Don’t feel bad if you’re not clear what a sales funnel is or how they work. Basically, a sales funnel is the lifecycle of taking a suspect and turning them into a raving fan. The funnel starts when they see your ad somewhere online and click on it. Or… it may start before that if you warm up cold suspects by providing videos on Facebook, Youtube or another platform.
Once they click on your ad, the game is on… and they are in your funnel. I use the term value ladder as do many marketers today. Not only are you sending them through your funnel… but you’re also sending them up the value ladder.

Ideally, you’ll provide them with some free or valuable information when they first enter your funnel and are at the bottom of the value ladder. Ideally, the more they digest, the more and more expensive items or services you offer them. The reasoning behind this is if you offer an expensive service or item before you’ve built trust and established your credibility in the customer’s mind, they are much more likely to say no and never consider you again. That’s why you start slow/free and build trust. The first time you offer them something for money is called a trip wire… and that’s where you get credit card info. After that, as long as your products/services continue to be useful… you can offer them bigger and better items.

That brings us to your core offer. Whatever your main product or service is… after you establish credibility and trust you can now offer it to your returning customer. At this point, you’re way down the funnel and near the top of the value ladder. Finally, you can offer your high ticket items to your clients. These could be a range of different products or services, but these people believe in you and if they have money, they will spend it.

What we do is guide our clients and build effective sales funnels so customers move smoothly through and up the funnel and ladder. We help our clients understand what are good lead magnets, when to offer a trip wire and core offer. We help them find their ideal customer and offer the best products for those customers. So, if you’re looking for high converting funnels and the guidance to explode your online sales… we can help.

Just click this link and get started today: Done For You Sales Funnels – Find Out More

Trust. That’s it. End of article. Just kidding, but it could be. Trust is the #1 thing that branding does for you. People go to McDonalds, despite it being McDonalds because they know what to expect. People buy Lexus because it ranks high in quality. They are confident it won’t break down. People choose Dell computers instead of saving $200 on one just like it because of the name. The brand. And, when people are looking for what you offer, if you don’t have a name they know, they usually go somewhere else.

That is why getting your brand out there is a must. But how do you do it when you are just getting started? I’m so glad you asked. I’m going to share with you some key moves you can make just starting out to grow your brand.

Social Media! Yes, Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter are still your best bets when it comes to reaching customers. Linkedin is very popular among professionals and it’s a really good way to connect with other professionals. But, it’s not used nearly as much as FB and Instagram. And, Twitter is still very popular and a great way to build an audience. So, depending on the age range of your customers, the product and/or service you offer, one or two may be better than the others.

You have to build a presence. And, that presence must cultivate the fact that you are an expert in your field or your product is the solution to a problem they have. Your service can also be a solution… but the idea is you’re going to give tips to your customers… like I’m doing right here. And, here’s the big one. You need to show people that you’re not a small fry, and to do that you need to grow your audience to a respectable level. The way you do that is you follow and you friend. On Instagram and Facebook, there are spamming rules that you must adhere to or you will get your account deleted, so look them up. But, follow and friend away. On Linkedin, grow your connections. The more effort you put in to growing the accounts, the more credibility you will have. But, you must offer quality content.

The thing about FB tho, is that your friend page is separate from your professional page. But, the more friends you have, the easier it is to grow your professional page. What you need to do is move them from friend to follower by inviting them. Just don’t spam them. Once you get your friends to around 5000, which you can if you work at it… you should have close to 1000 follows on your professional page if you take the time to invite them or send them a personal note with an invite.

Social media is a great way to start building your credibility. After that, publishing a book is one of the best things you can do as a professional. People still see authors as experts whether you have a Phd behind your name or not. And, getting to best seller status, even on Amazon is a way to increase that credibility. I have a way to get my clients there, but it’s not something I share publicly. I’m happy to discuss it with anyone who would like to get published. Just reach out.

Public speaking about your subject is another way to gain credibility. Locally, there are many organizations who would let you talk to them. Reach out to the local groups and offer to share some expert knowledge. It will seriously increase your brand.

So, growing your social media presence and showing you’re the expert in your field are ways to increase your brand awareness and trust. Growing your business by offering Free samples and discounts or great deals on small items is part of what is called the value ladder. That also increases brand trust. Specifically, what it does is get people in the door. Once you show them you can deliver, they will buy bigger items from you. It takes a lot to grow a brand. Having a professional website with professional videos that show you in action and having credible testimonials all contribute to your business success. I hope this was enlightening. I’ll be sharing more insights in the coming months. If you are looking for a marketing department at a price you can afford, reach out. I’d love to help you succeed.

This morning, I was talking to Christina, the local U.S. Bank manager here in Branson and we were discussing sales, and one of the major principles of excelling in sales came up, and that’s the concept of fishing v. hunting. I think most of us know the old bible saying that goes, “give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day, but teach him to fish and he’ll eat for life.” That reminded me of how people think sales is like hunting.

When you hunt, you get your rifle or bow and you go looking for the game. When you do that, you hike through the woods as quietly as possible, but more often than not, the game sees or smells you coming and it runs. In sales, suspects and prospects can smell you a mile away and can sense you’re selling. So, what do those people do just like a hunted animal? They run. Then you go chasing after them and that makes them run even faster. In sales, it makes you annoying and they shut their doors, never to open them again. If you don’t want to be that guy or gal, you have to change your idea about what sales should be. It’s not hunting, it’s fishing.

In my book, Online Marketing Secrets (available on Amazon.com) I talk about this and a lot more to help people understand the difference. So, let’s look at fishing. I’m not talking about standing on the bank with a bobber in the water, a lawn chair and an ice chest full of beer. That’s not fishing. That’s hoping. you’re sitting there hoping to catch a fish. That’s no way to sell either. You can’t put up a shingle on a store front and hope people come in. You may as well be chasing them through the woods. They’re not just going to come in unless you’re paying a seriously high rent in a popular place. But, if do the following, you’ll catch fish… in this case… clients and customers.

A real fisherman gets the right lure, a fish finder, a boat that can take him to where the fish are, and guess what… he almost always catches fish. In sales, you have to get the right bait. And what is the right bait? Something your customer wants. Something that solves a problem for them. And, in sales, you have to figure out where your customers hang out. Whether it’s online or locally, who are your customers and where do they hang out? That’s your fish finder. If you are not sure, you have to do some homework. If you blanket advertise, you’re throwing money away. In today’s online world and even locally, you shouldn’t throw advertising dollars at people who don’t want your product. That’s hunting. You should throw advertising dollars, specifically at your target audience. That’s fishing.

As for bait, a good deal on a valuable product or service can be very enticing. A limited time offer that stacks value is also a great way to get your potential customer’s attention. If you offer a great product at a competitive price, you will be able to deliver what you promise. And, remember, fish…. don’t hunt. But, to be successful, figure out who your customers are, entice them with bait you know they want, focus your advertising on people who want what you’re selling. And, finally… build your brand so you stand out from the crowd and they choose you instead of your competition.