Online Lead Generation

Recently a subscriber wrote to me and asked:

Q: "Hello, I am a XXXXX rep. and they really do not have a website. Can you help?"

I left out the name of the company that she's representing because it's not really important to this discussion. However, when she says "they really do not have a website", I believe she means that the company has given her one of those "blind" lead generating websites.

Basically, the page will say you can make money and to leave your contact information. There are no real details, just the form to leave information. Then the website owner usually follows up via phone or possibly email. These companies have been doing this for years, so I have no doubt they work. They are in the business of recruiting, so it would be foolish of them to continue a faulty system.

So, don't knock it because other people tell you that they would never fill in a form on a website like that. The fact of the matter is that they will. I had a brief stint with a company like this and I had a very high conversion of visitors to leads (i.e. a large percentage of my visitors actually completed the form). I just hated picking up the phone to follow up. And really...

As A Mom or Busy Entrepreneur, We Can Use Our Time More Wisely

The truth is, we do need leads...even if we're not offering a business opportunity. We need to capture the names and email addresses of our visitors, so we can stay in touch with our prospects.

The problem I see with the "blind" lead forms above is that they do not "pre-qualify" your leads effectively. This means you end up calling a lot of people that will never join your opportunity -- or even if they do, they aren't good team members anyway. That's a lot of time on the phone and long distance dollars to generate a good number of QUALITY leads.

And besides, if you're like me, you don't like to call people you don't know and ask them to buy your product or join your business opportunity. So, if that's you, here's a way to generate leads that takes less of your time and doesn't have you on the phone all day - and it will still generate plenty of prospects for your business. 

Here's The "Techy-Side" of  You Need to Do : Step-By-Step

If you don't have your own website, you'll need to set one up. You will just need a simple page that collects email addresses and allows you to send out regular emails to your prospects. Here's how to do it:

1. Buy a domain name. This way you'll have an address to send your prospects to like MYWEBADDRESS.com. You can get a low-cost domain by clicking here.

2. You'll need a place to host your domain. This is how your website can be shown on the Internet. When you buy your domain, you can also get low-cost web hosting at the same place. Click here for low-cost hosting (For a simple lead generation website, you'll just need basic "Economy Plan").

3. You'll need a program to manage your prospects. It's important that you don't choose a simple mailing list program because that will not allow you to automate the process. You need to choose a program that allows you to use a pre-sequenced autoresponder. This means that when each person signs up, they'll receive each message in your series in a certain order. Click here for a free trial autoresponder.

4. You'll need to make a simple web page with your mailing list sign up code. Quickly learn how to design your website using free software. Click here  to create a website.

 

That's The Technical Side: Let's Talk Marketing Now

I know that may have seemed complicated, but once you get it going...it will be a piece of cake. Here's how you really start automating the process and pre-qualifying your prospects.

1. Give them details: Tell people what they're getting into when they sign up for your mailing list.  Not only will this help with pre-qualification, but it will likely increase your overall response rate to your form.

2. Offer them a free course or an incentive to sign up: Increase your opt-in rates, by giving something of value to your sign ups. If you have a business opportunity, offer them a 5-day email course on starting a home business. Offer them quality information that subtly promotes your own opportunity.

This will help you establish yourself as an expert in home business, create trust from your prospects and get people interested in your opportunity...AND you don't even have to be at the computer or on the phone to do it.

You will keep adding emails to your autoresponder (well beyond the 5-day email course) that keeps you in the mind of your prospect...even if you aren't physically calling them on the phone. Just take a few minutes each week to add another message or two with good content and information about your opportunity or product.

3. Drive traffic to your website:  The next step is to drive traffic to your website to start growing those leads. Here's a free traffic course, you'll want to sign up for. With a steady stream of traffic, your list will grow and grow...and since you are following up with your list on a regular basis, your leads will start converting for you at a steady pace as well.

You'll be amazed at how many people will be interested in your product or opportunity, just because you offered them good quality information...instead of a hard sell pitch. The best part, you don't actually have to "be there" to provide the information. ;)