Sales & Marketing Consultant, Bestselling Author & Sales Conference Speaker

One of the hardest things about being in the sales profession is converting your leads into actual buying customers. We learn about selling techniques and strategies and try out many of these tactics and sometimes we are left with less than stellar results. Have you found yourself in this position? Do you find yourself pushing harder and harder for a sale the longer you go without a closing? If this is the case, you need to sit back, relax and re-evaluate your methods. Converting leads into sales takes time, practice and energy. Here are a few things that will assist you.

Form A Relationship
If your mind is centered only on making the sale, you are missing out on the big picture. While closing the sale is a goal, it is only part of the goal. Your goal should be to form a long lasting relationship with your customers. Getting that first sale is great but forming a rapport that leads into repeat business and referrals is much better.

Be Authentic
Don’t be afraid to be you. We all have different personality types and it is important to remember that you are not going to be the perfect fit for every lead that you have. You need to have open communication and see if your product truly is the ideal fit for your potential customer. Your customer will appreciate your upfront honesty and authenticity more than you pushing your product down their throat. In many cases, if a lead isn’t the right fit to be a buying customer, they will have friends or family members that are. When you are authentic, you almost guarantee a positive referral.

Give Them Value
In order to form a great relationship with your customer in today’s market, you must provide value. Social media provides great platforms where you can offer your potential customers information. You can also use these platforms to engage and interact with your current and potential customers. Give your potential customers a reason to trust and like you by providing a stead stream of great content that helps them.

Numbers Matter
The core of turning leads into buying customers is all a matter of numbers. Get leads wherever you can, the more the better. If you are only working with a list of 100, you may end up with 10 buying customers. If you are working with a list of 1000, your odds increase to a potential 100 buying customers or more. A large part of sales is a numbers game. The more leads you have, the more no’s you can plow through to get to those yes’.

One of the most challenging and frustrating part of the sales profession can be turning your list of leads into actual sales. Take the time to implement the above strategies and you will be pleased with the results.

Happy Marketing!
Sean
(Image Creative Commons)
Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

Lots of marketers, both online and off, utilize the internet to attract the attention of potential customers and build email lists. List building may seem like a trivial task but, in the end, it can be incredibly beneficial. Here are a few reasons why.

• If Google, or any other search engine, changes it algorithisms, you may end up with a site that is no longer ranked as highly as it once was. You won’t get as much random web traffic, either. If you build a quality list you won’t have to worry about your ranking because you can contact those who are interested in your services directly.
• Lists help you to build long term relationships with your customers. A lot of people making purchases on the web do not purchase right away. The browse and shop for a while first. If you keep contact via email you’ll be at the forefront of their minds when it is time to make a purchase.
• Lists are profitable. Say you have a strong following of people who really trust what you say and do. If you launch a new product they’ll be the first to buy it, giving you almost instant sales and profits.
• You can use your list to make a bit of residual income as well. Offer a few advertising spots in your newsletters. You’ll be forming a sort of partnership with your advertisers and the money they pay can help to offset the costs of your web hosting, newsletter creation, etc.
• You can increase sales but offering special promotions to those who are subscribed to your list – like discounts or free gifts. Make sure your website details the  benefits of subscribing so that others are inspired to give you their email addresses as well.

There is quite a bit you can do with a strong list if you’re a good marketer. The trick is to build your list – and your brand – first. Good luck!

Sean

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

You’re probably wondering what I mean by  co-registration. Co-registration may seem like a fancy word, but it’s really a simple concept that allows visitors to your website to sign up for more than one service at a time.

Have you ever noticed that many websites include a list of questions and check boxes at the end of their online signup forms? You have to check a box next to any number of newsletters or ebooks you’d like to receive in addition to the one that brought you to the page to begin with. In some cases, a tricky marketer may change the wording to say that you need to check off the box if you do NOT want to subscribe to additional newsletters. In many cases these services aren’t necessarily owned by the same company you signed up with at the start. Many webmasters use co-registration as a method for promoting the products of marketers who are participating in joint ventures.

You should treat co-registration requests the same way you would treat a request for a joint venture. If a webmaster asks you to include registration form for his newsletter on your landing page you’ll want to research the product he is offering and determine whether or not it’s something you’re comfortable promoting. The same applies if you’re asking someone else to include registration information for your products on their page.

It’s important to make sure the opt-in process is as simple as possible when using co-registration tactics. A web user registering for one service won’t appreciate opening his email inbox to find a flood of “click here to confirm your subscription” messages. It’s best to avoid double opt-in features when using this type of marketing technique. Never make your clients jump through hoops to get the information, whether it’s an ebook or newsletter, that you’ve promised. This only frustrates new readers and causes them to immediately ditch your subscription.

There are a number of automated co-registration services available online, just as there are a number of services for standard list-building. You’ll need to look around, compare the benefits, and make a decision as to which is right for your business based on your individual niche and needs.

Co-registration seems to be growing into an increasingly popular marketing method and it’s definitely one you should consider adding to your arsenal. Working together with a partner to advertise each other’s products will increase the rate with which your email subscriber lists grow – guaranteed!

Has anyone participated in a co-registration venture before? If so, please let me know how you felt about the results!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

5 Secrets You Need to Know About List Building

Most Internet marketers walk a fine line when it comes to their e-mail marketing campaigns. While we can all vouch for the effectiveness of e-mail marketing, the tactics used in the list building process are sometimes questionable, if not downright unethical. Never fear – you can work around this and build a profitable list in less time than you think!

It took a lot of trial and error, but I found that there are a handful of things a marketer can do to build a successful e-mail list a little faster than most. Today I’ll share my five favourite tips – and they just so happen to be amongst the easiest I’ve used!

1. Design a squeeze page. A squeeze page is a marketing page that gives a little bit of teaser information about your product, services, newsletters, and giveaways. You’ll use this page to blatantly and shamelessly ask your visitors to leave their names and e-mail addresses in exchange for the information they’ve been looking for. Follow up with your promises and e-mail the information you guaranteed right away. Otherwise, your new prospects won’t trust you and will quickly remove themselves from your list.

2. Create an effective signature and always use it. At this point in your career you should be including a descriptive signature and a link to your website or signup page at the bottom of every e-mail you send. You’ll also want to set up descriptive signatures for use on message boards and forums. The more you tell people about yourself, the more interested they’ll be.

3. Start a viral marketing campaign. Simply put, viral marketing means your information is being spread via word of mouth. If, for example, you send an e-mail offering a free gift or product, you might include a link at the bottom which makes it easy for your current subscribers to tell a friend or family member about the products you have available. That friend will join your list while at the same time sending the original message to her friends, and so on. Viral marketing is free and takes little more than a creative pitch.

4. Implement an article marketing campaign. Write a few informational articles and publish them in online article directories and ezines. At the end of each article you’re going to include a 2-3 line biography about yourself with a link to your web page. If your reader wants more information, he’ll have to go to your page and join your e-mail list.

5. Use strong keywords on your website. Most people find the things they are looking for after performing a simple Google search. Make sure that they find your website by using appropriate niche keywords within your website or blog content. Doing so will cause your web page to appear closer to the top of the search engine result pages!

These list building methods are tried and tested. Better yet, they’re free. Implement one at a time until you are able to determine which one is working best.

Are you willing to share your successful list building secrets? Leave a comment and tell us about what works best for you.

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com