All About the Champion Stage

by Syrup | Nov 9, 2019

We’ve all seen it. That angry one-star Google review that’s accompanied by text that iterates the ONLY reason that the business is getting one star is because it’s required by Google to leave a review. 

The fact of the matter is – people are more likely to leave a review after they’ve had a bad experience vs. a good one. And as a business owner, it’s imperative to your business that you understand the need to identify those more likely to leave a bad review vs. a good one. 

At Syrup, we address this in the Champion stage of the funnel. The Champion stage is all about identifying the “champions” of your business – the people who are your advocates and who you can depend on to speak highly about your company and their great experience to others. But this stage is also about identifying customers who are passive/neutral, and those who are detractors, like the angry Google reviewer above. 

The easiest way to quickly identify these audiences is by sending an NPS (net promoter score) survey. Usually, this is an automated campaign that is sent out to your existing customer base, asking them to rate their experience on a scale of 1 (bad) to 10 (exceptional). Depending on what number readers select, they will be put into one of three categories and be directed to a specific landing page:

1 – 6: Detractors. These customers did not have a great experience and need to be followed up with immediately by a customer service representative to try and make it right. This group will be directed to a landing page that thanks them for their feedback and lets them know a customer service representative will be in contact soon. 

7-8: Passives/Neutrals. These customers had an okay experience. Maybe they weren’t blown out of the water, but they still didn’t have a terrible experience. This group will be directed to a landing page that thanks them for their feedback, but also asks them, “What is one thing we could’ve done differently to raise your score by one point?” Use the feedback they give here as a learning opportunity for your business to grow and get better for future customers.  

9-10: Champions. These customers had a wonderful experience and are happy with their product or service. These customers will be directed to a landing page that thanks them for their feedback and typically asks a couple more open-ended questions like, “What was your favorite part about working with our team?” After you collect responses, identify some of the champions you’d like to ask for permission to share their story on your website or to complete a Google review. 

At the end of the day, anyone will leave a bad review on Google if they’re unhappy enough. But by sorting through your customer base and identifying the people you want to leave a review vs. encouraging everyone to do so, you’re implementing a better overall strategy for the growth and promotion of your business. 

Do you need help identifying your champions? Reach out to us here and we can help!