How Internet Buying Works

In traditional e-commerce there are three stages of a buyer: 

It’s impossible for a buyer to skip any of these steps, although sometimes the progression happens very quickly. 

For example, a visitor might land on a product page, add the product to their cart, and fill in their contact information + billing information to checkout.  In just a couple of steps, they went from a visitor to a lead and then a customer.
 
Affiliate Marketing adds one more level to the buying persona.  Customers can advance into resellers, also known as Affiliates.

Network Marketing adds even one more persona.  Affiliates can advance into resellers of resellers, aka Sales Leaders.
 
A leader cannot be a leader without being an affiliate first.  
 
It is important to understand where your potential buyers are in their buying process so you can send the right messaging, content, and tools to advance them to the next stage.
 
Prospects turn into Visitors when they’re interested in learning more and have a link to visit.
 
Visitors turn into Leads when they’ve been educated and given an opportunity to enter their information.
 
Leads turn into Customers when they’ve been nurtured and given an offer they can’t resist.
 
Customers turn into Affiliates when they love the company and believe in their ability to earn commissions.
 
Affiliates turn into Leaders when they show others earning money is possible.
 
This may sound difficult, but Fluid does most of the work for you. 

In our next video, we will talk about how to identify prospects in each phase of the buying journey as well as best practices on how to advance them to the next stage.