Small Business Talk
The Podcast to Grow your Business Faster
Are You Getting Enough Leads Into Your Business?
Show Notes
How is your business going? 2020 was definitely been a strange year. Use these next 70 or so days to salvage the year and make your business grow.
Getting your business found by ideal customers can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be.
The internet is a noisy space and attracting your perfect customers is a complex task which is part science, part positioning, part customer love and part luck. To get the right balance for your exact situation is crucial.
For your business to grow and thrive you need to have a constant flow of qualified leads interested in your business’s solution, month in and month out.
Your Marketing Should Be Making You Money
Your marketing should be making you money and attracting more customers to your business, but with all the shiny objects, the endless social media options and constant emails offering this service and that; who do you trust? What should you believe and how do you even start?
Your business (and many others like you) are the backbone of our local economy and marketing local businesses has been the same process for decades.
Find people who have the pain point and the problem that your business solves,
show them your solution
and let them buy it.
Every business is different and the marketing strategies used for each needs to be different too. A café will have a vastly different approach to that of a computer reselling business. No matter what type of business you have, the process will be the same.
Many Businesses Fail Before the First Year is Out
Many businesses fail to make it through their 1st year and by the 4th year up to 40% will have closed. The survival rate of businesses gets better as the size of the business increases.
Why do so many businesses fail within the first four years?
- Cashflow
- Late Payments
- Lack of Sales
- Lack of Qualified Leads
Having been in business for almost 2 decades I see the same thing over and over; small businesses are not getting enough qualified leads to generate sufficient sales to thrive.
There are many ways to get leads however not all leads are created equal. Without a plan – a detailed marketing strategy, your marketing budget could blow out and not achieve the results that you need for your business to grow year after year.
Getting Leads Into Your Business
Create
Firstly, we need to create awareness, get exposure and visibility so that your ideal customers can see your solution to their problem.
Elevate
Secondly, we need to elevate you by educating and nurturing your prospects to show them that you are the expert and one to be trusted with the solution to their problem.
Connect
Thirdly, we need to connect you with your ideal prospects so you can have more qualified sales calls, that you can then turn into happy customers.
Every factor plays an important role to ensure that you speak with qualified leads; people who are ready to buy and are looking for the solution that your business offers.
Start With Your Website
It takes someone 3 seconds to form an opinion of you when they first meet you and online it could be even quicker. You need to be visible to your potential customers and the first place we need to start is your website.
You might be thinking do I really need a website in this age of all these wonderful social media platforms?
The answer is most definitely . . . YES
A website gives your brand one central home that your customers expect and shows you are a serious business.
Websites can build rapport with people before you even meet them, so they feel like they know you.
You Only Get One Chance to Make a First Impression
If you are not using your prime real estate, both your physical and digital spaces, you can bet that your competition is.
Bill Gates first said “Content Is King” way back in 1996 and it is as relevant today as it was then, maybe even more so.
Marketing to Everyone is Marketing to No-one
Not everyone that sees your products or service has the problem that you solve or is ready to buy from you. This doesn’t mean they will never need your solution.
Think about a trip to the doctors.
You happily go along to the GP to get a bad cold sorted or an undiagnosed illness however as soon as you know it is serious then you want to be referred onto a specialist. The specialist you are looking for is the person that specialises in the disease that you have not any other.
Yet often we do not treat our business so seriously especially when it comes to marketing on social media. The classic cases I see is business owners throwing up a few posts here and now with no purpose or strategy. They post a lot of post in succession then nothing . . . crickets for weeks, even months.
What you had for lunch, your pet cat or your children’s achievement belong on your personal profile, not your business page.
Why do you think Facebook has grown to be such a large part of many people’s lives? Connection
The other big mistake I see particularly on Facebook is only posting sales copy on their business pages.
If you want to really get the most out of your social media platforms for your business you need to be seen as the expert in your field, posting regularly with a variety of content types.
Having a social media matrix for your business helps to progress your audience along their buyers’ journey and can frequently pre sell your audience before you have even spoken to them. Having a sales conversation with a qualified lead is much more enjoyable and profitable than wasting time with someone who may or may not need your services.
Sales is a Numbers Game
Sales calls don’t have to be a numbers game. You know, the more calls you make the more sales you make . . .
Having sales calls with qualified leads that know who you are, what you offer and really want your services not only makes your statistics much better it also makes your day better.
Are You Getting Enough Leads Into Your Business?
Listen to Small Business Talk Episode 088 for the full episode.
Get your free Lead Application Framework where you can get a step by step plan by clicking on the link.
