Twenty-Five: Architecting a Persuasion Scenario
A presentation scenario matches a persona to a task flow, much in the same way as the writer of a novel puts a character through a series of obstacles in pursuit of the major objective of a plot. (EN: I have some level of concern that what a marketer does in this sense is no less a work of fiction than that which a novelist would construct..)
Analysts tend to refer to the persuasion scenario as a funnel - a linear sequence of steps in which some customers proceed, and others do not, through each step in the process. Salesmen have a different perspective, as they do not see the process as being a one-way ride, but an interaction in which there are no fixed sequence of steps, and a customer who is in danger of dropping out can be intercepted and ushered back in the direction of the sale.
Neither of these perspectives is correct, but each of them has some elements of truth to it: there are both linear and non-linear phases of the buying process, based on how each customer approaches the decision to buy. Some customers go straight to the shelf and straight to the register, others browse about and buy nothing during a single visit but continue to consider the store as a vendor for the future. And there are many patterns of behavior in-between.
Components of the Persuasion Scenario
The authors refer to various elements that may be included in a persuasion scenario.
Driving point
The "driving point" is the initial incident, when a person going about their normal life suddenly realizes that they have a need. In this phase, they search for information to identify products that might satisfy their need and vendors who can provide it.
Being available to the prospect at the right time - whether this involves having information available to be found by the prospect who takes initiative (searches the Web) or a vendor who attempts to catch prospects at the right time (send them a direct mail piece), the goal is to get their attention to your product for consideration.
Funnel points.
The funnel points define critical moments along the path the vendor assumes that a prospect will take in order to purchase a product: they visit your site, add a product to their cart, and go through the checkout process, with various granular components of each.
It is stressed that the "funnel" is the supplier's perspective rather than the customer, who may have his own ideas of the steps he is willing to undertake to accomplish his own goal. Customers do not passively submit to a vendor's desired processes, and forgetting this is the cause of many mistakes.
Or, in the author's words: "Assuming the customer follow the vendor's defined process is a mistake. Insisting they do so is a very serious mistake."
Points of resolution.
Points of resolution are instances in which customers have uncertainties and seek answers to questions before they will be comfortable in continuing forward. If they are satisfied with the answers, they will be interested in continuing. If they are not satisfied or their questions are ignored, they may drop out, or at the very least will proceed with less confidence.
(EN: An important bit the author overlooks is the source they seek for information. Vendors presume that the customer wants, and will trust, information they provide and will not consult other sources. This, too, is an incorrect assumption and a serious mistake to attempt to prevent or discourage customers from seeking information from independent sources.)
Waypoints
The author's definition of this topic is unclear - they seem to be similar to points of resolution
These are "persuasive touch points"--points of interactivity-- that are integral to the seller's conversion goals but critical to the needs of a particular customer. Waypoints support the sales process and the conversion goal.
For example, a Methodical, price-conscious homebuyer would certainly wonder about costs, so a waypoint might be a document that would answer questions about taxes and maintenance costs for the house.
Points of resolution and waypoints are persuasive components that support the non-linear qualities of the online experience. The order in which a customer hits these points and the actual number of points she interacts with is dynamic. In other words, both allow her to interact with you in a way that feels comfortable to her.
In all this, however, there is a danger in mistaking movement as forward momentum. When we are developing scenarios, we have to be careful not simply to move customers around the information; we must always be trying to move them forward toward their goal.
Conversion Beacon
The conversion beacon is a clear indication of the next step toward the end resolution. The beacon of greatest interest is the beginning of the sales transaction, but there are others along the way.
Customers must recognize the beacon in order to move toward it, but it should be understood that they will move at their own pace, and have their own conditions that must be satisfied in order for them to be willing to move forward at all. Specifically, customers are not as excited as are vendors to reach the next beacon
Conversion Point
The conversion point is the moment that a deal is struck, and the customer confirms that they wish to make a purchase from the seller. This is typically marked by an explicit ritual (signing a contract or swiping a credit card at a register) that formalizes the transaction.
(EN: My sense is that the author overlooks a warranty period that follows the actual purchase. There is generally a period of time during which the customer can undo a transaction or back out of it - such as returning merchandise that was recently purchased. This effectively nullifies the transaction and can, if handled clumsily, engender a great deal of hostility toward a brand.)
Persuasion Scenarios in Action
A "persuasion scenario" follows a customer through their buying process. More specifically, it follows a persona that represents a customer through the sequence of actions and decisions they take, to consider the degree to which their interaction can be improved.
Primarily, vendors are concerned with the linear aspects of the scenario - which is based on the assumption that a customer will proceed in an orderly fashion through the steps, in order and without recursion, from recognizing a need to purchasing a product. It's assumed that if all goes well, the prospect will move without friction through the sales process.
However, people are not always orderly, and some customers will skip about and repeat steps - and rather than attempting to herd them into the vendor's preferred linear process, the vendor should consider how to best accommodate customers' actual behavior and plan for contingencies.
(EN: What's missing is some brainstorming about other ways in which the customer might seek the information they need. That is, a customer seeking to answer a pricing question might check a magazine or ask friends in online forums rather than depending on the salesman or reading the company's catalog. Ignoring this can be costly.)
Sample Scenarios
(EN: The author goes through a number of faked-up scenarios that tells a story of a consumer's journey. The problem is that there is no evidence that these are anything but made-up stories, based on someone daydreaming about what another person might do, without any reference to any observed behaviors or researched tendencies. It's an interesting way to ponder the customer's actions in more detail, but it's ultimately romantic fiction.)
The Whole Enchilada?
The author acknowledges that company insiders have a tendency to think of their own processes as entirely logical, and assume that customers will behave exactly as they wished them to in the sales process. For some customers, it may be true that they have a clear sense of their needs, a devotion to a brand, and a desire for a no-frills shopping process that gets them to the sale as fast as possible.
While a "cut to the chase" scenario is definitely worthwhile to satisfy customers who behave in this manner, recognize that not all customers are on rails to purchase your brand, and that you must accommodate the doubtful, indecisive, and leisurely prospects who may purchase your brand if you provide them a comfortable process that suits their shopping and buying behaviors.