"Marketing is the
effective and efficient use of frequent, relevant, focused communications to
get people with similar wants, needs, pains and fears to know, like and trust
you."
- Rick Wallace
You should now be aware of the study done several years ago that
showed 80% of prospects buy between the 5th and 12th contact with
the company. That same study shows that only 10% of salespeople follow up with
a lead more than 3 times!
I would call that a huge disconnect and one that very few
companies address. We spend most of our time and money on the generation of
leads, the "getting our name out there" kind of efforts. Few
companies focus on the nurturing of the leads they do generate and thus the
vast majority of the leads they pay so dearly to collect are followed up a few
times (called tire kickers) and put in a pile somewhere and forgotten about
until we do another emailing or email blast of some "selling effort"
(like a discount or special promotion). Sound familiar?
Well there is an automated way of ensuring all your leads are
followed up with care and trust. The use of an email marketing program and an
autoresponse program can do it all for you for less than $60 a month. You need
a Marketing Machine to accomplish this.
First it is effective and efficient.
Second it is focused, frequent and relevant.
Third it creates the know, like, and finally the trust
you need to get people to buy from you.
The Steps to Success
The first step is
building your Ideal Customer Profile on paper so you can focus on a group of similar people that have the same
wants, needs, pain and fears.
The second
step is creating your Value Proposition (message) that
addresses their wants,
needs, pains and fears and how you provide the best solution
for them solve them.
The third
step is to sign up for Constant Contact and Aweber and load
your present database of customers and leads into Constant Contact.
The fourth
step is to create a Free Offer or Service that your Ideal
Customers/Prospects would like to have and set up the sign up page in Aweber.
Fifth step - Now begin promoting the Free
Offer or Service and driving people to this sign up page from your website,
emails, direct mail in all your promotional materials.
Sixth step - Begin creating TIPS, short (2
minute max) informational emails or no frill videos that are relevant to your
Ideal Customers/Prospects. No SELLING, no promotion, no coupons, no selling
whatsoever. The only place your company is mentioned is in the From and the
signature line. These should be helpful, educational tips that build trust over
time that you are serving them not selling them.
Seventh step - send to all customers
and old leads via Constant Contact.
Eighth step- Add each tip (after it is
sent in Step 7 above) to your sequence in Aweber (See Diagram). As each new
lead signs up they will automatically get, in sequence, the tips without you
doing anything. It's automated!
When the time comes that the prospect is ready to buy (they get
mad at present vendor, their product breaks down, they get some money to make
the purchase, etc. ) they think of you because you are following up and staying
in front of them with relevant, "no sales pitch" communications and
follow up.
Success = Doing the Right things, in small amounts over a long
period of time.
All the best,
Rick Wallace