken the first step toward your program promise. For example. On my buyers to besties workshop. Thank you page. You'll see. Congrats. You're in for buyers to besties. You're now one step closer to creating a wow experience that hooks your clients into your program from day one. Buyer's remorse can kick in pretty quickly when we're unsure, reinforce right away, why they made the right decision to join your program. Tip number two to design an intentional thank you page. Give them something to do. Immediately. You've got their attention. In fact, you might never have their attention quite this fully again. Leverage that attention to get them into action and get their momentum going. Give them three things to do and no more than three things. Prioritize and give them the most important things. Like maybe you want them to look for read and take actions in some emails that are going to come to them. Like your confirmation email, or a portal login, email. Maybe you want them to log into the portal directly from your thank you page, or maybe you want them to join your asynchronous community. On my besties workshop page, I asked my new customers to watch a quick video and let me know what they're most excited about for the workshop. Select the day in time they want to attend the live workshop. And look for my congratulations email, just three things. And that video and the scheduling widget are both embedded right in the thank you page. Third tip for your intentionally engaging. Thank you page. Give them a safety net. Put the three actions on the thank you page. And provide all the information and actions on that page in the confirmation email as well. Then tell them on the thank you page. That everything will also be in the email. You've got their back. Back to my besties. Thank you page. Just before the three actions I asked them to take, I say, Be sure to read this whole page for your next steps. Don't worry if you can't do it all here and now you'll get all of these links and instructions in the congratulations. Email that I am sending. I've got their back. I really hate it when I'm on my phone. I see something cool. in a Facebook ad. I go by it. And then I see a whole bunch of stuff I'm supposed to do on the thank you page. From my phone. I want to go back to my computer to do all the things, but I get really anxious that I'm never going to have the opportunity again. I might never find that page again. Save your customers that anxiety. So add these engaging design touches to your thank you page. As soon as possible so that your very next customer feels appreciated and supported and gets into action right away. And I want to give you that business boosting thank you. Page technique. I mentioned earlier in just a minute. First here's a quick recap of your engaging. Thank you. Page tips. Number one, congratulate them. Number two. Get them into action right away and give them three actions to take. But no more than three. And number three, provide the email safety net and be sure to tell them on your thank you page to show them that you've got their back. Your thank you page is the first step of your programs, customer onboarding experience, but onboarding goes way beyond the thank you page. In fact, I have a tool I call the outstanding onboarding checklist. That has four key areas to focus on to improve your customer onboarding. The thank you page is just one of those areas. The checklist, which is part of the framework I use with my one-on-one consulting and coaching clients covers all the areas you'll want to consider. To take your customers from the thank you page. All the way to their first quick result. I really want you to download it. Because so many business owners get stuck in the day to day. And end up ignoring retention for years. I don't want you to be one of those people who looks back in three to five years. Only to count the customers you lost and the money you left on the table. All while working so much harder than you needed to. Grab it right now. The forever client.com/onboard. It's my outstanding onboarding checklist. By the way, if you're driving, you can find the link in the show notes, but if you can go to this URL right now, The forever client.com/onboard. If you sell online programs. Here's something to add to your thank you page. As soon as you possibly can. All of the tips in today's episode are focused on getting your customer momentum. And letting them know that you've got their back and that's great. Now let's talk about what you and your business can get out of your thank you page. One of the three actions I always recommend for a thank you page. Is to include a link to a very short intake questionnaire. Don't put that off into your confirmation email or until they've logged into your content platform. From a link right on your thank you page. They answer three quick questions and they're on their way. Ask the right questions. And you get insights about what your new folks want from your program. You can also get them to tell you why they joined and what the impact will be on their life. Their business. Whatever your program is about. When they achieved the transformation, your program promises. Not only is all of this super valuable input to your program design. But the why? And the impact is priceless. Social proof. Share it as part of your program promotion. And others who relate to those ideas. Are more likely to jump on board. I cover this tip and much more in my outstanding onboarding checklist, which you can get@theforeverclient.com. Slash onboard.