Lead Capture

The concept of lead‐capture is easy to understand and even easier to implement. Yet still business owners shy away from it through fear they’ll lose business. And it’s an unwarranted fear.

In the traditional model of internet business, you get someone to visit your site and somewhere on there you’ll ask them to call you or buy something online.

Easy.

Only it doesn’t actually work very well.

The problem comes down to two things.

1.

The “8 second rule”. Which means unless you give them a very good reason to stay around on your site, they simply won’t.

2.

Lack of trust. With the fear of identity-theft and plain mistrust, people shopping online are wary of giving you their money. Sad but true.

Now, remember you’re paying for your visitors. One way or another, every visitor to your website has cost you time, money and effort to get there. If you let them leave without getting something from them... it’s money you’ve lost.

So, since it’s so hard to make the sale “off the page”, isn’t it a better idea to go for something easier?

It is, indeed, and what we go for is their name and email address. We ask for these in return for some free information which is both interesting and valuable to the visitor.

It can be a free guide (e.g. “how to find an honest plumber at an honest price”), a free sample of your product, a month’s free use of your software or system, or anything else your imagination can come up with.

It goes against the common wisdom to be giving material away like this and to be apparently not trying to make a sale, but it makes sense. After all, it’s usually a buyer’s market and you have to do something extraordinary to get customers and clients to buy from you rather than from someone else.

AAnd, how else are we going to get their attention other than by offering them something free and valuable which is directly targeted at their problems, wants and needs? What’s more, what better way is there to build trust than by beginning the relationship with them by giving and not trying to sell them something?

Yes, it can take a little longer because you’ve got to go through the process of capturing the lead, sending out the relationship‐building emails and building that trust before you can make the sale.

But in the long run, not only will your conversion rates be higher but your average sale is going to be higher, too.