references/journey-stages.md

Journey Stages Reference

Cover all seven stages in order. For each stage, analyze the listed dimensions and customize them heavily to the specific product/service and persona.

1. Awareness

The prospect realizes they have a problem or discovers the brand for the first time.

• How they find the brand (organic search, ads, referrals, events, social media, content)
• First impressions and initial brand perception
• Information-seeking behavior and research patterns
• Competitor awareness at this stage

2. Consideration

The prospect actively evaluates the solution against alternatives.

• Content consumption patterns (case studies, comparisons, reviews)
• Engagement with sales or marketing (demo requests, webinars, free trials)
• Decision criteria formation
• Stakeholder involvement and internal selling
• Objections and concerns that surface

3. Decision

The prospect commits to purchasing or signing up.

• Purchase/signup flow and friction points
• Pricing evaluation and negotiation
• Contract or commitment structure
• Final objection handling
• The "moment of commitment" experience

4. Onboarding

The new customer begins using the product or service for the first time.

• Welcome experience and first-run flow
• Setup and configuration steps
• Time-to-first-value milestones
• Training and education resources
• Early support interactions
• Common drop-off points

5. Retention

The customer becomes a regular, ongoing user.

• Habitual usage patterns and triggers
• Value realization moments
• Support and issue resolution experience
• Communication cadence (email, in-app, check-ins)
• Churn risk signals and early warning indicators
• Customer satisfaction measurement

6. Expansion

The customer grows their usage, upgrades, or purchases additional products.

• Upsell and cross-sell triggers
• Usage-based expansion signals
• Multi-seat or multi-department growth
• Feature adoption deepening
• Pricing tier progression
• Account management relationship

7. Advocacy

The customer becomes a promoter who refers others and champions the brand.

• Referral program participation
• Review and testimonial creation
• Case study willingness
• Community participation and mentoring
• Social proof generation
• Brand ambassador activities