The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

If your marketing and sales departments are looking for more qualified leads, then search engine marketing is an inexpensive way to find them. In recent years, search engine marketing has grown in popularity as a cost effective tool used to generate additional sales leads. What was once little more than an afterthought in the website design process has become the best kept secret of savvy marketers. This article provides a five step process that will help fill your pipeline with a steady flow of sales leads. In the article, I’ll also share some secrets of how to coordinate search engine marketing efforts with other sales and marketing tools.

If you are responsible for sales, marketing, or your company’s website, then you should assess your current pipeline and determine how many leads (or how much revenue) can be directly attributed to traffic referred to your site from search engines. While there is no way of knowing exactly how many additional search-generated leads you could be capturing, remember this: If you’re not getting those leads, your competitors are!

Quick Primer
For anyone who isn’t familiar with search engine marketing, it’s simply the art and science of ensuring that your website appears prominently in the results of search engines, such as Google and Yahoo!, when people look for products and services similar to the ones you sell.

Step One: Make Sure You Can Be Found!
These web surfers and potential customers will never get into your pipeline if they can’t find you! There are dozens of phrases that a qualified prospect might use for a search that, ideally, should lead straight to you. At an absolute minimum, you want your company name and the trade names of your product or service to be represented on the search engines, but think bigger! You also want to be found for the product or service category and phrases related to your products or services. In addition, be sure to include phrases related to the problems or issues that your product or service addresses before your prospect has a solution in mind. Not all of your prospects are at the tail end of the buying cycle! Capture them early in the process and you’ll have your foot in the door. Determining and then prioritizing the list of search phrases that would yield the highest quality and quantity of sales leads is critical to your overall success and should not be taken lightly. Once you’ve compiled this list, your website needs to go through a process called ’search engine optimization’. During this process, the entire website, including the source code and content are reworked (or ‘optimized’) so that your site is preferred by search engines for the key phrases you have selected.

Step Two: Hook Them or Lose Them
If you’ve done a good job of optimizing your website, then your search engine positions will gradually improve, and within six months the site will start appearing frequently near the top of search engine results for your chosen phrases. At this point, it would be easy to sit back and relax, but your pipeline won’t get filled by merely improving your website’s search positions! The next challenge is to hook the visitor and reel them into your website. Once a search visitor hits your site, you have about five seconds to convince them that you can satisfy their needs. After all, remember that this is a search visitor. They are looking for something and won’t think twice about hitting the back button if you don’t give them a reason to stay.

For this reason, it is critical to make sure that all of your traditional sales and marketing principles are being utilized effectively on your web pages. Clearly communicating your unique selling proposition, or simply why they should stay, is necessary if you want to ensure that your hard work in step one wasn’t in vain. You’ll lose a lot of visitors regardless of what you say or do, and that’s fine. We’re only focusing on your true prospects. Let the rest of them go because they’ll just clog up your pipeline anyway!

Step Three: Offer Something for Everyone That’s Interested
In step one, you attracted lots of relevant traffic. In step two, you targeted your message to ideal prospects and weeded out the rest. In step three, it’s time to get generous. Create two offers and promote them throughout your website.

The first offer is a teaser giveaway that your true prospects will find of value. It could be a whitepaper, free information guide, case study, self assessment quiz, etc. This offer is for prospects in the early stages of the buying cycle that are not yet ready or willing to engage in a dialog. Don’t require anything more than an e-mail address in exchange, so you don’t scare them away. You’ll be amazed how many C-level executives request these sorts of offers from home with their personal e-mail accounts.

The second offer is for something more substantial that requires significant information and indicates a serious interest on the part of the prospect. This offer may be a consultation, onsite demo, trial offer, etc. Depending on your sales team’s bandwidth and the health of your pipeline, you can raise or lower the number of fields you require. This change helps you to control the number of leads the offer generates.

Step Four: Manage the Entire Pipeline!
It would astonish you if you knew how many companies follow steps one through three only to let most of their ‘first offer’ leads slip away into oblivion while spending the majority of their time with the ’second offer’ leads. While this strategy may produce greater short term gains, it neglects a much bigger lead pool that could become a group of serious buyers in the long term. Many B2B sales departments have learned that their highest win rate is with prospects that are still early in the buying process. If you ignore them, then they’ll seek help in the arms of your competition. That’s why it’s a good idea to come up with a lead management strategy to handle, sort, and respond to all of the inquiries. There are many software solutions that will automate this process with incredible flexibility and efficiency.

Step Five: Measure, Adjust, and Improve
Each step in this process can be easily measured, analyzed, and improved. Make sure that you have measurement tools in place and continually improve the step that is your weakest link. Perhaps it’s your search engine positions. Maybe it’s your message and design. It could be your offers, or the manner in which you handle the leads. Regardless, continuous small improvements in one or more areas will make your website pipeline more efficient and lucrative.

Surprise! This Process Works Equally Well in Reverse
You can reverse the order of these five steps and the process would be just as effective. Maybe even more so! If your company has done a good job of offline sales, then you probably already have the foundations for the latter steps in place. If so, you’re way ahead of the game. The most interesting thing about getting more targeted traffic to your website is that it only magnifies the strengths and weaknesses in your site design, message, offer, and selling process. Follow these five steps and you’ll overcome your weaknesses, leverage your strengths, and fill that pipeline!

Todd Miechiels an independent B2B internet marketing consultant specializing in search engine optmization and promotion. He has worked with companies such as Georgia Pacific, DuPont, and Boston Scientific as well as a number of small and mid-market B2B organizations. Todd can be reached at http://www.miechiels.com

An area many businesses fail to recognise as a way to increase profits is by utilising their existing customers. Don’t view each sale as a “one-off”. Look to build a long term relationship with your customers and entice them to keep coming back.

In order for that relationship to be cultivated properly, you will need to have some method of keeping in touch with your customers on a regular basis. For this to be possible you will require some personal information about them.

How to get your customers details without making them feel pressured.

We have all been in a shop where a pushy salesperson has fallen just short of demanding our name, address and telephone number. When you have simply bought a pair of shoes you are bound to feel that this information is unnecessary. The shoes don’t come with a special guarantee and are unlikely to need a 500 mile service, so there is no obvious reason for you to provide your life history.

There are two things at fault here. The first is the amount of information being requested. Most people have an email address and that is sufficient to maintain contact. Even asking for a first name is not necessary as correspondence can be sent to “Dear Customer”. DO NOT take any details from the customer’s payment card or cheque as this will rightly be viewed as an invasion of privacy and will do much more harm than good. It may even leave you open to legal action.

The second stumbling block is poorly trained staff. Staff should know why they are asking the customer for this information and be able to explain that clearly to the purchaser.

A sample sales line could be: Our Company is sending out a monthly newsletter which includes fashion tips, seasonal offers and “Money-off” coupons for subscribers. All we need from you is your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time you want.

Nice and low-key. You have to make it easy for your customers to say “No” without feeling pressured or embarrassed.

Another method to increase profits can be used at the point of sale. As an example, let’s say you are selling potted plants. Your customer is at the checkout with their fresh, flourishing houseplant. What else could you offer to sell them in order to compliment this purchase? A book on how to look after house plants, an attractive ceramic pot to display the plant to better effect, plant food to keep the plant healthy? You might even find that the add-ons are of higher value than the original sale.

If you view your customers as more than just a single sale you will begin to attract more custom from the same people that use your business. A simple way to increase profits and reduce advertising costs.

Allan Cowley is a Life Coach working with clients throughout the world. He provides online coaching in self improvement, goal setting, time management and small business development. For a free online life assessment with no obligations, you can contact Allan on his website at: http://www.uk-success-coach.com/

A key characteristic of a successful business is its ability to
give clients what they need in a way that keeps them coming back
for more. The concept seems easy enough, but how does one
actually go about doing it?

There is a lot to consider when providing for a client; not only
do you have to keep the needs of your sales leads in mind, but
you also have to know the limits of your company and your sales
associates. It’s a lot to think about for just one customer,
isn’t it? Not really. People become lifelong customers for very
simple reasons - respect, commitment, and understanding. Offer
these basic human needs to customers and they will come back for
more.

Respect. Exactly how does one respect a client? By providing an
experience at the point of sales in which he or she feels free
to make choices. This means not pressuring clients when they are
hesitating. If your sales associate doesn’t push, your customers
will feel respected and will respect your sales representative
for giving them the time to think. They will leave with a good
feeling and choose to do business with your business and your
sales representative again.

On the flip side, make sure you provide your customers with
abundant information about what you have to offer them. If they
have questions, no matter what they are, be willing to answer
them honestly and concisely. If you don’t know the answer,
volunteer to find out. They will appreciate your honesty. When
you actually get back to them with they answer, you will win
them over.

Commitment. By staying in touch with your clients, you exhibit a
commitment to keeping your clients happy and involved. When we
commit to our customers, and to supplying them with the best,
they will commit to our products or services. You can show your
commitment with an email to let them know about changes in your
business and specials you are offering, or by steadily supplying
them with information that helps them make better decisions.

Understanding. Probably the most challenging service to offer is
understanding. To fully understand the client’s needs, a company
must first understand the needs of the target population as well
as those of the accessible population. Once a clientele is
established, it’s time to learn the needs of each client
individually.

Some clients will walk in knowing exactly what they want. Others
will be seeking ideas. Understanding where each person is coming
from will make him or her a return customer. For those clients
who know what they want, offer them what they are looking for,
and then let them know what else you can offer. You will have
met their expectations, but will have also gone out of your way
to truly understand their needs. For those clients with only a
vague notion of what they want, spend time asking questions and
guiding them to a decision with which they feel comfortable. If
clients feel understood and have their needs met, they will be
lifelong customers.

Customers have the power to make or break a business. If
customers enjoy the time spent with your business, they likely
become repeat customers and will tell others about their
experience.

We must remember that clients are people; treating them with
respect, understanding, and showing a commitment to their
happiness will create an atmosphere where people want to visit.

If there is ever a question of what to offer a customer, do one
simple thing; think of a good business experience you’ve had in
the past–a company you regularly visit or have referred to
friends–and offer that to your clients. If you choose to
provide for them, they will choose to come back to you.

1. Tell your prospects that you offer free delivery. This may
cost a little money, but, you will gain the extra customers to
make up for it.

2. Tell your prospects that you offer a lower price. If you
can’t afford to offer a lower price you could always hold the
occasional discount sale.

3. Tell your prospects that your product achieves results
faster. People are becoming more and more impatient and want
results fast.

4. Tell your prospects you’ve been in business for a longer
period of time. People think if you’ve been in business longer
you have more credibility.

5. Tell your prospects that your product tastes, smells sounds,
looks, or feels better. When you target the senses you’re
triggering human appeal.

6. Tell your prospects your product is compact or light. People
may want to take the product on a trip or don’t have much room
where they live.

7. Tell your prospects that your product lasts longer. People
don’t like to spend more money purchasing replacement products
all the time.

8. Tell your prospects that your product is easy to use. People
don’t want to buy a product that they have to read a 100 page
instruction manual.

9. Tell your prospects that your product has better safety
features. People want to feel safe when they use your products.

10. Tell your prospects that you stand behind all your products.
People want to know that you back- up any claims you make about
your product.

Have you ever wondered what type of saleswoman you are? It doesn’t matter if you run your own company or sell for someone else - it is extremely important to know what your style is. What does The Sales Diva mean here? Well - let me throw my high heel on my desk here and I will explain.

Are You a “Shoe-In” With Your Customers?

The most important aspect of selling is to understand and relate to your customer. And before you can do that - you have to know yourself. Contrary to popular belief - you don’t have to twist yourself into a pretzel to be a success in sales. You don’t have to copy anyone else. You just have to be YOU - with all your quirks and also understanding your strengths.

The sales quiz below will help you determine what type of “Sales Shoe” you are wearing…and what areas of selling you need to improve. Answer yes or no to the following questions. Compare your point total to the scoring key at the bottom.

1. I enjoy the challenge of finding new clients.

2. I feel the most satisfaction with a client I have known a long time.

3. I like most networking events.

4. When I am faced with a difficult client I am not afraid.

5. I love when there are lots of details to put together.

6. Money is a motivator for me.

7. I get excited when I am working with a new client.

8. I love change.

9. I love getting out to networking events and meeting new people.

10. Following up with customers is easy for me.

11. Goal-setting is really important to me.

12. I get excited about unknown opportunities.

13. Self-motivation is one of my greatest skills.

14. I love people - that’s why I got into sales.

15. I rarely feel nervous when I ask for the sale.

16. I don’t tend to take rejection personally.

17. I love exceeding my goals.

18. People often tell me that I am a great listener.

19. It doesn’t matter what I sell as long as I believe in it.

20. I love learning and invest yearly in professional development.

21. I think that the word “selling” is a fabulous word!

22. I am an expert at asking questions.

23. I enjoy solving problems.

24. Relationships are my middle name!

25. My customers see me as an expert.

26. I have a clear picture of who my target audience is.

27. I know what I need to do to market myself.

Scoring Key: What Shoe Are You?

22-27 Points: High Heel Pump

You go girl! You are dedicated to helping people and making money at the same time. Just make sure to keep yourself on track - start a Success Team so you continue to stay motivated.

16-20 Points: Stiletto

Great score! You can run a block in your high heels and not even get a run in your nylon. Just remember - to maintain customer relationships - you have to slow down and pay attention to some of the details.

11-15 Points: Mary Jane Classic

You’re doing fine but there is room for improvement. Your shy nature may be holding you back in some areas. You don’t have to be behind the scenes - you get out there and shine! Try taking a public speaking class - it will do wonders for your confidence!

6-10 Points: Sneakers

You’re busy but not much is happening. You may be feeling a little frustrated at why success isn’t coming faster. Dig deep here - what are you afraid of? It’s time to get a mentor and also quit trying to do everything yourself.

0-5 Points: Flip-Flop

Don’t despair! Many of your attitudes about sales can be adjusted - if you’re willing. Use this quiz as a starting point to pinpoint the changes you want to make. Consider reading one professional development book a week and also getting some sales advice for your business.

Copyright© 2005

Kim Duke, The Sales Diva, provides savvy, sassy sales training for women small biz owners and entrepreneurs. Kim works with clients internationally, showing them The Sales Diva secrets to success! Sign up for her saucy and smart FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report “The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make” at http://www.salesdivas.com

Location, Location. Location

Format Your Page to Sell–Web Page Layout is Important

According to Eye Tracker III studies, smaller type encourages
focused viewing behavior (that is, reading the words), while
larger type promotes lighter scanning. And that for headlines –
especially longer ones — it would appear that the first couple
of words need to be real attention-grabbers if you want to
capture eyes. Readers eyes typically scan lower portions of the
page seeking something to grab their attention. Their eyes may
fixate on an interesting headline or a stand-out word, but not
on other content.

Short paragraphs are read more often then long ones. Studies
show that short paragraphs get twice as many overall eye
fixations as longer paragraphs. Long paragraph formatting
discourages viewing.

A one-column format is more likely read than two or more
columns. Surprisingly most readers look at text before photo’s.
However, they almost always at least briefly scan photo’s when
looking at a web page.

“DON’T BUY FROM THIS SITE!” 10 things you must do to avoid
losing customers.

by P J Chandler

How welcoming is your web site - and how easy is it for
potential customers to buy from you?

Some otherwise professional-looking sites put unnecessary
obstacles in the way of their users - they may as well put up a
sign saying “Don’t Buy From This Site”. Is yours one of them?

Here is a checklist of 10 things you can do to maximize sales
from your site:

1. Keep it focused - don’t try to be all things to all surfers.
Specialisation is king in a global marketplace: aim to be the
best in your particular field.

2. Keep it simple - make sure your navigation system is easy to
use. No page on your site should me more that two clicks away
from your home page.

3. Use plain language - net jargon has its place, but do not use
it on non-technical sites. The same goes for unexplained
abbreviations.

4. Don’t exclude people - if your offer is only available in a
defined geographical area, say so clearly and up front before
people start filling in forms. A prime offender is holiday
offers that turn out only to apply to US residents.

5. Only request relevant information - customers will be put off
if they have to complete overly-detailed forms before getting
the information they need.

6. Deploy a site search facility on big sites - make it easy for
people to find what they want.

7. Include offline contact information - some customers may want
to telephone for specific information and a real world postal
address is reassuring to buyers.

8. Use testimonials - they reassure buyers and show evidence of
your product quality.

9. Give something away - free ebooks are becoming a popular way
to communicate with customers. Take a look at the example below
and see how this could work for you.

10. Keep graphics to a minimum - bloated image files can extend
download times beyond surfers’ patience threshold - according to
a recent survey about 30 seconds.

Take a look at your site afresh: pretend you have never seen it
before and see what simple steps you can take to improve your
customers’ online experience. You will undoubtedly reap rewards
in the form of increased profits.

(((((((((((c)P J Chandler))))))))))))))) Phil Chandler writes
about marketing and other business topics. His web site is at
http://www.domainomania.com His free ebook - “How To Start a
Highly Profitable Internet Publishing Business Using Free and
Low-Cost Software” - can be read at
http://www.domainomania.com/publish/

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Most entrepreneurs who launch a Web site are seeking product
sales revenue or advertising revenue. Even corporate brochure
sites frequently sell advertising. As you click through sites
while you’re online, the proliferation of advertising gives the
impression that Web ad sales could be a logical (and potentially
profitable) way to offset the expenses of building, maintaining
and promoting your site.

But before you make the call to Monster.com to ask who places
their advertising, you may want to consider these statistics
from Jupiter Media Metrix, and premier online advertising
tracking company:

Online advertising accounts for under 2 percent of total
advertising. If all goes well (and right now online advertising
is not going well at all), the research company predicts that
will rise to 5.2 percent in five years.

Online advertising rose an impressive 69 percent last year,
but this year online ad revenue is only expected to rise 12
percent, and over the next five years, the growth will hover
below 15 or 20 percent each year. This means online advertising
will have to fight hard to rise to the level of billboard
advertising.

Jupiter also reported that advertisers have their doubts about
online advertising. Advertisers believe Internet ads do not
reach enough people and are too expensive.

More bad news for those who want to sell ads is Jupiter’s
finding that the cost of Internet advertising has fallen 30
percent over the past year and these costs are expected to keep
falling into the fall of 2001.

Online advertising is one of the casualties of the dot com
crash. “Online advertising was built on false expectations set
up in the Internet bubble when everyone believed the Net was
magical and didn’t need to be measured,” said Carla Hendra,
president of OgilvyOne North America, a major online advertising
firm. “For the first few years, if someone looked at a Web site
and said ‘cool,’ that was enough. Now clients are becoming more
conservative.”

This translates into “Forget about it” for those who believe
they can attract advertising dollars to their Web site. Product
sales at Web sites, however, present a completely different
story. Even with the dot com crash, Americans are spending more
money than ever online. The Web continues to be the
fastest-growing retail channel. According to Boston Consulting
Group, online retail revenues grew 65 percent in 2000, hitting
$44.5 billion. The research company expects revenues to reach 66
billion this year, up 45 percent from last year.

In May of this year, visits to ecommerce sites were up 35
percent over May of last year, according to Goldman Sachs.
Jupiter Media Metrix reported that Amazon’s traffic was up 34
percent this May over last May, reaching 20 million visitors.
Walmart.com visits were up 126 percent this May over last May.

So I received an email this week from Manuel Morales, owner of
Sign3.com, a site that allows NFL fans to vote for their
favorite team. He receives 1,000 visitors each day, which gives
his site total page views of 4000 per day. And he’s asking how
to profit from this traffic. The simple answer is “Don’t bother
trying to sell adverting.”

With his type of targeted audience, Manuel probably stands a
better chance of selling official team products to create
profits. He can likely obtain the products through affiliation
or direct inventory purchases. He can tie an individual team
product page to votes for a particular team so the fan sees only
the page for the team selected. He can outsource the product
shipping to the manufacturer or distributor.

The strategy of selling products to visitors is not foolproof,
but given the advertising statistics versus the retail sales
statistics, product sales are certainly the strategy most likely
to succeed. And given the ability to use affiliation with
product distributors as an alternative to actually buying
inventory and filling the garage with stock, the product route
may come with little risk.

1. Use a hand written letter on your ad copy instead of text.
Write the ad on a piece of paper, scan it and publish the ad on
your web page. Adding a personal touch will always increase your
sales.

2. Publish a list of famous and respected customers who have
bought from you on your a copy. People will think that if these
people bought from you, they should also trust your business and
purchase your products. Make sure to get their permission first.

3. Show before and after photos for your products on your web
page copy. Show the problem picture and then beside it, show the
picture of the resolution to the problem when they use your
product.

4. Include an article or review that has been written about you
or your business with your ad copy. This will show people that
your business is respected and will increase your credibility.

5. When you offer free bonuses in your ad copy, also list the
dollar value beside each bonus. People will feel they’re getting
a good deal and it will increase the value of your product.

6. Hire a famous person to endorse your product or service.
Make sure the person is well known to your target audience.
Include their picture and statements on your ad copy.

7. Include your own picture on your ad copy. This will show
people that you’re not hiding behind your ad copy and will
increase their trust. Also, include your contact information
below the picture and a brief statement or quote.

8. Tell your potential customers on your ad copy that you will
donate a percentage of their purchase price to specific charity.
This will show them you really care about the people. They may
just buy your product to donate to the charity.

9. Ask your potential customers plenty of yes and no questions
in your ad copy. The questions should remind them of their
problem and make them think about what will happen if they don’t
purchase your product.

10. Tell your potential customers they will receive a free
prize if they find the five words in your ad copy that are
misspelled or spelled backwards. The longer you can keep someone
reading your copy the greater chance of them purchasing.

Honestly, this IS advice for those in business, and not just
colorful local lingo!

People have a tendency to do two things when closing that first
big sale, or watching the hit counter fly due to the newest
supermonster-nothingbeatsit-trafficgeneratorX: A)sit back, start
filing your nails, and say “wow, I did it, smooth sailing from
here on in”…or b)jump around, pat your self on the back and
celebrate-go fishing, buy a car, start writing acceptance
speeces for business of the year … but both hold a highly
dangerous common thread: neglecting the immediate future.

It’s ok-even appropriate and deserved-when you finally start
seeing those results you’ve been working toward, to take a deep
breath and relax. It’s super to think in grandiose terms;
without dreams, life would seem small indeed.

BUT, come back to earth quickly; the supermonster might crash,
your big customer can also go bust, and your silver lining might
tarnish fast. Go ahead and start reeling in the next “big one.”

This IS actually the best time to either prospect or close other
sales; when you’re on a sales high (yes, you athletes, it
happens!), you’re feeling your best, and that energy will be
reflected!

Hopefully your business plan includes daily income producing
activities (IPAs). These can be small; send a new ad to a
different type of ezine, add a new product or try a new type of
service (eg ppc search engine or lead generation program). They
are also the activities that bring you up in unexpected
setbacks, because just at the point something falls through,
those seeds sown start springing up. If you put all your eggs in
one basket, what happens if you drop it?

Don’t neglect outside opportunities: pass out business cards,
make specialized auto tags, magnets, pencils, feather caps,
whatever might be appropriate for YOUR type business; join
organizations, talk to people at the grocery store checkout or
your child’s ballgame, conduct a local class or volunteer to
present a free seminar at the communicty center…Use Your
Imagination! How many IPAs a day? Just depends on how much you
want back.

It’s important to cater to your present customer now too; you
want to retain them. Remember THEY are your most valuable
asset-they ARE buyers, and know others!

I like to do my KGA (Keep it Going Activities) right after a
major accomplishment; trying out new software to see how I might
improve efficiency or presentation, revising/editing website
content, reviewing data, implementing plans to improve those
places which are lacking or deficient, updating keywords…this
is sort of my ’round tuit’ list! These activities primarily are
for the benefit of current customers.

After all, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

(c) Shelly Rich Friedling