When a customer interacts with a brand, product, or service and forms an opinion—good or bad—about it, in marketing, that’s called a Moment of Truth.
It was a concept introduced by Swedish businessman Jan Carlzon and further developed by G. Lafley of Procter & Gamble, companies like Google and eventricity, and more recently, Amit Sharma, CEO and Founder of Narvar.
It’s important that salespeople understand what happens in these Moments of Truth (MoT). It’s these customer interactions that make or break a business, and for salespeople, they can make or break a deal.
Using the MoT analysis can help improve sales performance.
To date, there are six Moments of Truth. Analyzing each moment in your selling process can give you actionable insights to make every moment “magical.”
Here are the things you can do within each moment to make sure your sales team is prepared to create positive Moments of Truth:
- It’s good to be aware when this event or stimulus (that necessitates the research for a product or service) in the buyer’s life happens. Always keep tabs on events in your prospects’ businesses—whether that’s opening a new branch, launching a new product, creating a new department, etc.—so you can see where your product or service fits into them. And who says you have to wait for them to contact you?
2. Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT): It refers to the moment in the buying process when the consumer researches a product prior to purchase.
- Make sure your brand is searchable. Invest in digital marketing, whether that means online advertising, social media marketing, blogging, SEO, and SEM, etc.
- Make sure your website and the whole business, including all transactions, are mobile-compatible and user-friendly. Studies show that the number of mobile phone internet users in the United States is estimated to increase from 237 million in 2017 to 275 million by 2022. And that the mobile-only audience will grow to 55.7 million (nearly 19%) by 2022. More and more people will stop using desktop in favor of mobile in the near future.
- Be relevant. You can have all the digital tools and tricks but if you have nothing relevant to say when you show up in a buyer’s search, they won’t matter. Make sure all brand content (on the website, social media accounts, sales presentations, etc.) is updated and highlights the values your product or service offers.
- Study your target market’s keywords. What are they searching for and how can you maximize your own content to make sure you show up in their search?
3. First Moment of Truth: The very first instance your buyer or client comes in contact with your product or service. They learn more about it and form a first impression.
- As this is the point where a prospect decides if he will make the purchase, consider it a critical period that you should focus a lot of your efforts on.
- Sales and marketing alignment is also very important at this stage. Make sure that the first touchpoint— a meeting with a sales representative for an initial presentation, a visit to your store to see actual product, a visit to your website, a social media post, an ad campaign, etc.—creates a great first impression.
- When meeting with a client for the first time, make sure to come prepared with intel on their business and what they need. Be ready to answer all their questions.
- Make sure customer service is prepared and competent to address all customer concerns.
4. Second Moment of Truth: The Second Moment of Truth is when the consumer becomes a real buyer. He purchases the product or service and experiences your product or service. What he sees, feels, thinks, hears, smells, or taste will form that experience.
- Make sure you deliver superior service and/or a high-quality product. No compromise there.
- Customer service doesn’t end after purchase. In fact, it should be even more proactive and vigilant post-purchase. Your goal is to achieve customer satisfaction and for every buyer to get to the Third Moment of Truth (below).
5. Actual Moment of Truth: It is the gap or moment after purchase (or after the Second Moment of Truth). Amit Sharma, who proposed this MoT, says that this moment is the perfect opportunity to engage a customer and turn him from a one-time buyer to a lifetime advocate.
- You can create new “experiences” for a buyer post-purchase: you can send them links (video or content) on how to use the product or service; call them to get feedback or updates on their use of the product or service; or simply send them messages to get in touch if there are problems. There are so many things you can do post-purchase that can make the buyer feel valued and taken care of.
- Make sure to address all feedback—positive and especially the negative.
6. Third Moment of Truth: The Third Moment of Truth is when the buyer becomes such an advocate of the brand and begins sharing his experience and feedback on the product or service. He shares a review or testimonial online or recommends it to family and friends.
- Make sure that you value clients who have become loyal buyers. Show your appreciation by maintaining an engaged relationship with them. Get updates and feedback from them. Make them feel like they’ve become an integral part of your organization.
- Use their testimonials and reviews as social proof.
- Document the buyer’s journey of these brand advocates so that the process can be replicated for all other buyers.
Depending on your business and industry, there are many other steps you can take to create positive Moments of Truth and help improve your win rates. Aside from aligning with Marketing, Customer Service, and other important groups within your organization, you will also need a smart CRM. A CRM will hold and evaluate all the data you will collect from your Moments of Truth analysis and help you monitor and analyze the buyer’s journey through the sales funnel.
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