| As I coach a lot of coaches in building their business, | | | | And that's pretty much in line with what hundreds of |
| as I talk with those coaches one thing really stands out. | | | | coaches have told me from my tele-seminars. When I |
| Most coaches websites don't work. At least those | | | | ask "How many calls a month do you get from your |
| websites aren't bringing them very many calls. | | | | website?" The answer is almost always ZERO. When |
| In a recent tele-seminar I asked hundreds of coaches | | | | I ask, "So, how many months has it been since you got |
| on the call, "How many calls a month do you get from | | | | a call?" the answer is typically 10 months or more. |
| your website?" The answer may surprise you. | | | | Now, let's look at some really BIG opportunities that |
| EVERYONE on the call said they had gotten ZERO | | | | you might be missing out on. |
| calls in the last month. So, my next question was, "How | | | | Using Google Keyword Tool to get a report on how |
| many months has it been since you did get a call from | | | | many people are looking for what you do and how, |
| your website?" | | | | you'll find that: there were over: |
| The answer was "about 10 months . . . or longer. | | | | - 201,000 --> Searching for a Life coach |
| Several said they had NEVER gotten a call from their | | | | - 60,500 --> Searching for a business coach |
| website. | | | | - 40,500 --> Searching for a career coachjust for |
| So, is that about what you get? Would you like to do | | | | 30 days in June, 2009. Just think about that. That's |
| something about that? | | | | over 300,000 a month looking for some kind of coach, |
| Here's some reasons why that happens. | | | | and we didn't begin to hit all of the types of coaches. |
| Some Coaches Told Me That They Use Their Site as | | | | Now take that times 12 months, and there are well |
| a Brochure | | | | over 3,624,000 people looking for a coach every year. |
| What this means is that when they go around town | | | | Let's play with those numbers in the formula again. If |
| talking to potential prospects, when they are done they | | | | there are over 302,000 people a month looking and |
| suggest that the person go look at the website to get | | | | you still only got 0.1% |
| more questions answered. | | | | # people who see you X conversion rate = calls, or |
| This is a mistake. Why? | | | | leads you get |
| Many reasons, but first, let's step back and look at "the | | | | 302,000 X 0.1% = 302 people a week. That's |
| marketing formula" to understand the overall concept | | | | considerably different than our first pass that took 100 |
| of what we should be doing and getting from all of our | | | | weeks to get even one call. |
| marketing, and the website is just one of these. Also | | | | Usually, when I say something like this I hear a |
| keep in mind that if the website marketing isn't working | | | | grumbling from the back of the room. Comments like, "I |
| well, that likely says that none of our other marketing is | | | | don't work the whole world" or "I only want a few |
| likely working well either. In fact, use the internet to test | | | | people in my city." |
| what you say and how you say it. Within days you will | | | | Well, if you want to play the game that way, and cut |
| know how your marketing results can multiply by 5-10 | | | | your market down let's use another rule of thumb. I find |
| times easily. | | | | that there's somewhere around 0.5% of the world's |
| The marketing formula:number of people who see | | | | searches done in my city. (302,000x.5% = 1,510 right |
| your marketing X conversion rate of your marketing = | | | | here in town. So, let's run those numbers. |
| number of people who call you, or otherwise act the | | | | # people who see you X conversion rate = calls, or |
| way you want them to. | | | | leads you get |
| Now let's apply that to your website. | | | | 1,510 X 0.1% = 1,5 people a week, or 6 calls a month. |
| Number of People Who See Your Marketing (your | | | | Now I'm going to tell you that a 0.1% conversion rate is |
| website in this case) | | | | ridiculously low, a good figure would be in the 5% to |
| If you are passing your "brochure" around as you | | | | 10% area for websites "that work", and I've got some |
| meet people, what is the number of people that see | | | | working 40% to 60%, but that's a different article and |
| your marketing? | | | | a different time, a whole book as a matter of fact. But, |
| Let's make a high-side guess. Let's say that you meet | | | | 1% to 5% is within reach of all of you. |
| with 10 people in a week, and I'd bet few coaches | | | | Conversion Rate of Your Marketing (your website |
| ever reach that many people. Most struggling to find | | | | conversion) |
| ways to get in front of enough people. So, that number | | | | So, what would a 5% conversion rate do for that last |
| is definitely on the high side. But we'll use it for this | | | | city-wide discussion? It would be bringing you 50 times |
| example. | | | | more customers, or could be bringing you your first |
| On top of that I'd bet that, after you met with 10 | | | | customers in 1/50th of he time. Remember when we |
| people,, that not every one of them even went to the | | | | said that it would take 100 weeks according to our first |
| website, maybe fewer than 1/2, but, I'm going to be | | | | numbers? |
| easy here and say you got all 10 to the website. | | | | For those of you who were hesitating and saying that |
| To apply this to "the marketing formula" we'll also need | | | | you wanted to narrow your field we can either do that |
| to know what the conversion rate is for your website. | | | | up front or qualify them when they call. NOW we |
| The conversion rate is the number of people who | | | | have people CHASING after us and we can afford to |
| contact you after viewing the site divided by the | | | | say yes or now we own't take you. Certainly a much |
| number of people who actually go to the website. | | | | different place to be, right? |
| When I talk to almost any business, let alone coaches, I | | | | So, how do we improve the conversion rate? |
| find that most of them are getting less than 0.1% | | | | That depends on what you say, how you say it, and |
| conversion. That means that we have to send 1,000 | | | | who you say it to. In other words, if you are getting |
| people to the website before we'd get a call. In any | | | | less than 1% you just aren't connecting with your |
| case let's apply "the marketing funnel" to our numbers | | | | target audience and we must say something different, |
| now. | | | | change how we say it, or drive a different set of |
| We are sending 10 people a week to the site, and | | | | people to that website. (Keep in mind that YOU are |
| have a conversion rate of 0.1%. | | | | hand driving people to the website so far). |
| # people who see you X conversion rate = calls, or | | | | We'll answer that question, how to improve the |
| leads you get | | | | conversion rate, in th next article, along with the |
| 10 X 0.1% = .01 people a week, or it would be 100 | | | | answers for how to get in front of that many people |
| weeks, 2 years before you got your first call. | | | | with your website. |