Onboard is the fourth of seven growth strategies that make up the Growth Model.

The “Onboard” growth strategy is about creating long-lasting relationships with customers. Onboarding, or customer onboarding, is the process of turning new customers (i.e. businesses that have purchased only once from you) into customers who order from you regularly (i.e. not just a one off purchase, but come back to buy from you frequently). Part of the Growth Model and Growth Playbook, onboarding is essential for repeatable, profitable, and scalable growth.

Not only is most revenue generated by existing customers, but keeping customers for longer lowers acquisition costs and increases revenue.
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Use the Growth Engine to calculate whether enough of your first-time buyers are becoming established customers.

"Onboard" counts how many of your customers place their fourth order vs. those that place only three orders or less.

To represent your data as a comparable trend over time, we've used trailing twelve months (TTM) (a period consisting of data for twelve consecutive months), so that every period is comparable and contains an instance of every month. This is done to reduce effects of seasonality in the metrics. TTM analysis is the clearest way to see true trends in velocity accounting for seasonal variances in December, summer vs. winter, bank holidays etc. It clearly illustrates whether you're successfully accelerating the velocity - are you generating more Enquiries in a period, or is your velocity static or even falling?

Whether you need to reverse a falling trend, bump up a static trend, or accelerate an already upward trending velocity, keep reading for great strategies, advice, hints & tips.

Research indicates that on average, customers don't become a “settled, regular & relational customer” until they’ve placed a minimum of four orders. Optimising the “Onboard” growth strategy can help you create more repeat ordering customers.

Utilising Marketing tools in your Onboarding process allows you to automate drip campaigns. Drip campaigns send a smaller number of communications to a specific audience.

These can deliver targeted messages to your new customers, or customers that have completed fewer than four orders. Using an automated and targeted approach, you are able to market to the correct customers as quickly as possible ensuring that you hold their attention.

You can even personalise communication based on their past purchases, relevant discounts, and limited-time offers. Drip campaigns allow you to acclimate your customers with your products and brand gradually. Using RFM analysis, your customer base is already split into segments so you can identify your new customers immediately.

Uploading files to the CRM library streamlines your communications process by ensuring that everything is stored in one place. With a categorised, folder structure to keep both internal files and external links organised, the CRM library ensures your files are always on hand.

Configure document templates to quickly and easily send branded communications to any customer. The templates can be stored in your CRM Library and added to records within the CRM. Save your Onboarding Team more time by pinning your most-used Document Templates to send quotes quickly.

Identifying your customers who are not yet onboarded is essential to avoid making a loss on new buyers. Using market segmentation to design a targeted promotion can encourage newer customers to explore a larger range of your products.

Here are some promotions you could offer to newer customers:

Incentivising customers with vouchers or discounts can help guide them into looking at other products they may not have explored previously. It is also useful to re-engage customers who may have been losing interest previously and can be vital in fully onboarding these new customers.

To get a reliable, loyal customer base, it’s essential to focus on nurturing your customer relationships. Being proactive in your marketing can be the key factor that enables you to cement customers as repeat buyers. For example, following up with a customer after their purchase to ask for feedback or offer recommendations often encourages repeat purchases.

Chasing customers who have deviated from their regular buying schedule is key to increase their CLTV (Customer Lifetime Value) so you retain them for longer. Monitoring the time between purchases is also useful to understand how you can be more targeted in your marketing approach. Anticipating customer needs can prevent customers from looking elsewhere and create a personalised experience that is unique to your business.