Increasing Conversion Rates Online

fishon "Why isn't my website converting leads?"

This may be the most common question today from SMBs in every industry. Without looking deeply at your product or website, I can hypothesize that it's because you either are not focused on early conversions to your list (marketing ready leads) or worse, you have them converted then you leave them rotting in the middle of the funnel expecting them to have an epiphany about your product causing them to proactively call to buy. Believe it or not, this is how most SMBs are managing their direct marketing. They think social media is their PR department, their website and mailing list is their marketing department and sales doesn't have the right leads which is why they are not meeting their revenue goals. Wow. It's time for a hard slap in the face so you snap-out-of-it.

Not Focusing On Early Conversions - You must have heard some variation on this one by now: You can't ask a girl to marry you on your first date. She'll run away scared of you no matter how nice you are. If you do not have some early yeses on your website, you don't have a chance. Give them something for free: whitepaper, report, access to an industry calculator, special video. You need to get those that are remotely interested in your products to say yes early. Without it then, you may scare them off with your hard sell.

Rotting List - Once you have them in your list, you need to do something with them other than send a dull newsletter each month. You need more compelling content and offers to move those marketing ready leads into becoming sales ready leads. That's when the masses of early yeses cull down to the few but interested prospects. They deserve special attention, VIP seating, limited opportunities and more. Your sales team wants these leads. If you give them the early yeses and tell them to start dialing, your unsubscribe rate will spike. You need to nurture them and further qualify them.

This topic is so broad and misunderstood, we work with many very sane companies that when faced with nurturing their leads from marketing ready to sales ready, have turned either completely hard-sell or bore the living heck out of prospects. They seem incapable of remembering that their prospects are people with problems in need of a solution. I will be providing more on this very soon in a larger context. Stay tuned and let me know...

What else confounds you when it comes to nurturing your existing, but not yet converted leads?