HOW TO GENERATE FAR MORE LEADS FOR SELLING YOUR
PRODUCT AND SERVICE AND HOW TO DETERMINE
WHICH OF THEM ARE WORTH YOUR TIME AND MONEY
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Product and service sellers, does this sound familiar?
The phone rings... or a response coupon arrives in the
mail... or an actual flesh and blood "lead" walks through
the door.
You drop everything so you can pay full attention to this
lead. You write the necessary letter... or put an
information packet together... or, if the lead stands before
you, you turn the full force of your winning personality on
him, certain you're about to get the business.
But what happens more often than not...
The phone call that you return to the lead is never
answered... or your second call or even your third.
The letter you send... or the packet of expensive
materials... never gets an answer... even if you follow up
by phone.
And the person you spent so much time with in your office
merely goes off saying he'll mull things over... and as far
as you know he still is: a year later!
Does this all sound sickeningly familiar? Well, if this
reminds you of all too many situations that happen around
your office, listen up... because you're making the same
mistakes that are bedeviling most product and service
sellers and costing them time, money and self-esteem.
It's time for a change!
Step 1: Understand The Game
When you start selling a product or service, you've started
playing a game. It's an important game, make no mistake
about that; it's one with very real prizes... and the
possibility of very real losses, too. Like all games it has
an objective -- in this case to bag the maximum number of
prospects and transform them into paying customers as soon
as possible -- and it has ways of operating that are more
sensible than others. The problem is, most people who sell
products and services don't know these sensible operating
procedures. Instead, they suppose that the people who call
them, who send in response coupons, who answer ads, and who
walk through their doors are serious, honorable, well-
intentioned people who have come to do business and that all
they, the product/service sellers, have to do is explain the
product or lay out the merchandise and the sale's as good as
made.
If you believe this, GET OVER IT!
In the game of selling more products/services, here's
something crucial you need to keep in mind: a large
percentage of the so-called "prospects" who contact you are
not real. By this I mean, while they are perfectly
interested in the benefits you have available, they do not
possess the necessary attributes it takes to acquire these
benefits. That is, they either don't have the money to
purchase or even the authority to make the commitment. Oh,
sure, they'd like to be able to go ahead... and would, too,
if you stripped the shirt off your back to make it possible.
But as far as approaching the matter of doing business with
you with any semblance of reality, they either can't or
won't.
Thus, you must start by:
## reminding yourself that a substantial percentage of the
people who approach you are not real prospects, that is that
whatever they say they do not have the necessary
prerequisites to buy what you're selling;
## changing the game from one where you assume everyone will
buy to one where you assume that only a fraction of those
approaching you will buy... and that only this fraction is
deserving of any real attention from you;
## changing the focus of your interaction with prospects
from one where you first make every effort to present and
defend your credentials and the benefits of what you have
available... to one where, before you present any such
information, the "prospect" must convince you that he is
indeed a real prospect, capable of purchasing your offer,
and not just another resource waster.
Step 2: Develop Offers And Marketing Communications That
Generate The Maximum Number Of Leads
The process of selling products and services breaks
naturally into two crucial components: generating leads and
closing leads. These components are inter-related but
distinct. One of the major problems faced by most
product/service sellers is that they generate far too few
leads. These leads, including the high percentage of
unproductive ones, get more attention than they deserve. The
objective of the lead-generating process should be nothing
more than generating the largest number of leads in the
shortest period of time for the least expense. These leads
must then be scrutinized to determine which are the most
likely to result in a sale. Those that pass this test should
then be processed as expeditiously as possible to bring
about the sale.
Is this how you're doing things now? I doubt it.
If you examine the ads, cover letters, flyers, brochures and
other marketing communications produced by the overwhelming
majority of both product and service sellers, it is clear
these people don't have the slightest idea they're playing a
very important game, much less do they have any idea what
they're supposed to be doing to win that game.
Take the self-mailer flyer I received today from Network
Associates of Stamford, CT. They're trying to sell
advertising in a new publication called "Carousel
Advertiser." Fair enough.
Now, the prospects for this advertising are either 1) going
to buy their ads directly from this particular marketing
communication, or 2) they are going to somehow indicate to
the marketer that they are interested in having further
information, thereby inviting the marketer to convince them
to buy his service.
Once you understand that this is the game, and have made a
decision about which action you want the recipient to take,
it's relatively easy to create the right marketing
communication, the kind that generates fastest response.
Now you tell me, does Network Associates succeed?
The address panel says, "GET THE BEST AT THE LOWEST PRICE."
That's all.
The reverse (or back) panel says ""SOMETHING NEW INSIDE."
Now, I remind you, the game is to speak directly to a
targeted prospect, to provide a clear benefit for him, and
to do EVERYTHING possible to get him to take the action you
want him to take as quickly as possible.
I submit to you that by this standard the people at Network
Associates haven't got a clue what they're doing... or what
marketing is all about.
-- Get the "best" what?
__ the "lowest price" for what?
__ Okay, so there's "something new inside." So what?
These marketers are so enamored of what they've got that
they've forgotten what this marketing communication is
supposed to do... to talk to a designated prospect and make
him want to take fast action to either acquire the benefit
they've got for him... or tell them he needs further
persuasion.
The marketing farce perpetrated by Network Associates
continues inside the letter with this opening line: "We are
introducing our new 'Carousel Advertiser' with a special
edition over the next few months." What are these people
thinking of anyway?
The only way to respond to a sentence like this is with a
great big yawn and the words "So what?" "What's in this for
me?" "Why are you bothering me, anyway?"
Look at the first word you see: "We". Now, I ask you: who is
the potential buyer more interested in anyway, himself or
"we"? Does he care about what you're doing... or what he
gets? Put this way the answers are obvious. The reason they
are not obvious to the substandard marketers at Network
Associates is because they are more interested in
themselves... and they are going to force their potential
customers to share this interest, whether those prospects
want to or not.
Now hear this: this careless, selfish and otherwise
inadequate work of Network Associates is absolutely typical
of most of what passes for marketing communications in
virtually all firms. Check out your own documents and see
for yourself... and you'll find out that you're spending
time and good money producing "me-centered" communications,
too. Just how you expect these communications to generate
the maximum number of leads for you is anybody's guess.
Instead, sit down and deal with this situation from the
point of view of the only person who matters... the
prospect. What have you got... what can you think up... what
can you do to make this crucial person sit up, take notice,
and ACT?
To make this work, you've got to:
## turn every feature into a benefit. Features are about
what you're selling. They're descriptions of what you've got
and include such matters as your hours of business, how many
employees, your location, specific product and service
components, price, color, weight, etc. Think of features
like nouns: they are just descriptive attributes which
define your offer. Benefits, however, are what the buyer
gets when he uses these features. If features can be
presented in lines beginning "It has..." then benefits are
lines that shout "You get..." Of course, YOU GET is stronger
and more motivational than "it has."
## prioritize your benefits for the target group you're
trying to motivate. All benefits aren't equal. Some are more
important than others. But what determines importance is
just who you're trying to motivate. We live now in an age of
increasingly specific marketing groups. Your job is to be
precise about whom you're talking to... the more specific
the better. Once you know who you're trying to motivate,
then it's easy to select -- and put in priority order -- the
benefits you've got available for them.
## craft offers that get your prospects to act NOW. The
problem with all too many marketing communications is that
they present no incentive for immediate action. Let me tell
you something: the objective of every marketing
communication, even those tiny ads on the back of match-book
covers, is just one thing: to get the designated prospect to
take FASTEST ACTION. If you don't provide an incentive for
this to happen, you're diminishing the likelihood that it
will happen, and therefore cutting into the number of leads
you need. This is stupid.
## conceive qualifying devices that improve the quality of
those responding. I shall say it again: all prospects are
not equal. Some are definitely better than others.
Therefore, it's up to you to do what you can to improve the
quality of your leads. You can use things like: getting the
prospect to put his own stamp on response cards (instead of
using postage paid); tell the prospect they'll be no
response without a phone number, or forcing the prospect to
call your regular phone number (on his quarter) instead of
providing an "800" number.
Important note: I know that many direct response marketers,
particularly older ones who started their practices in more
salubrious economic times, when the costs of doing business
were less, may well take exception to the advice I've just
provided about qualifying your leads. Nonetheless, I want
you to understand why I have included this important point.
Just because times are bad, as they still continue to be,
doesn't mean that people want any less than before. They
continue to have high expectations and levels of desire.
However, their means to satisfy these expectations are
decidedly less. Thus, while they continue to respond to
marketing communications... their ability to follow through
is markedly less. I want to make one thing perfectly plain:
you have no obligation to satisfy anyone except those who
are in a position to purchase your product/service and, in
fact, by any realistic measure these are the only people who
can be satisfied in any event. The object of business is to
make sales as promptly as possible, as inexpensively as
possible. It is not to send "information", not to spend time
with those unable to buy, not to waste your resources with
anyone who will not work with you in a purposeful fashion so
that he can acquire the benefits and you can get the benefit
of the sale. I hope this is perfectly clear, because in
these few sentences I have outlined the nub of how you must
do business in the pinched decade of the 'nineties.
Step 3: Flush Out All The Poor Leads And Concentrate Only On
The Good Ones
Once you've started using cash copy to create client-
centered marketing communications, you're going to generate
many times as many leads as you are right now. I guarantee
it. Personally, my phone rings about every 7 minutes... and
there are days when hundreds of mail-in leads arrive. And I
run this business largely alone! Why so many leads? For two
reasons:
1) Because I use cash copy methods to keep the focus
exclusively where it belongs, on the prospect and on getting
him to take immediately action, and
2) because I need lots of leads so I can rigorously and
quickly sort out which are the promising ones from those
that get either less attention... or no attention at all!
Your job as you sort your leads (and I'm talking about
whether you get them by phone, by mail, at talk programs, in
person, etc.) is to find out whether this person:
1) wants the benefit you have available;
2) how quickly, and
3) can afford the product or service you're selling which
delivers the benefits the real prospect wants.
As you confront any prospect, do so defensively. Thus, start
from the proposition that the person you're dealing with is
not a real prospect until proven otherwise. These kinds of
signs are tip-offs you're dealing with a flat worm, a
resource-waster:
## You ask for a phone number, but "prospect" tells you he
doesn't have one or, worse, won't provide it. "No calls
please" is an indication this isn't a real prospect.
## You ask the prospect to put a stamp on the response card,
but you notice the post office has stamped "Returned for
postage."
## You call the prospect and leave a message. The
"prospect", despite telling you he's interested, doesn't
call you back. You call again. Ditto.
## When you do connect with the prospect, he's evasive about
just what he wants, just when he wants it, or about how
he'll take care of paying for your product/service. Instead
of being straight with you, he asks you to send more
"information."
I could go on and on with this list, but I'm sure you
recognize these situations and deal with dozens of similar
ones daily. What should be done?
For one thing, don't despair. Once you've started generating
an increased number of leads, you're going to generate an
increased number of flat worms. The only thing you need to
worry about is failing to identify these creatures as soon
as possible... and doing what's necessary to get rid of
them.
## If you're unsure a prospect is a real prospect, he's
probably not. Don't treat all "prospects" equally. Do what's
necessary to identify the better ones first.
## Remember, you are under no obligation to call a
"prospect" if you're unsure of him... or send your
materials... or, indeed, do anything. Your job is to work
only with those who give promise of becoming constructive
customers. Get rid of the rest.
## When talking to a prospect, be direct. Ask him if he
wants the benefits, when he wants the benefits... and how
he'll be paying for the benefits. If the answers are
unsatisfactory, be blunt. "I want to help you. I can help
you. But I need you to be straight with me. Now, please,
answer my questions." Real prospects will cooperate.
Resource-wasters will do the only thing they're good at: rip
off your time, ideas, and information -- and then go on
their merrie way!
Conclusion
A recent survey of small business owners just concluded that
most remain gloomy even though the recession is officially
"over." These people, who are on the economic front-lines
every single day, see recovery as some kind of mirage,
always a little out of reach. Still, while macro-economic
policy is out of their hands, there are very real things
they can do to improve their situations.
To begin with, they must change their game. They must do
everything they can to increase their lead flow, so they
have more people to choose from. This means refocusing all
their marketing communications on their prospects... and
doing everything possible to generate faster, that is
immediate, action. This alone would help virtually all
businesses.
Second, once the lead-flow has increased, these businesses -
- you! -- must do everything possible to determine if the
lead they've received is a real prospect... or just a
resource-waster. If you have diligently done everything you
can to craft your benefits and to bring these to the
attention of your market, then it is right, when the
"prospect" has responded, that you do everything you can to
determine if he has the ability to acquire these benefits.
If he doesn't, finis!
The choice for you is plain: get serious about doing what it
takes to generate more leads and to close them faster and so
get rich. Or ignore this advice and become an unhappy
statistic. By the way, you should keep in mind that if you
fail to decide, you've decided... with predictably sad
results for you and your business.
*********************************************
Dr. Jeffrey Lant is one of America's most well-known
marketers for one single reason: he's unrelentingly focused
on doing what it takes to help you sell more of your
products and services. Profit from his 480-page book CASH
COPY: HOW TO OFFER YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SO YOUR
PROSPECTS BUY THEM... NOW! ($38.50 postpaid) and MONEY
TALKS: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO CREATING A PROFITABLE WORKSHOP
OR SEMINAR IN ANY FIELD (365 pages, $35 postpaid). His
latest book is NO MORE COLD CALLS: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
GENERATING -- AND CLOSING -- ALL THE PROSPECTS YOU NEED TO
BECOME A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE BY SELLING YOUR SERVICE (600
pages, $39.50). Get these resources and a free year's
subscription to his quarterly 32-page "Sure-Fire Business
Success Catalog" by contacting JLA Publications, 50 Follen
St., Suite 507, Cambridge, MA 02138 or calling (617) 547-
6372.