Updated on August 10, 2023
Trust is built and maintained by many small actions over time.
—Lolly Daskal
Reflect back on the last time you made a larger purchase or investment, like a vacation. Did you see one ad somewhere and immediately click and buy? Probably not.
In order for a customer to fork over their hard-earned money, they must trust in the product and the company to deliver value. And as Lolly Daskal notes, that trust is built over time – in our world, that’s usually over a months-long customer journey with a potential STR guest or a prospective alliance member.
According to Vrbo’s new Traveler Path to Purchase Report, on average, travelers view 141 pages of travel content in the 45 days prior to booking a trip. Prospective alliance members may be in a similar boat. According to Marketo, 96% of visitors are not ready to make a purchase when they land on a website.
As we head into the shoulder season, now’s a great time to reexamine your guest or member journey and ask yourself whether all of those many page visits and other touchpoints along their path inspire trust.
- When a potential customer browses your website or attends an event, does the content clearly reflect a deep understanding of their needs and your unique local expertise that can meet those needs?
- Is there any social proof of your reliability through reviews from other guests or testimonials from other members?
- When someone subscribes to your email list, do they get something of value in exchange for their personal information?
- Are your communications courteous, helpful, and timely?
- If someone asks a question or has a problem, do you help them find the right solution?
- Once they do purchase, does their experience deliver on expectations and make them excited to book again or renew their membership next year?
Ultimately, a sale is not a single transaction or an end-to-end journey; it’s a cycle woven into every aspect of a business or organization to build a long-term relationship based on trust.
If you answered no or I don’t know to any of the above questions, check out our growing fall calendar of events. We’re constantly adding new local, regional, and national events on countless topics underpinning guest and member trust.
Hope to see you there!
Alexa Nota
COO & Co-Founder
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