The reality is most leads you receive are not ready to buy. It gets less encouraging when you consider these stats: Only 24 percent of sales emails get opened. It takes an average of 18 calls to connect with a buyer. The average person deletes 48 percent of the emails they receive each day. The average person checks for messages on their smartphone on average 150 times a day. The … Read More
- Sales Process
When We Get It Right
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s business owners, we invest in marketing to sell more. We push sales and staff to remember the products and services that can result in sales today. We impress upon marketing to get us more leads. We are always evaluating our marketing options which are almost endless from Google AdWords, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Adsense, retargeting, mass email, webinars, events, and much more. And then there is another option. It’s … Read More
What Does Your Customer Want To Do Next?
I recently walked into one of my favorite department stores that I don’t frequent very often. I wanted to purchase a pair of shoes as a gift for my son. The salesman in the corner approached me and asked if he could help. I said I’m just looking for now but thanked him and continued viewing the display of shoes. A few moments later he has four boxes of … Read More
What Strategy Are You Working On?
Several years ago while attending student orientation at Baylor University with our son Ryan, we observed a bike rack with a lock that secured only a wheel. The wheel was safe, but the bike was missing. I wondered at the time what reaction the owner of the bike had when he realized his bike was gone, but he still had the wheel. In marketing, it’s similar to that bike owner; … Read More
Telling The Same Story
Everywhere you look you see different businesses telling the same story. It’s much easier to conform than to stand out. But the things that set you apart — the uncommon and unmistakable — are what customers seek out today. And yet, we apply the same old tactics that only amplify our similarities and commoditize our offering, rather than risk inventing new value and creating a memorable experience that sets us … Read More
So They Chose You
The new lead arrived via the website on Saturday, January 16 at 10:15 AM. It was uncommon to receive a lead on a weekend, but like the other 8 leads that arrived so far in January, it was very welcomed. Eric, the business owner, received the lead in his Gmail on his iPhone. I’m sure he quickly scanned over the new service quote request. He viewed the name of the person, company, … Read More
Attention, Please.
Seth Godin says, “When everyone has access, no one does. The people you want most to reach are likely to be the same people that are the most difficult to reach.” Attention is not ours to merely claim whenever we want it. And likewise, trust is not something you snap your fingers and voilà it appears. Trust, just like attention, is earned and seriously underrated. Most of our relationship pursuits begin … Read More
Choices Shape What Happens Next
George makes cakes. His day begins at 4:00 AM and ends at 6:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. Something he’s been doing since he retired from the Marine Corps over 34 years ago. George loves his job and doesn’t think of it as work. His cakes are well known and loved by his small army of raving fans. I know, I’m one of them. However, his family-owned business, Bakery By George, … Read More
The Idea Is The Easy Part
I know a lot of people obsessed with protecting their idea. One person, in particular, took an idea I had shared with him and off he went building a company around my idea. The company had some success with the idea, but they never achieved what they could have become. The bottom line is it may be easy to take someone’s idea, but it is far more difficult to take their … Read More
How Deep Is Your Love?
When I first started experimenting with online marketing over a decade ago, there was a lot less competition. It was pretty easy, just take your service or product, spend a dollar on advertising and make two dollars back in return. But as the competition grew so did my costs. My return became less and less, and it became harder to sell my services. I didn’t realize it then like I … Read More