The Overlooked Marketing Strategy That Helps CEOs Get (and Keep) More Customers

Ever feel like your marketing is a bit…random? One day you’re throwing money at ads, the next you’re posting on LinkedIn like a thought leader, and somewhere in between, you’re wondering why your pipeline looks like a leaky faucet.

Good news: There’s a fix for that. It’s called customer journey analysis, and no, it’s not just a buzzword cooked up by marketers to keep themselves employed. It’s a ridiculously useful way to understand how people go from “Hey, this looks interesting” to “Take my money!”

And if you’re a founder who doesn’t geek out over marketing (totally fair), this is one of the simplest ways to get smarter about where to focus your efforts—and your budget.

What the Heck Is Customer Journey Analysis?

Think of customer journey analysis like mapping out a road trip.

• Where do people first hear about you? (The starting point)

• What makes them curious enough to take a detour? (Consideration)

• Where do they slam the brakes and ghost you? (Objections)

• What finally gets them to their destination—aka, buying from you? (Conversion)

• And—super important—do they come back for another trip, or do they swear off your brand like a bad Airbnb? (Retention)

Most businesses assume they know this journey. Few actually map it out. The ones that do? They find hidden opportunities for growth.

Why This Unlocks Growth (Without You Spending More Money)

Here’s the magic: Customer journey analysis isn’t about doing more marketing. It’s about doing it smarter.

🔹 You find the leaks – Maybe people love your product but get stuck on a clunky checkout process. Maybe they get confused about pricing. Maybe your follow-up emails feel about as personal as a robocall. Identifying these moments = more conversions.

🔹 You stop guessing about content – If people keep searching “How does this compare to XYZ?”—boom, there’s your next blog post. If they’re dropping off before they book a demo, maybe they need to see customer reviews earlier.

🔹 You improve retention (aka, the easy money) – Selling to a new customer is 5x more expensive than keeping an existing one. If you’re losing people after one purchase, your journey has a dead-end. Fix that, and you’ve got repeat revenue.

The Quick & Dirty Way to Start

You don’t need fancy software or a PhD in marketing to analyze your customer journey. Here’s a simple way to do it:

1️⃣ Ask your customers. (Shocking, right?) A quick survey or a few customer interviews can tell you where they got stuck or what almost made them walk away.

2️⃣ Pretend you’re a customer. Go through your website, sign up for your emails, try booking a demo. Where does it feel clunky? Where do you get bored? Fix those spots.

3️⃣ Look at the data. Where are people bouncing from your site? Where do they stop opening emails? Data tells a story—your job is to read it.

4️⃣ Tweak, test, repeat. Small changes (a clearer call to action, a better welcome email, a simplified checkout process) can have huge impacts. Track what works, then keep improving.

TL;DR: Founders, This is Your Growth Shortcut

If you want to get more customers without constantly hustling for new leads, customer journey analysis is your best friend. It helps you fix leaks, remove friction, and turn one-time buyers into lifelong fans.

And the best part? You don’t need a marketing degree to do it. Just a willingness to step into your customer’s shoes, ask good questions, and make small, strategic tweaks.

Give it a try—your bottom line will thank you.