Developing a subscriber focused mindset is the first step to becoming a successful subscription maker. You could make the case that the biggest impediment to building a viable subscription service is customer focused thinking. So, in this episode, we are going to talk about what you need do to meet the challenges posed by this gap.
Welcome the Subscription Maker Podcast. This is your host Zachary Alexander, Enterprise Architect at SubscriptionMaker.net. As an enterprise architect, I help lifestyle business owners find creative ways to use technology to generate recurring income.
Mindset is everything when it comes to achieving your goals. No matter what they are. If you start out thinking that you can’t achieve your goals, then you’ll spend a lot of time trying to convince yourself that what you want to do is possible.
Almost everyone agrees on this. However, what many people forget is that holding the wrong notions about what you are trying to achieve can hamper your efforts just as badly. Thinking about customer success when you should be thinking about subscriber success is just one example.
What’s the difference between a customer and a subscriber?
For our conversation, you can think of a customer as someone who buys a product and goes away. Customers change from transaction to transaction. You sell them a product, and they go away never to be thought of again. Fire and forget for lack of a better term.
Subscribers, on the other hand, are people who you develop a relationship with during the course of doing business. You take the time to nurture them even though they may not be prepared to purchase your primary subscription service at this time.
What is a subscriber focus mindset?
You can think of a subscriber focused mindset as a world view that values the ongoing relationship you have with your subscribers. It’s a world view that causes you to think of your subscribers as an asset worth protecting.
You celebrate their successes. And work to ensure that your subscription services don’t become a friction point that saps them of their creative energy. You take every opportunity you can to find ways to show that you care.
How to transition to a subscriber focus?
It will take time to switch to a subscriber focused mindset. You won’t be able to flip a switch and tow the party line every time, especially during times of stress when you have to act without thinking. You will need to reflect on what the difference is between being customer focused, and subscriber focused.
You need to acknowledge what the differences mean to you in your daily life. And celebrate every decision that is more subscriber focused. Talking about your product or service is easy. It can feel a little uncomfortable to talk about the benefits your subscribers receive.
Identify systems that reinforce a subscriber focus
You will hear a lot about sales funnels if you spend any time researching doing business online. For our purposes, sales funnels are online systems that allow you to systematically nurture your relationship with your subscribers. They can be as simple as a landing page and the follow-up email sequence that you use to keep in touch with your prospective subscribers.
However, as you grow, your sales funnel needs to evolve. You’ll need to develop a conditional system that will programmatically recognize where your subscribers are in the buying process. You might also want to add some customization to the process based on the path your prospect chooses through your website.
For example, are they just starting the purchasing journey? If so did they start with a specific service or did they start with your about page? Has the prospect purchased another service from you? If so can you tailor the offer so that you can reinforce the value they receive from the original purchase?
Conclusion
A subscriber focused mindset can be achieved with reflection and strategically placed systems. The good news is that unlike many transition or change processes moving from customer focused to subscriber focused may not require a lot of pain.
This is your host Zachary Alexander. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Subscription Maker Podcast.
PS: You are invited to join us in the Subscription Maker Group on Facebook if you would like to talk more about subscriber focused mindsets. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic or a broader discussion of subscription services that might interest you.