Marketing has a habit of talking to everyone in the same voice, at the same volume, with the same ask. Buy now. Book a demo. Download the guide. The trouble is that the person who has just realised they have a problem and the person deciding whether to renew are not the same customer, and they will not respond to the same thing.
It helps to think of it like this: at any given moment, every customer is in exactly one of eight states. They move through them in order, from the first flicker of a problem to telling other people about the answer. The whole job is to know which state someone is in, and fire the one lever that moves them to the next.
Get the state wrong and you fire the wrong lever. A brand film at someone comparing quotes is wasted. A discount at someone who hasn’t realised they have a problem trains a reflex before there’s any demand to train.
The eight states, and how to spot each one
01 · Notices
The customer has just clocked a problem worth solving. In their head: “I’ve got something I want to fix, and it might need a solution I don’t currently have.” You spot them searching symptoms rather than suppliers, describing the problem rather than shopping for the answer. The job here is to name the problem and the cost of leaving it, not to sell.
02 · Looks
“What kind of solutions exist? Who works on this? What does good look like?” They’re mapping the territory: reading, watching, asking peers, not yet comparing named providers. The job is to be findable in those channels and get into the consideration set before the shortlist forms.
03 · Sizes up
“I’m comparing three or four real candidates. Who’s best on the things I care about?” Now you see demo requests, pricing-page visits, comparison searches, reference checks. The job is to make the comparison favour you with proof and a sharper offer. Specifics, not vibes.
04 · Buys
“I’m doing this. Let me get through the paperwork without anything making me second-guess.” They’re in the contract, the checkout, the terms. The job is to strip friction and reinforce the decision, not to introduce a new variable at the worst possible moment.
05 · Uses
“I’ve bought it. Am I actually getting value? Am I being supported?” The first 30, 60, 90 days: onboarding, early support, the first real result. This is retention marketing, and it’s the most under-staffed stage in most teams. The job is to make the thing land.
06 · Judges
“Was that worth it? Would I do it again?” A verdict is forming, quietly, whether you’re in the room or not. The tell is renewal season approaching and usage trending up or down. The job is to make the value visible, because customers rarely tot it up for themselves.
07 · Returns
“I’m staying. Maybe buying more. Or I’m leaving, and you’re about to find out why.” Renewals, upgrades, expansion. Or the quiet signals of an account about to churn. The job is to turn the verdict into a commitment, and to save the lukewarm ones before they walk.
08 · Preaches
“This worked. I’m telling people. I want to be associated with it.” They refer, review, vouch on social, say yes to the case study. It’s the cheapest, highest-trust acquisition you have. The job is to give advocates the platform and the recognition to do it at scale, rather than hoping they bother.
Why most brands only play half the board
Read the eight back and a pattern jumps out. Most marketing functions are built around three of them: Notices, Looks, Buys. Get attention, get found, close the sale. Everything after the money changes hands (Uses, Judges, Returns, Preaches) is treated as someone else’s job, or no one’s.
That second half is where the margin hides. Winning a customer back costs a fraction of winning a new one, and an advocate sells for you at no media cost at all. The first job, though, is diagnosis. You can’t pick the right play until you know which of the eight states the customer is actually in. Fire blind and you’ll keep talking to everyone in the same voice, at the same volume, with the same ask.
