The clock is ticking…

Do you feel the pressure?

We both know if you don’t get enough NEW business you won’t be in IN business for long.

Sure you sell just fine if the person is “well qualified”.

But we both know that’s not the real problem.

The real problem is figuring out how to generate enough of those “well qualified” sales leads in the 1^st place.

It’s not like you were taught how to get leads online… just those same old school prospecting tactics that are running outta gas. The clock on the other hand…It’s not  gonna stop ticking anytime soon.

When your pipeline starts running dry that pressure makes it hard to breath, let alone do your job effectively.

How much easier would it be if  you had a  lead machine of your own? One that pumped out quality prospects so you weren’t constantly worried about filling the pipe?

One that worked for you even while you were sleeping peacefully?

Its not as hard as you might think. Lets dive in

The Smart Way To Prospect

You gotta give them credit.

There are a lot of “experts” out there giving outdated advice on prospecting and lead generation.

It’s not your fault we are having this conversation it’s theirs.

They are STILL telling you to:

• Mine your friends and family for referrals,
• Cold call
• Send snail mail,
• Teach workshops,
• Hold open houses
• Speak in public
• Go door to door!?

Are you serious? The web and social media have changed the game. If you want to Work smart. Get found online.

How do you do that?

Create your own blog.

How to Generate New Sales Leads While You Sleep

People hate to be sold. But they love to buy”

-Jeffery Gitomer

The Internet makes it easy to buy and hard to sell with yesterday’s tactics.

Modern prospecting is all about inbound lead generation and the easiest way to be found by buyers is launching your own blog that positions you as the go to resource.

Let’s look at some good numbers.

• A study conducted by Hubspot showed blogging 1-2 times a month generated 70% more leads

• 61% of consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post

• 31% of consumers online said a company’s blog is the 2nd most influential factor

I’ll take those odds. Especially when creating a blog is inexpensive and easy to do. You definitely don’t need some huge marketing budget.

What are the benefits of blogging?

• It helps you get found online (where modern prospects go first)
• It’s the easiest way to get clients to know like and trust you
• It can transform you into a thought leader
• It is a digital asset for YOU… it doesn’t belong to anyone else
• It will allow you to spend less time looking for solid leads and more time closing

I’ll give you a personal example of how it works for my business.

I woke up today, checked my email on the iPad and grinned like my 2 year old son whenever he finds his favorite toy car (why he loses it everyday is another story). Why I was looking at my favorite kind of emails.

They were from Aweber  ,my email marketing provider, and these kinds of email only mean one thing.

New subscribers had joined my email list overnight.

One of the leads came in at 3:13am. I was know for a fact I was knocked out. You probably were to.

That one joined my email list after reading an article on my blog. Every new subscriber to my email list  could potentially buy my eBook or even enroll in my premium coaching program.”

Listen, I’m not prospecting at no damn 3:13 am. I hope your not either.

My lead machine DOES. “

That’s the power of having your own blog.

Here’s how to start yours today.

How to Create Your First Blog 

Let’s keep this simple.

I’m going to show you how to start your first blog in less than 10 minutes. I personally used GoDaddy for my domain name and Hostgator for my hosting because they are two of the top rated in the industry and provide 24/7 support.

*note I am an affiliate for Hostgator and receive a small commission if you join through my link.  

Step One. Get A Domain For Your Website

#1 Pick a domain name that matches your product or service . Its important to think of the name in terms of what a buyer will be looking for when they find you versus your name, your companies name etc.

I went with Maxyoursales.com because YOU want to increase your sales. I help you maximize them. Think in those terms as you pick the name of your website.

Once you decide on the name.

#2 Go to Godaddy.com and type in the name to see if its available

#3 Once you find a name that suits you. Go ahead and create your account

Step Two. Set Up Your Hosting

#1.Go to Hostgator.com to set up your website hosting account 

#2 Download and install wordpress onto your domain (wordpress is the top blogging platform in the world)

Why use wordpress for your website vs some of the other web building programs?

• WordPress is free to install all you need is a domain name and hosting
• WordPress Is Easy to Learn and Use
• WordPress is upgrade able with plugins and custom themes
• WordPress is search engine friendly and will get ranked better 
• WordPress is multimedia so yoy can easily insert pics and videos

Check out the step by step video below to see how to get up and running in less than 19 minutes.

*This video was created by Christian FP and he provides a coupon code for 25% off the hosting price. His coupon code is Christianfp My coupon code for 30% off is maxyoursales. Use whichever you prefer

Step 3. Select a Theme

Your theme is the overall layout of your website. Its important you select one that is clean and makes your content easy to read. There is a really great article for beginners over on WPBegginer.com

Selecting the Perfect Theme In WordPress

Once you have a theme you are essentially in business. Now you can create your own content, get found online and have an immediate advantage of your competitors that haven’t realized cold calling isn’t smart and the web is the way. 

Next…we turn your new blog into an unfair advantage.

5 Ways to Transform Your Website into a Sales Lead Generating Machine

Want your own profitable lead machine?

In my experience, I have seen the most profitable websites and blogs ALL do some of the same things. Why? Because they work like bleach. Don’t reinvent the wheel use what is already working! 

1. Create content that answers questions and solves problems.

What are people searching for online?

Modern buyers desire instant gratification, so when they have a problem they hop online for solutions. Your blog posts should be the answers to those questions. DO NOT use your website to for the sole purpose of  SELLING, use it to HELP… so people will want to BUY…

…from you.

How do you know the exact questions your prospects are using online?

Just use the “Buyer Telepathy Technique”

2. Use an Email Auto Responder

Email marketing is the new follow up call. Nothing makes keeping in contact easier than having your own email newsletter.

This is where you continue the conversation by providing tips, resources and updates to the people that subscribe. You will:

Build credibility and trust over time and be right there waiting in the inbox when that prospect is ready to buy.

Email marketing services like Aweber let you set up messages in advance and schedule them to go out in a specific order when you want them to (hence the name AUTO responder)

Think about the power of that for a second…

This article will help you create an email list that makes sales

The Secret To Irresistible Sales Follow Ups

This article will show you the best places to capture emails on your blog

Here’s How to Plug 3 Website “Leaks” that Cost You Valuable Subscribers

Listen to this podcast to discover how to catch customers when they are ready to buy

Email Marketing Strategies that Work

3. Make a Lead Bribe

Relax, nothing illegal jeez…

An Ethical lead bribe is one of the quickest ways to build your email list.

There is so much spam out there web surfers won’t just give out their email addresses for nothing.

They need to know what’s in it for them.

The best lead bribes are resources prospects will perceive as valuable and in some cases pay for. Ebooks, mini courses, videos and premium content normally work best.

For example here at Max Your Sales I give instant access to a prospecting toolkit full of helpful resources.

The article below has 10 additional ideas.

10 MOST EFFECTIVE CLIENT ATTRACTION DEVICE GIVEAWAYS

Think about what your prospect would appreciate and what you feel comfortable creating. Then do it.

Even if it’s a just a pdf report to send.

Don’t let this intimidate you. It’s the web…If it’s helpful… Somebody will want it

4. Give Visitors a Compelling Call to Action

We are in the business of selling. We make great money because we get people to take ACTION. Your website should do the same. Don’t wait for action…Initiate it.

Not telling a visitor what to do next is just like not asking for a sale. After every post give your reader something specific to do next…and why.

I ask you to “Join the Revolution against Bad Sales Prospecting” and you already know what I use for my lead bribe.

The President does this.

Here are some resources to help you create killer calls to action

10 Techniques For an Effective Call To Action

The Definitive Guide to Crafting Winning Calls to Action in Your Content

Resistance Is Futile: 17 Calls-to-Action You Can’t Help But Click

5. Send Prospects to Landing Pages

Using a landing page is like calling in the closer.

They do one thing and they do it damn well…

Convert.

Landing pages remove all distractions and are laser focused on getting the reader to take one specific action. They have powerful headlines, bullet point benefits and a very obvious call to action. Most of the time that’s it.

• Want someone on your list? Send them to landing page
• Want your list to schedule an appointment? Send them to a landing page
• Want to use Paid Ads? Send them to a landing page

Want them to BUY NOW?

You guessed it…

Here are some great examples

Click here to have a look at CopyBlogger Media “My Copy Blogger Landing Page

Below is an image of  Online Marketing and Conversion Rock star Derek Halpern’s Landing page to encourage leads to jin his email list. 

 

Notice the the lack of any additional content on these pages…Just Headline, Benefits and exactly what they want you to do. It does one thing and it does it damn well.

“Will This Work For Me?”

That’s a question you have to ask yourself about any advice you get. What I’m talking to you about isn’t the stuff you normally hear in training class and different than what most of the “experts” talk about.

But here’s the thing.

It’s already working in your industry right now

Smart competition already has a head start. Below are a few personal blogs in industries notoriously difficult to generate new sales leads in.

Real Estate

http://www.phoenixrealestateguy.com/

Financial Advising

http://www.goodfinancialcents.com/

Insurance

http://www.insuranceblogbychris.com/

Do you think they are having a hard time getting clients and winning new business?  Could you make something similar with the right guidance?

#WorkSmartNotHard

The TakeAway

Generating new sales leads doesn’t have to be so hard.

You damn sure don’t have to rely on “old school” prospecting.

Creating your own blog will allow you to attract prospects no matter where you are or what you’re doing…Even while you are sleeping.”

Today we talked about some powerful stuff.

• Why you should blog
• How to get started right away
• The exact elements that will make it pump sales leads.

Don’t let this stuff intimidate you or overwhelm you. Just take things step by step, small win after small win.

Eventually you will get where you want to go.

Remember how you felt before your first appointment? Remember how much easier it became after you had a few good ones?

That’s exactly how you will feel when you get this “blogging thing” working for you. Don’t over think it just use resources like you find here at Max Your Sales follow the steps.

The biggest thing is to take action whether you do it yourself or get someone to help you make sure you are moving forward.

This is your wake up call. There is no snooze button in this game.

“DO’ers get what they want, everyone else gets what they get”

So as Nike would say…

Just do it.