Markers: How to define and design your client journeys

Discover how to guide clients from curious to committed with strategic markers that make your product seamless and transformative.

Happy October!

As we enter the final quarter of the year, it’s the perfect time to focus on what will make you stand out, boost your income, and save time for key buying seasons like Black Friday, Christmas, and New Year’s.

With these major sales opportunities just around the corner, here’s the big question:

Do you have products lined up for any of these key selling times?

If not, it’s time to get strategic.

Over the past few editions of this newsletter, we've covered everything from identifying the right problems to solve, to creating your unique methodology.

Today, we’re talking about a strategy to help you design products that don’t just sell—they create a lasting impact on your clients and keep them coming back.

Let’s talk about Markers.

Think of them as guideposts along your client’s journey—specific stepping stones that move them from curious to committed, interested to invested, and turn your products into transformational experiences.

Understanding Your Client's Need Barometer

Your client has an internal Need Barometer.

This barometer indicates whether they’re ready to engage with a solution or if they’re still unsure.

When it’s in the red zone, they’re far from ready to commit because they lack clarity about several key factors:

1. The exact nature of the problem.

2. The root cause and implications.

3. The cost of leaving the issue unresolved.

4. Why you are THE solution and not just one of many options.

This is why many offers struggle to gain traction.

You’re attempting to offer a solution to clients who are still hazy on the true problem.

But by strategically placing markers along their journey, you’re helping your clients move from uncertainty to decisive action.

So let’s say you’re a productivity coach.

And your client is struggling with productivity but doesn’t realize the deeper issue is time management.

Their need barometer is still in the red zone, as they’re not clear on the problem.

A well-placed Marker—a simple time audit exercise, for instance—helps them understand the root cause, shifting them into the ‘ready-to-buy’ zone.

The Power of Leading Your Clients

Your clients are seeking leadership.

A guide that provides clarity, focus, and confidence.

Marketing legend Jay Abraham put it well when he said, "People are silently begging to be led."

Your role is to take their hand and walk them through each stage, guiding them towards their goal with clear, decisive markers.

Some months ago, I found myself negotiating with a friend of 8 years over something simple.

It should have been straightforward, but we were both hesitating.

Finally, I realized she was waiting for me to lead.

This is often the case in business too.

Even after years of experience, clients may need you to step up and confidently guide them through the process.

Later, as I reflected on this experience, I thought, "All that time we stood negotiating (or arguing who should)!"

And it reminded me of two critical things:

1. Clients want hand-holding, and they want to follow a structured path.

2. To truly know your market, you must spend time understanding not just their problems, but also their hesitations and motivations.

With this in mind, let's discuss how markers help create a journey that gives clients the clarity, focus, and confidence they crave.

Designing Your Client Journey with Markers

Your methodology is the backbone of your client journey. (If you missed my newsletter on this, check out Create Your Methodology: Increase Your Product's Success With A Unique Process)

Your client journey is an extension of your methodology, transformed into tangible milestones.

These markers guide your clients from their initial engagement to the ultimate transformation.

And there are 2 major types of Markers you should create.

Types of Markers

1. Assessment Tools

Assessment tools serve as the starting marker.

They help clients identify their pain points and qualify them for your service.

An assessment works like a diagnostic check, generating a “problem list” that aligns with your frameworks. The results demonstrate exactly where clients are and what steps they need to take next.

2. Product Levels

Another powerful way to set markers is through layered products. Here’s how to set clear Markers with different types of product levels

• Freemium Products (as someone calls it, Better Than Free Products) offer quick wins, giving potential clients a taste of your methodology and building trust. Think of how apps and software offer free features to start, then suggest upgrades as you continue using them. Each upgrade is a Marker, guiding you further in the journey.

• Freemium Products help clients start small while getting to know your expertise, building your reputation as the expert they need.

• Bridge Products are intermediate offerings that provide further guidance and align with clients who are ready to dive deeper.

• Bridge Products allow them to dive deeper as they trust your methods more.

• Premium Products deliver your most comprehensive solutions, such as one-on-one coaching or consulting, to clients seeking top-tier guidance.

• Premium Products give them everything they need for a complete transformation, setting you up as the leader in your field.

By defining these product levels, you set clear markers that allow clients to engage with you at multiple stages, ensuring they never feel overwhelmed or confused about what comes next.

Breaking down your offerings into manageable segments through product markers, like this, not only reduces overwhelm for your clients, but it also makes it easier for you to scale and structure your business.

Each marker becomes a logical step in the client’s journey, helping them build momentum and invest in your solutions with confidence.

So rather than have one huge course that a client will never complete, think of a different approach…

How You Can Implement Markers in Your Business

1. Create Layered, Targeted Products

An ecosystem of products should move clients from an initial point of curiosity to active engagement and, eventually, to loyal advocacy.

Your MacroMethodology™ forms the public-facing angle, while your MicroMethodology™ forms the actionable, client-focused components.

For example:

• The Macro attracts your ideal clients by addressing broad needs in content like newsletters, blog posts, or webinars.

• The Micro defines specific actions and goals for your actual clients. These are the milestones within your program where clients achieve tangible results.

This layered structure means you’re guiding clients through a process that feels both intuitive and rewarding, giving them precisely what they need at each stage.

2. Personalize the Client Experience

We’re in an era where personalization and synthesizing information are more valuable than accumulating knowledge.

Your markers can reflect this by providing a tailored experience that resonates with your audience.

For instance, by using personalized assessments as a first marker, you’re not just offering information; you’re connecting the client’s journey to specific, actionable steps they can take.

Pro Tip: Over the next 90 days, take one idea and map it out as a series of markers in your client journey. Use each marker to build on the last, guiding your clients from their current state to the ultimate transformation.

How to Deepen Client Connections Through Markers

Spend Time with Your Clients and Customers

Even though your business runs on the internet, you can't hide behind your computer and expect to know your audience on a deep level.

In order to design effective markers, you need to engage in conversations with clients.

It’s the only way to uncover what they value most, and it informs the creation of relevant, impactful products that resonate.

Use Assessments as a Sales Tool

An assessment is more than a diagnostic—it’s a powerful sales tool.

It doesn’t just highlight the client’s pain points; it also sets the stage for your solutions.

For example, if your assessment reveals that a client struggles with structuring their goals, you can immediately introduce them to a small-group coaching program that addresses that exact issue.

This approach connects the dots between problem and solution seamlessly.

Anyway… Lead with Intention

Your Product Markers are tools of transformation, useful in shaping your clients' journey and your product success.

With each marker, you’re showing your clients how you can lead them, from their first discovery of your work to becoming advocates who believe in your brand and its impact.

A Special Offer: Get Hands-On with Me

If you’re ready to design your own high-converting client journey, simply reply to this email to claim your spot in an exclusive, 90-minute strategy session where we’ll work together to create a fully developed, ready-to-sell product tailored to your target audience.

You’ll leave with a clear offer that’s designed to convert—and ready for this holiday season.

Want to reserve your spot?

Don’t wait—reply to this email right now to reserve your spot.

Let’s make this Black Friday, Christmas holiday, and the New Year “New Me” seasons the turning point in your business.

Until next week, define your markers, and continue transforming ideas into products people love, buy and talk about.

Live courageously,

Dayo Samuel 💯