Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer

Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer

by: Julie Chance

Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer: A Step by Step Guide for Developing Awareness, Building Credibility and Acquiring Customers

Have you ever watched a documentary about climbing Mount Everest? If so, you will undoubtedly remember one specific segment of the journey where the climbers cross a chasm, one carefully placed step after another, using aluminum ladders strung end to end. For me, just the thought of it is enough to cause an anxiety attack!

There is a similar chasm between your product or service and your potential customers, even if it is only in the potential customers’ mind. And for them, the thought of crossing that chasm is enough to cause a severe case of anxiety.

Picture a group of your potential customers, standing at the edge of a chasm on Mount Everest and you and your product or service standing on the other side. It is your job and the role of your marketing efforts to help potential clients cross that chasm one step at a time. At this stage, your immediate objective is not to get them to purchase. It is simply to get them to take that first step out onto the ladder, followed by one more step, and than another until they reach the ultimate decision to purchase.

It is as ludicrous to expect a potential customer to reach a purchase decision in one step as it would be to expect a Mount Everest adventurer to cross a chasm in one step. So how can you begin to move your potential customers across the purchase chasm?

• Step One Awareness and Knowledge: Before someone can purchase a product or service they must be aware of it. They must also have knowledge about what problems the product or service will solve for them. They must be able to picture in their minds the benefit they will receive from using the product or service, and that picture must be enticing enough to motivate them to take that first step.

At this phase, your objective is to make potential customers aware of your product or service, generally through mass media type activities, advertising, direct mail, articles, public speaking, etc. and then to get them to take the first step by requesting additional information. You might offer a brochure, free report, newsletter subscription or other informational item in exchange for contact information. The key is to offer something that:

* Is of value to your potential client

* Provides him or her with additional knowledge about your product or service and how it will solve his or her problems

* Poses a very low level of risk or obligation on the part of the prospective customer.

• Step two Liking and Preference: Awareness alone is not enough. Potential customers must also have a positive disposition regarding your product or service. Potential customers must trust that you will deliver what you say you will. Several years ago there was an insurance company that did a tremendous job of building awareness through television advertising. However, the ads were so obnoxious that I’m sure the company ranked quite low on the liking, preference and credibility scale.

At this stage, the objective is to get those potential customers who took the first step to take a second step by requesting additional information perhaps a video or booklet, calling for a free consultation, signing up for a free seminar or teleconference, purchasing an ebook, etc. For example, a trainer might gain credibility and allow potential customers to ขsampleข their product by offering free, hour long presentations on topics related to their area of specialty. Again, the offer must be of value to the client, and should pose a slightly higher level of risk, obligation or commitment on the part of the potential customer.

• Step Three – Conviction and Purchase: The final step in the process is getting those potential customers who have begun the journey across the chasm by requesting information and then following up on the information requested to actually make the decision to purchase. In this step, personal, oneonone selling becomes the primary method of achieving the objective. And, if you have developed a relationship with the potential client throughout their journey, this step should be as simple as reaching out to take their hand as they reach the end of the ladder and step off onto the ground. And reassuring them that they have made the right decision by embarking on the journey.

While the process is simple, implementation takes a committed and consistent effort. It may take as many as five to 15 exposures to your product or service for a potential client to move through the process and cross the chasm from lead to loyal customer. They key is to plan those exposures so each one:

•Matches the level of the process where the potential customer currently is (i.e. direct mass media activities to potential customers in the awareness and knowledge phases, and use personal selling with prospective customers in the conviction and purchase phases).

•Builds on the previous exposure, automatically moving people through the buying process one step at a time.

To begin the process of helping potential clients bridge the chasm to loyal customer ask yourself these questions:

1. What are three to five ways I can have an initial contact with members of my ideal customer group?

2. What can I provide as a free offer in exchange for contact information to get people to take the first step?

3. What are two or three intermediary steps I can encourage prospects to take?

4. What are the key promotional tools that I will use at each step?

About The Author

Julie Chance is president of StrategiesbyDESIGN, a Dallas based firm that helps small businesses and service professionals Map A Path to Success by bridging the chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer. For more information or to sign up for our free Marketing Tips Newsletter go to http://www.strategiesbydesign.com or call 9727019311.

[email protected]

This article was posted on November 16, 2003

by Julie Chance

How to Write B2B Ads That Catch Customers

How to Write B2B Ads That Catch Customers

by: Steve Koons

Are your businesstobusiness ads working for you? If they are not making sales, are they at least generating interest in your company? Are they making an impression on your potential customers by making you stand out in a crowd? If not, then you should take a look at this article and get those ads working hard for you.

Don’t just fish for customers, catch them!

ALWAYS include your company name in the first sentence, preferably as the first word. Don’t start out with ‘we’. And briefly state what you do right away. For example: ขSolinc designs plastic injection molds.ข You want them to know who you are right away. Also, many B2B sites don’t allow visitors to view the total ad without paying or registering. You want everybody to at least be able to search for you on the Internet. This can also help your ad to appear on some search engines.

You need a ‘hook’ to reel in your readers. There are probably plenty of other ads right next to yours so you need to get them within the first sentence or two. Use some great adjectives. Which is better: ขSolinc designs injection molds.ข Or ขSolinc expertly designs high quality, precision injection molds.ข Now they know who you are, what you do, and why you are special.

Ask a question about why your reader should choose you and answer it. Questions such as ขDo your customers demand high quality?ข ขAre you looking for a total solution package?ข Then tell them that’s what you deliver, you’ve got what they need.

Clearly state what you do stepbystep. Use bullets, numbers or short dedicated paragraphs. Make a list of your products and services. Then tell a little bit about them. Don’t forget to use your adjectives here. Give them a ‘line’ to find the bait.

Give them some food for thought. It’s time to ask them another question. This time ask them about a problem they might have that you can solve. For example, ขAre you completely satisfied with your current supplier?ข ขAre you frustrated with late deliveries?ข ขAre you looking for faster and more reliable service?ข

Give them a call to action. This is your ‘sinker’. Offer them the answer to their questions by contacting you today. Don’t let them get away.

If you follow these steps you are on your way to catching some customers. But you need a few more pieces of bait to land the big catch.

Include your keywords and company name throughout the text. This can help your ad land in the search engines. Avoid using the words ‘we’ and ‘it’ and ‘our product’.

Use ‘you’ often. It pays to include your potential customer in your ad.

Be entertaining or subliminal, but don’t be boring! This can be a bit tricky in some areas of business, especially manufacturing. A good trick is to use a product noun as a verb and couple it with an adjective. An example would be for injection molds. Not the most entertaining subject, but: ขInject some speed into your production with high quality molds by Solinc.ข And you’ve got a line with pull.

Be sneaky. Some B2B sites don’t allow you to put in your email address or URL in the ad copy. However, if you spell out ขdotข or ขatข in your addresses your potential customers can find you.

And finally, be polite. Never use all caps or more than one exclamation point at a time, be careful of poor grammar or bad spelling. Show your potential customers you care.

Don’t forget, practicing and proofreading lead to good ad copy, which leads to good sales.

About The Author

Steve Koons works in the marketing department of Solinc Die and Mold and lives in Seoul, Korea. To read more of his stuff visit his blog:

http://www.injectionmolds.blogspot.com

http://www.solinc.net

This article was posted on December 30, 2004

by Steve Koons

An Editor Spins Her Thoughts about Web Content

An Editor Spins Her Thoughts about Web Content

by: Linda Jay Geldens

A glossy magazine placed an advertisement on its Web site, targeting the publication’s upscale subscribers. The expensive ad emphasized how perfect the tiniest detail would be for guests who stayed at a certain, very fancy hotel.

There was only one small problem in the ad, but it was big enough to undermine the credibility of the hotel’s claim to perfection. The headline blared, When Everything Has to Just Right.

Uhoh. What happened to the ขBeข before the ขJust Rightข?

You may be losing business or hurting your professional reputation by sending out unedited Web site copy. Text that is riddled with errors will distract present or potential clients. The reader will think, do I really want to buy a product or service from someone whose copy is sloppy?

One way to ensure that your Web site message will be as perfect as possible is to invest in the services of a professional copyeditor/proofreader. In the twinkling of a welltrained eye, a topnotch editor can clean up your Web site copy so it sparkles in the sunlight.

Misplaced modifiers, dangling participles, your’s/yours, two/to, and other hairraising/hareraising errors will melt away. Skilled editors say that mistakes ขleap off the pageข at them. And potential clients will leap off the couch to email or call you because of your magnetic Web site copy.

Horror Stories about Unedited Copy

When Web content is launched into the stratosphere raw and unedited, unfortunate occurrences happen:

A national eNewsletter goes out with the headline ขFor Pubic School Educatorsข (the ขlข is often left out of that pesky word Public)

ขAnd as we stand on the toes of those who have gone before us…ข appears in a scholarly piece (should be ขstand on the shouldersข)

A financial consultant offers a complimentary phone call (which would only have favorable news the word here would be complementary)

$25,000. instead of $250,000. in a document might cause a legal nightmare

The nonword its’ (an apostrophe never follows its) works its way into an otherwise excellent story

ขWe’d like to pedal your ideasข is sent worldwide in a magazine ad, and not just to bicycle owners (peddle is the operative word here)

How Working with an Editor Helps Your Business

Maybe you think that copyediting and proofreading are luxury items in your publications budget. Or that nobody will notice if a few mistakes slip through in your Web site copy. But truthfully, copyediting is a necessity and not a luxury, because people will notice mistakes in your copy.

Here are more ways in which a professional copyeditor can benefit your business, in addition to making suggestions about text additions, deletions, and clarifications:

An editor writes ขzingierข headlines – so potential customers will be drawn into your Web site by the zingine

An editor breaks up dense paragraphs – so potential customers will actually read your copy because it is easy to read

An editor introduces correct punctuation and good grammar – so potential customers will be convinced that your product or service is high quality, since the copy that advertises it is high quality

An editor has ideas about when to italicize or boldface words or phrases – so potential customers will be interested in reading the text

Web site text is different from magazine articles and book chapters. The pages are smaller, the paragraphs are shorter, graphics or photographs often accompany the text. Web site ขvisitorsข are assumed to have a shorter attention span than book or magazine readers.

This means that a reader spends just a few minutes reading the text at your Web site. It makes sense that you will want to present your company or services in as professional a light as possible.

How to Hire a Copyeditor

Copyeditors can be found through professional organizations such as Bay Area Editors’ Forum, Bookbuilders West, consulting and marketing organizations, directories of editorial professionals, ads in newspapers and magazines, and by looking up copyeditors on search engines.

Employing a good copyeditor to shape up your Web site text will ensure that your message is conveyed beautifully – and that’s not just editorial spin!

About The Author

Linda Jay Geldens is an experienced, versatile, lightningfast copyeditor/proofreader/copywriter based in Marin County, near San Francisco. She ขtruly delights in, and has a passion for, working with words.ข Her email address is: [email protected], and her Web site URL (in progress) is: http://www.LindaJayGeldens.com.

This article was posted on March 12

by Linda Jay Geldens

Affiliate Cloaking… What It IS And WHY You Shoul

Affiliate Cloaking… What It IS And WHY You Should Be Using It If Your An Affiliate Marketer

by: Cory Threlfall

Thatกs right, this question applyกs to everyone who actively promotes other companys products and/or services as an affiliate or is considering it because you could be losing BIG BUCKS from your hard earned affiliate commissions because of those UGLY long affiliate URLกs that scream out… กIกm An Affiliateก and scare your visitors and/or potential customers away.

People are very funny this way online when it comes to first impressions.

As an example, which would you rather do business with?

A business with a URL like…

http://www.coryscbmall.com

OR…

http://wetrack.it/eza/af.cgi?aid=3509&ent=25

Now that Iกve planted that seed in your head lets move on to what กAffiliate Cloakingก IS and how it will help convert more of your visitors into SALES!

กAffiliate Cloakingก sounds pretty obvious doesn’t it and it really is because all your doing is replacing that UGLY long affiliate URL with a nice cloaked(forwarded inside an invisible frame), professional Domain Name like the one I listed in the above example that remains กStickyก.

What do I mean by กStickyก?

I simply mean that the URL remains the Domain Name you chose once your visitor clicked on it and doesn’t redirect back to the UGLY long affiliate URL you started with, giving YOU, the Affiliate, a professional look in the eyes of your visitors and/or potential customers.

Simply put, they wouldn’t know if you were the Affiliate or the actual owner of that website.

Howกs all this possible?

Iกll give you three words… กAdvanced Domain Forwardingก.

There are many services online that offer this. Simply go to Google and do a Google search.

Now, if your a serious Affiliate Marketer and/or are just starting out online with affiliate programs then this is something youกll definitely want to look into.

Not only will you look professional in the eyes of your visitors and/or potential customers youกll also be Safe Guarding your hard earned affiliate commissions.

There you have it, กAffiliate Cloaking… What It IS And WHY You Should Be Using It If Your An Affiliate Marketerก.

Remember, first impressions matter, especially when your doing business online.

Copyright 2005 The IWE, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

About The Author

Looking for a Advanced Domain Forwarding service you can trust? Go to ==> http://namestick.coryscbmall.com OR…you can go shop Cory Threlfallกs popular CBmall that carries over 10,000 of the Internets TOP InfoProducts and Webmaster Resources. Go Shop: http://www.coryscbmall.com.

This article was posted on August 06

by Cory Threlfall

10 Sizzling Offers That Sell Like Crazy

10 Sizzling Offers That Sell Like Crazy

by: Richard Meredith

One of the best way to increase your sales is to offer your potential customers a special offer. It could be trial offers, discounts, purchase awards, etc. Below are ten sizzling offers you could use to sell your products like crazy.

1. You could offer your potential customers a free sample of your product. If the sample proves what you claim, there is a high chance they will buy it.

2. You could give your potential customers a free trial of your product or service. Tell them you won’t bill them for 30 days.

3. You could offer your potential customers a rebate after they buy your product or service. They will feel they are getting a good deal.

4. You could offer your potential customers a monthly payment plan. Tell them they can pay for your product or service with three easy monthly payments.

5. You could reward your potential customers if they buy a specific number of products. Tell them if they buy 3 or more products, they will get one free.

6. You could reward your potential customers if they spend over a specific dollar amount. Tell them if they spend over $100, they get a 10% discount.

7. You could hold a holiday sale for your potential customers. Tell them everything on your web site is discounted up to 50% on Thanksgiving Day.

8. You could hold a buy one get one free sale for your potential customers. Tell them if they buy one product, they get another product for free at the same value.

9. You could hold a special $1 sale for your potential customers. Theyกll come to your web site to buy your product for only a dollar, but may buy other products.

10. You could offer your potential customers a bonus coupon when they buy one of your products. It could be a coupon for another product you sell.

Copyright 2005 Richard Meredith

About The Author

Richard Meredith is the author of the critically acclaimed ebook ‘the BLACK BOOK of Online Businessก the musthave source book for anyone doing business online… or even THINKING about it!

http://www.straighttalkmarketing.com

This article was posted on September 06

by Richard Meredith

Are You Driving Away Potential Customers?

Are You Driving Away Potential Customers?

by: Karin Peavy

When a prospect lands on your website will he or she understand what you are presenting? Do your ordering/sign up instructions make sense? Can prospects easily find the information they are searching for? If you don’t know the answers to these questions you may be driving away potential customers.

As a writer I put a lot of effort into making ideas clear. Therefore, I sometimes find it annoying when I can’t figure out what a webmaster is trying to say. I admit I sometimes don’t grasp a concept because I’m in a hurry. However, I’ve run across poor formatting, grammar and spelling as well as poor continuity that make web content difficult to understand. This is a big turn off for visitors.

If you are not good at writing consider hiring someone to do it for you. Or, perhaps a friend or relative can tackle this job for you. By doing so, you are assured your web content is proficient and easy to understand. You can then use the time savings (the time you would have spent writing) to focus on other facets of your business.

If you plan to handle writing responsibilities yourself keep a grammar book handy for reference. Ask someone to proof your work.

Not sure of the spelling of a word? Look it up or ask someone for the correct spelling. Even if you believe you know the spelling of a word, it’s still a good idea to look it up. Maybe the person who wrote ขof coarseข rather than ขof courseข was in a big hurry or maybe they didn’t know the difference.

Regarding explanations, it’s sometimes appropriate to SHOW instead of TELL. For instance, if someone signing up for a program must choose a password that is a combination of letters and numbers, include an example of how the password should look.

Employing the use of charts is another good technique. Many MLM companies use charts to explain their compensation plan.

List the benefits of your offer using bullet points:

A list is easier to read than one long paragraph.

The visitor is more likely to keep reading.

And that’s your goal, isn’t it?

I recently visited a website that promised a free ad in an ezine. I was directed to a link that promised more information. When I landed on the website I could not find what I was looking for. I studied the navigation bar. Which button would give me access to the information I was looking for? I decided to guess. I clicked on three buttons before I finally found the right one.

The purpose of the ขfree adข was to draw me to the website. Once there the website owner wanted me to look at other offers and possibly buy. Perhaps the owner felt if the free ad information was too accessible, I would not take time to look at other offers. However, the reverse could have also been true. If I found the free information easily accessible I might have been more inclined to purchase something because I viewed the site as ขcustomer friendly.ข

If you make it too hard for potential customers to get to the information they are looking for, some will turn away and find another source.

Not sure if your website is customer friendly? Ask customers/visitors to evaluate your website. Keep the survey short and simple. You could ask, ขHow would you rate the flow of our website? The choices: extremely easy, easy, extremely difficult, somewhat difficult. Ask your customers to add their personal comments. To keep your survey response rate high give participants a free gift (ebook, ad in your ezine, etc.).

When potential customers land on your website it’s because they are drawn to your offer. Once they click through, make sure they remain interested by providing wellwritten content, easytoread formatting and by ensuring the information they are searching for is easy to find.

(c) Karin Peavy

About The Author

Karin Peavy has been marketing online for three years. She is webmistress of http://www.incomewaterway.com where visitors will find affiliate programs, marketing information, articles and resources. She also publishes free marketing tips twice weekly.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 04, 2004

by Karin Peavy