Why a Defined Client Journey is Critical to Success

As Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” Nowhere is that more relevant than in building out your client journey. If you don’t have a firm plan detailing all the touchpoints, pain points, solutions, and WOW moments of your client’s experience, you risk inconsistency at best and business failure at worst.

In today’s world, a well-defined client journey isn’t optional—it’s essential for delivering an exceptional client experience.

Mapping the Client Journey: A Step-by-Step Approach

The first step is to identify every stage of your client journey. At Faris Capital Partners, we’ve broken this down into clear stages:

1. Lead-to-Contact

2. Discovery Call

3. Investment Call

4. Dealing Rep Call (for Canadian investors)

5. Paperwork and Funding

6. Active Investor

7. First Distribution

8. Exit

9. Repeat and Referral Partner

Once the stages are outlined, we map out key elements for each:

• Touchpoints: We identify every interaction point, whether it’s a personalized call from our investor relations team or an automated email or text message designed to convert leads into meaningful contacts.

• WOW Moments: These are opportunities for surprise and delight—unexpected gestures that leave a lasting impression. For instance, sending a handwritten thank-you note or a personalized gift can make a big impact. One unique approach is what Alex Hormozi calls the ethical bribe: for example, sending a $5 Starbucks gift card prior to an important call. This gesture serves two purposes. It is a kindness offered to a potential client and it also makes it more likely that the potential client will attend the scheduled meeting.

• Timeline: We analyze how much time the client spends in each stage to ensure we’re meeting their expectations promptly and efficiently.

• Pain Points: For each stage, we identify common challenges or frustrations clients might face, such as confusion with paperwork or delays in communication.

• Solutions: Once pain points are identified, we create strategies to address them. But we don’t stop there. We revisit the WOW moments to ask: can we solve the pain point in a way that also delivers a WOW? Turning a frustrating experience into a memorable one is a powerful way to build client loyalty.

By taking the time to layer in a plan across all aspects of the client journey, we ensure not only a smooth experience but also one that exceeds expectations at every turn. This proactive approach creates a consistent, memorable experience that builds trust, fosters referrals, and sets the stage for long-term success.