{"id":5246,"date":"2025-07-18T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nurseagence.com\/?p=5246"},"modified":"2025-07-25T15:01:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T15:01:12","slug":"buyers-journey-vs-customers-journey-what-makes-these-paths-different-and-where-they-intersect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nurseagence.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/18\/buyers-journey-vs-customers-journey-what-makes-these-paths-different-and-where-they-intersect\/","title":{"rendered":"Buyer\u2019s journey vs. customer\u2019s journey \u2014 what makes these paths different, and where they intersect"},"content":{"rendered":"
When I first started consulting for B2B SaaS companies, I made the mistake of thinking the buyer journey and the customer journey were basically the same thing \u2014 just two sides of the same funnel.<\/p>\n
They aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
I learned the hard way when a client\u2019s churn rate quietly climbed even as new deals kept coming in. We were winning buyers but losing customers.<\/p>\n Since then, mapping the buyer journey vs customer journey separately and designing content for each has become a core part of my strategy work.<\/p>\n In this piece, I\u2019ll break down the difference between the two journeys, where they overlap, and how clarifying them can help you close deals faster and<\/em> turn more customers into loyal advocates.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n The buyer journey<\/a> is the path a potential customer takes from first realizing they have a problem to deciding on a solution and making a purchase.<\/p>\n You can break into three main stages:<\/p>\n The buyer journey focuses entirely on the <\/strong>pre-purchase<\/em><\/strong> experience<\/strong> and involves the questions, doubts, and motivations that drive someone to buy.<\/p>\n For example, when I worked with a project management SaaS client, we mapped a typical buyer journey like this:<\/p>\n A marketing director realizes their team is missing deadlines (Awareness), compares tools like Asana and Monday.com (Consideration), and then signs up for a free trial with my client\u2019s software (Decision).<\/p>\n Getting this right meant we could tailor content precisely to the buyer\u2019s mindset at each stage.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n The<\/strong> customer\u2019s journey begins <\/strong>after<\/em><\/strong> your buyer makes a purchase<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the full experience someone has with your brand once they become a paying customer, including onboarding, product use, support interactions, renewals, and referrals.<\/p>\n Where the buyer\u2019s journey ends with a transaction, the customer\u2019s journey<\/a> becomes about relationship-building<\/strong>. It covers every moment that either strengthens loyalty or sours it.<\/p>\n For example, with one SaaS client I supported, we realized new customers were excited at sign-up but confused during onboarding. Even though they had \u201cbought,\u201d they quickly lost momentum. By improving their onboarding flow and adding milestone emails, we helped customers get value faster and increased retention by 18%.<\/p>\n The customer\u2019s journey is critical because a sale is the starting point for earning trust, satisfaction, and eventually, advocacy.<\/p>\n P.S. Not sure where to start with yours? Here\u2019s a customer journey map template<\/a> to use as a starting point.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\n
What is a buyer\u2019s journey?<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
What is a customer\u2019s journey?<\/h2>\n