The customer lifecycle can be broken down into five stages- Discovery, Education, Purchase, Post-purchase engagement, and loyalty or advocacy. Discovery- It is the phase when a customer encounters a problem or identifies a need and looks for a solution to fix or meet it. Education- In this phase, the customer educates herself about the various solutions available, and evaluates them to make a decision. Purchase- It is the phase when a customer buys a product or subscribes to a service. Post-purchase- In this phase, the customer actually experiences the product or the service of the company. Loyalty or Advocacy- The customer in this phase has developed a strong bonding with the product or the brand and is willing to vouch for it. The customer has unique needs in each of the life cycle stages. And life cycle management is all about understanding those needs and meeting them.