Hey there,
It is Matthew Larsen, back with my daily newsletter.
There are things people do that make them much more likely to buy from you. It could be watching a demonstration, trying your product, or completing something you taught them and getting a result.
There are also things people do after buying that make them more committed, more likely to keep using what they bought, and less likely to churn.
These are activation points, and you need to identify them throughout your entire business.
An activation point is a moment or action where someone starts to understand or experience more of the value of what you sell. Something changes for them, and that makes them more likely to take the next step.
Think about a Netflix series. There might be a particular episode that gets someone hooked enough to watch the rest of the series.
For a product like ClickFunnels, connecting a custom domain could be an activation point. The person is moving closer to actually using the software in their business.
But there is an important distinction between activation before and after someone becomes a customer.
Before they become a customer
The goal is to make them more likely to book a call or buy.
To me, a good starting goal is to identify five activation points before someone becomes a customer. Ideally, hitting one makes them more likely to hit the others.
For me, examples of actions I would track are:
Using the Work Timer and completing the Work Form.
Downloading or getting familiar with my big funnel diagram.
Starting to track their five most important metrics: net margin, monthly churn, median client payment, close rate, and cost per call.
Building their sales page, especially the above-the-fold section, plus their video sales letter and static image ads in the way I suggest.
Creating a content strategy.
Creating or improving their offer.
All of these can happen before someone becomes a customer.
They are starting to use what I teach in their own business. If they get a result, they have a reason to become more interested in what else I can help them with.
Someone who starts using one part of my system may be more willing to try another part, watch more content, or book a call. That is the progression I want to understand and encourage.
After they become a customer
Now we want them to get value from what they purchased and have a reason to continue.
As a starting point, I would aim for:
An immediate activation point.
Another within 24–48 hours.
Another within seven days.
Another within 30 days.
Further activation points every 30 days after that, where possible.
You should know what each of those moments is supposed to be.
What happens immediately after someone buys that helps them experience the value? What can they accomplish in the first two days? What happens during the first week that gives them confidence they made a good decision?
Then, as the relationship continues, what gives them a reason to stay?
That is how this connects to retention and lifetime value. If customers continue getting value and stay longer, you have more opportunity to earn money from the relationship.
You have to test this stuff
Just because your best customers all did something does not automatically mean getting everyone else to do it will produce the same result. Your best customers might have been more motivated from the beginning.
But, there will be patterns, and activation points can be a tricky thing. Oftentimes, you won’t be able to know what these things are until you look back at your past XYZ number of customers. Other times, you will be well aware of what they are and can pre-emptively plan them and incorporate them into your strategy.
That applies to my examples too. I should not assume that downloading the funnel diagram or completing a Work Form causes someone to buy.
Look at what your best customers did, use that to identify possible activation points, and test whether helping more people reach those points actually changes the outcome.
Once you find something that works, build it into your funnel or customer experience. Make it easy to reach and complete, and keep measuring what happens afterward.
Hope this email was worth your time,
Matthew Larsen
PS. Work with me in my Skool group at https://skool.com/leadgenerationacademy.ai