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  • March 13, 2023
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review (website)

Sales Teams Need to Stop Focusing on the Customer Funnel

By: Frank V. Cespedes
  • Format:Electronic
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Abstract

Understanding where customers are, how they navigate streams in your market, and how to interact with them in a given stream is now central to crafting a good customer experience, and that has implications. Among other things, companies need to shift from thinking about a value chain to an experience chain. The value chain is about moving products from the point of production to consumption. An experience chain starts with the customer and aligns the touchpoints inherent in omni-channel buying journeys. This goes beyond “experience marketing” where brands highlight how their products can make the buyer’s life easier or more productive. It’s about the journey from need recognition through evaluation to purchase and post-sales activities.

Keywords

Customer Experience; Customer Value and Value Chain; Customer Relationship Management; Consumer Behavior

Citation

Cespedes, Frank V. "Sales Teams Need to Stop Focusing on the Customer Funnel." Harvard Business Review (website) (March 13, 2023).
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About The Author

Frank V. Cespedes

Entrepreneurial Management
→More Publications

More from the Author

    • September–October 2023
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    Building Brand Engagement: Lessons from NFTs and Collectibles

    By: Frank V. Cespedes and Ben Plomion
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    Aphro Beverages

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    • July 2023
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    Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales

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More from the Author
  • Building Brand Engagement: Lessons from NFTs and Collectibles By: Frank V. Cespedes and Ben Plomion
  • Aphro Beverages By: Frank V. Cespedes
  • Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales By: Frank V. Cespedes
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