Sales are down. Customers are frustrated. Your new product isn’t catching on. A competitor enters the market. A recession looms. Or maybe your first quarter just… sucked.

Something isn’t quite right.

So what do we do? We sprint. We chase fixes. We react.

And that’s where things start to fall apart.
 

The Myth of the Silver Bullet

We know you’ve heard one or more of these myths  before—maybe you’ve even been the one saying it. 

• “Social Media is the future.”
• “We just need better branding.”
• “If we invest in influencer marketing, we’ll go viral.”
• “People don’t know who we are—we just need more awareness.”

All of those sound like answers, but without context, they’re just noise.

Because no silver bullet can make up for a disconnected brand experience.

Let’s break that down. Your customers aren’t buying your product—not really. They’re buying the feeling that comes with it. Trust. Ease. Relief. Empowerment. Certainty. Confidence. That’s why your beautiful new site isn’t driving conversions, and why your social engagement isn’t lead to loyalty. That’s why your rates, rewards, and jargony value props aren’t  sticking.

It’s not because your brand is bad, but it’s because your customer experience isn’t aligned with what your audience actually needs.

The True Battleground

Here’s what we’ve learned, after decades in the branding trenches:

75% of U.S. consumers point to customer experience—not customer service or product quality—as a deciding factor in their buying decisions.
 (Yes. Seventy-five.)

It’s not just about having “nice employees”  or a “user-friendly app.” It’s about delivering your value proposition consistently at every single touchpoint. That means every radio spot, every brick-and-morter  visit, every website interaction, every rate sheet, every live chat exchange—everywhere your brand shows up is either building trust or breaking it.

As Don Peppers put it:

“Today’s customers are not just buying products or services—they’re buying experiences delivered via those products and services.”

And as Steve Jobs said:

“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology—not the other way around.”

This is the shift. And for most brands, it’s the missing link.

So, What Do You Do Instead?

Stop guessing. Stop prescribing without diagnosing. Stop trying to solve your marketing problems without exploring the customer’s experience gaps. 

Instead, start with empathy. Start with questions—and a map.

In Part 2, we’ll show you how to build a Customer Experience Map that reveals exactly where your customers are struggling—and what to do about it.

If you’re ready to learn more now, contact BIG today for a consultation.