HOW TO BOOK MORE CLIENTS AND SKYROCKET YOUR TRAFFIC PART 2
This 3 part series is all about simple changes you can make to your blog or business, that will help you book new clients and increase your traffic.
Every blogger, no matter how big or small their tribe, is looking to build on their sales and their web traffic. It’s the nature of blogging, and the challenge that drives us.
Last week we covered some tactics for grabbing your reader’s attention and attracting people to your site. This week we are going to talk about sales. If you’re struggling to find the right clients and you feel like you’re working your butt off on social media to attract visitors, but nobody is buying, this section is for you.
I’m going to show you 2 things you can do right now to help you book new clients, and make more money. Cuz, um, that’s the whole point right?
PERFECT YOUR PROCESS TO BOOK NEW CLIENTS
The secret to booking new clients is actually pretty simple. I’m sure you already know this part on some level.
1. Talk to the right people
2. Show them the right information
3. Make it easy for them buy
That’s really all it takes. The more complicated part of this whole thing, is figuring out where the right people are, what information they need, and what exactly is stopping them from buying. Since we already learned how to find the right people, let’s tackle how we show them the right information.
In my years as a professional social media strategist working with brands like Audi, Oreo, and Home Depot, every campaign started with a very detailed process document that clearly laid out the answer to those questions. I’m going to show you how to find that same information about your customers, and how you can use it right now to book new clients.
1. BUILD A SALES FUNNEL
Every new lead starts as a visitor with no, or very little knowledge of you and your business. A sales funnel is the full collection of steps that person takes from the first impression all the way to handing over money in the final sale.
Understanding your sales funnel is one of the easiest and fastest ways to start generating more sales.
Understanding your sales funnel is one of the easiest and fastest ways to start generating more sales. #mompreneur #girlboss #hustle
— Olivia Derby (@OliviaRDerby) May 9, 2016
Boss ladies like yourself very often already have some amazing content out there, and an amazing product. The struggle comes in when we don’t know how or when we should be showing which content to each visitor.
If this sounds like a big, expensive, highly technical deal…relax. It’s not.
To build your sales funnel you just need to know these 5 things that make up the 5 stages.
1. How do you get people to your site who have never been there before?
2. What makes them interested in learning more about you and your business?
3. How do you show the value of your product/service?
4. How will you filter out bad matches?
5. Where do your customers go to pay?
To answer these questions, go through that awesome content you already have and figure out which posts, pages, downloads, emails, webinars, videos, links, and forms belong in which stage.
At the end of this post I’ve got a totally free workbook for you to help you out with this, and everything else we’re covering today. No worries. I got chu.
A few examples for you:
Stage 1: How do you attract people to your site?
-Blog posts
-Social media
-PR
Stage 2: What makes them interested in you and your business?
-Opt-Ins
-Free downloads
-Webinars
-Facebook groups
Stage 3: How do you show the value of your offer?
-Product pages
-Testimonials
-Interviews with past clients
Stage 4: How do you filter out bad matches?
-Pricing pages
-Email blast
-Sales calls
Stage 5: How do new clients make a payment?
-Purchase page
-PayPal link
-Money Transfer
The downloadable workbook includes more great ideas and inspiration for content to use at each stage of the funnel.
2. SHOW VISITORS WHERE TO GO
When someone comes to your website, do they immediately know where they should click next? If you want someone to book a session or buy a product, you need to guide them through your website. Lead them from first getting to know you, all the way through the final sale.
“Um, what? How am I supposed to do that?” (I’m talking to myself now.)
It’s actually way easier than you think. You know what your sales funnel is now, so guiding people from one stage to the next should be easy. Here is how to do it.
1. DOES YOUR HOMEPAGE CLEARLY SHOW USERS WHERE TO GO NEXT?
If your home page is the first page someone ever sees, there should be information that excites and interests that person, as well as a clear call to action for what to do next. In the sales funnel, you know that stage 2 is all about capturing interest, so you want to make sure new users to your site have a clear path to content they’re going to fall in love with.
Include links to some of your best content with call to actions like…
“ Stop Budgeting and Learn How To Live Like a Millionaire on Just $10 a Day! Click here to download the FREE ebook”
“Struggling to get people to RSVP to your party? Find out the 1 trick that gets everyone to respond. Click here to read the article.”
“Learn how to launch a brand new blog in just 14 days. Click here to get started”
Make it super clear where new users can go, with in your site, to find more awesome information that is relevant to them. Be sure to use call to actions that clearly outline a problem or goal, how you will help them solve that problem or reach that goal, and instructions on how to access the information.
Problem or Goal + Solution + How to access the information = Great Call To Action
Problem or Goal + Solution + How to access the information = Great Call To Action #bossmom #mompreneur #hustle
— Olivia Derby (@OliviaRDerby) May 9, 2016
2. DO YOUR LEAD MAGNETS LINK TO SOME PRODUCT INFORMATION?
The whole reason you’ve put all that time into creating a totally awesome opt-in is so that you can collect emails and make sales. Lots of bloggers have great opt-in content, but it doesn’t offer any way for a user to take the next step and become a real, paying customer.
Equip all of your opt in content with a call to action that directs users to more product information. Some easy ways to use this to start to book new clients are…
-Create an email which delivers downloads to your readers and includes product information and a link to your shop/services page.
-Add links on that “Thank You” page that shows up after a mailing list subscription or download.
-Include clickable links and images in your free downloadable PDFs.
-Use an automated email chain to send new subscribers product info a few days after signing up.
-Include call to actions and links to your products/services in your newsletter.
3. DOES YOUR PRODUCT INFO MAKE YOUR SALES PROCESS EASIER?
You know what I love most about the internet? The fact that it goes a LONG LONG way to making our lives easier (you know…mostly). So are you using your website to make your sales process easier?
Give visitors to your product/services pages access to information that will help you weed out bad matches for your buying process. Use things like pricing, availability schedules, and project timelines to help filter out people you can afford your product or are unwilling to work with your process. Try automating the process you use to send clients quotes or invoices.
4. MAKE IT EASY TO BOOK NEW CLIENTS AND MAKE A PAYMENT. EASY PEASY.
I’ve seen it over and over. Clients have AWESOME (like really awesome) sales cycles, but they still get frustrated that clients seem to drop off their radar just before the final commitment can be made.
If you’re feeling like this could be you, then there might be an easy solution. Take a good hard look at that final step of the process. What do you potential clients need to do to confirm the commitment and make a payment? If the process is too complicated, requires too many steps, or asks them to seek you out with no prompting, you might have answer.
Make it easy for people to take the final step and give them all the opportunities you can to do so. Send them an email with a link to the payment page. Include a link to the payment page on any quotes or estimates you send. Get creative and find ways to make it simple and easy to convert.
Building a sales funnel and creating user flows are the easiest ways to totally transform your sales process. Now download this free sales funnel workbook and go make some sick sales!
Boo ya. Tell me about your process! Leave a comment and tell me about your biggest sales challenge. I’ll answer every question you guys have on this one!