No this isn’t a Christmas in July theme. In fact there will be very little “good will” spread throughout the course of this discourse. It might even be considered a “gripe” session but the territory I am going to cover just plain needs to be unearthed, examined, and explained in proper context. Allow me to state some facts about the list method we have perfected here at Prospects International:
A.) It has created over 2.5 million workable leads since we brought it to the market in 2015 as a monthly lead generation method
B.) No one has come close to duplicating the amount of activity generated by this method using another strategy.
C.) No one has plagiarized it well enough to even sniff our level of performance. With AI added features we are leaving the rest of the direct response marketing world behind in a cloud of innovative dust.
None of that sounds like complaining does it? In fact it sounds a bit braggadocious to be frank. (Frankly, I’m not Frank, I am Jack) Before I start my griping in earnest, allow me to share a story: In the early days of my sales and business career, my direct response vehicle was targeted direct mail. Often when a potential client was throwing objections out I fielded this one: “Well, I can do my own direct mail. I can order some information and find a printer and someone who knows how to mail cards and letters.” To which I replied, ”of course you can, but have you considered that not all direct mail campaigns are a smart investment?” By planting this seed of doubt in the mind of an inexperienced mail person, it most often led to, ”What do you mean by that?”, after which I would establish myself as the expert I was.
Since I was calling on small businesses, mostly “moms and pops”, they hadn’t the first clue about direct mail fundamentals or any of the tried and true Madison Avenue building blocks a sturdily constructed direct mail campaign needed to give it its best chance to succeed like the MOP formula. See what I mean? Even if you Google it, it is a fundamental buried so deep in a sea of dysfunctional search AI that the acronym never surfaces for what MadAv used it for: it stood for “Market – Offer – Package.” To build a correctly constructed email campaign you have to first identify the market correctly, secondly, give them an offer that moves it and thirdly, deliver it using the best vehicle (package) to deliver the message. Two out of three don’t get it. Many times people thought because they had tried it (without knowing the best way to use it) that it didn’t work and would arrive at the conclusion that, "mail just doesn’t work for me.” Then I would come in and apply the proper fundamentals and “boom” the market would respond.
The purpose of my non-digital marketing story? MOP still matters. In the digital realm, you still must identify the proper target, give an offer that creates action by the consumers and deliver it in a manner/package to which they will respond. The playing field has changed but the fundamental remains – you have to give the right offer to the right folks using a format they will respond to. How have we been so successful at finding online opportunities? We do all three, and no I will not get into secret sauces here. I will however harp on one, the delivery of the offer. Here is where the dysfunctional behavior which has inspired this writing turns into the sour grapes I have so deeply wanted to opine about. I’ll start with the word “why.” More accurately the one word question, “why?” Why would anybody hire the most talented lead generation agency, give them the ad dollars to find the right market, drive the prospect to a landing page optimized for conversion and give them the ability to fill out a form to see a specially formulated clearance list; Then have the agency send an automated email to deliver a link to the list and then serve up a lame list and first impression?
Another “why”: Why would anyone feed their sales staff leads and not compel them to learn how to chase them and turn them into appointments efficiently?
First let me proudly state that we have many clients who do both well. They serve up a professionally-built and attractive inventory list with videos and pictures and nice descriptions of instruments that shoppers would be proud to own. Unfortunately we have some who don’t do one or both all that well, but still sell enough to justify the program because of the low hanging fruit we find them. They haven’t bought into the follow up culture totally but do appreciate the special opportunities we bring to the table.
Some thoughts about plagiarism: First off, it truly is a form of an underhanded compliment so we’ll give the Devil his due on that. The most aggravating thing about the plagiarists and mutant-list proponents is that they keep butchering the sales psychology needed to execute them properly; they just plain “don’t get it.” The pervasive mindset among local agencies and retailers is to serve up a comprehensive inventory list, as opposed to a special clearance list built to be different than what can be viewed without them offering up their contact information, such as would appear for free on their website. This is NOT the type of fair trade that “consent marketing” promotes or calls for to make it successful. A “Used” app method calls for a list that matches the theme, as does a “Smart Piano”, a New Neighbors, or a home page website list offering. There should be consistent messaging in that the list should match the title of the promotion and the header on the landing page, not only the list but the header on the list. A smooth message needs to be synergistically delivered from the ad placed (be it social or search), to the landing page, to the title at the top of the list.. AND THIS IS JUST FOR STARTERS!!! In other words, just like a good mail campaign there are digital and age-old fundamental marketing guidelines that must be abided by for lead generation to be effective. TRANSLATION: There are a ton more ways to screw it up than get it right.
Consumers have always wanted choices. Since the days of the printed catalogs, companies have been displaying their wares and services in hopes of consumers getting their interest piqued enough to buy. Integrated lead generation takes marketing to the next level. It not only exposes the public to what you sell, but using “consent based marketing” gives them something of value in exchange for their contact information. Whether your company is direct sales driven (“eat what you kill” with all the follow up skills needed to do so) or a conventional point of purchase retail operation, well designed lead generation feeds your company more steadily than any other form of advertisement. For the conventional retailer, it provides invaluable consumer information to feed automations that cause engagement, email addresses for email marketing and social media likes and interactions that build an all important social media community to network with. For the “direct sales” organization, “leads” can be the lifeblood that allows salespeople to have what they need most to be successful: people to talk to.
Here are just a few “do-it-your-selfer”, “local agency” gaffs that sabotage a lead generation strategy:
#1 Treating a list like it is the sales person in the interaction instead of the conversation starter. If you make your list look like it provides everything the consumer needs to make a decision without a salesperson to help them with advice and context, it can be the kiss of death on many luxury item sales. Make sure you actually want to be “commodity” oriented in your presentation if you present it in such a comprehensive manner. Making a fine instrument, boat or car seem like they are not a “one of a kind” opportunity can devalue high end sales terribly. Encouraging the consumer population to make a decision based upon a picture and a price with no advice is not always the best high end strategy. Novices do this all the time and drive many relationships away because they make a decision without the sales pro involved.
#2 This one drives me crazier than I normally am!!! Making a special list available without any harvesting tool so you can make a connection with the prospect and gather valuable information for ongoing communications. It happens all the time. Companies just “put it out there” and settle for the occasional sales instead of being efficient and harvesting prospect information for follow up, ongoing reputation management and referrals. Absolutely “Bush League” as we used to say.
#3 Burying the consent optimizer/widget on an interior page instead of the homepage where all the initial traffic is. We’ve had clients place our widget or “call to action” button somewhere deep in the navigation then wonder why the volume is low… duh!/#$!@?!@!
#4 Gathering leads without having well thought out automations in place. Automations that end in a question create valuable dialogue. Bridge Widgets provides “question based” automations that help leads engage at a higher rate.
#5 Gathering leads and not integrating them into an email server for long term reputation management and positioning communications.
#6 Gathering leads and after they are in your email marketing platform sending them a monthly sale notification that positions you as the Walmart of the piano world… Always a “Blue Light” (remember those?) special in progress. Guess what? If you’re always running a sale on everything, that IS your regular price. Always sending emails that are a promotion is also a great way to build a barrier and get more opt outs. Think about sending some emails that position your company as the friendliest and most dependable place to get good information.
#7 Instead of a special, well thought out list with value above and beyond the entire “kit and kaboodle” on the website people build a list of EVERYTHING they have, out of context, and think they’ve done the consumer, who often knows just enough to be dangerous, a favor. NOT. The psychology behind the list method is to be a catalyst for curiosity and parlay that into a relationship where the prospect gives you permission to be their concierge. On the surface many people think, “Hey! I can build a list,” without realizing that there is a right and wrong way to make the first impression so that you make more friends.
I could go on, but these are sufficient to make the main point: the list method can more easily be done wrong if the builder doesn’t have the proper delivery method and knowledge of the sales psychology to make it yield the most sales opportunities.
We are complimented that we have made such a splash and that there are so many versions of what we do circulating but unfortunately, they haven’t delivered the results that are built into the many innovations that reside in today’s LeadFlow program. We have many apps to consider: the “Used Clearance in Progress”, the Premium Piano Clearance, Smart Pianos etc., and also the groundbreaking and concise “Bridge Widgets” list. We specialize in the list method and know what it takes to build a stream of revenue by getting the right list in front of the right consumers.
If you’re going to employ lists then please give the elements, details and sales psychology behind them some thought before you “put it out there.” Then, there is always the option to call us. We already know what works best.
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs
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