How do you feel about the word LEADS? Me, I don’t like it. And here’s why:
It depersonalizes people, and it automatically turns them into numbers and statistics.
So I’ve always been reluctant to use it. This makes it awkward because “leads” is a common word in marketing. I don’t think I’ve ever said that out loud, but… I devised an acronym that makes it OK for me to say it.
It goes like this… Whenever I look at the word “LEADS,” I imagine an individual expressing interest. A person of their own free will showing up at my door saying…
“ Let’s Engage And Do Something.”
It is then up to me to acknowledge this person, intentionally record that they raised their hand… and separate them from the rest of the general population. I want to track the outcome of our engagement, and that’s the only way I can do it.
I very rarely see anybody with a purposeful lead recording system like that. Most of the time, people use a funnel approach like a hopper: They put people in, shake them around, and whatever comes out the bottom… comes out of the base. That’s the end of it.
If they have 100 people and three fall out the other side… as long as those three add up to more money than they spent to get the initial 100, they’re happy and discount the rest. But the truth is… Letting prospects fall through the cracks does not give you the maximum yield.
Remember those studies saying that 50% of people who inquire about something will buy it in the next 2 years? That’s where your ample opportunity is. When someone raises their hand, they do it for a purpose. If they ask for a book called the Adult Acne Cure, there’s a pretty good chance they’re looking to cure adult acne. And there’s a good chance they will buy something related to that in the next two years.
Your goal is to be there when that happens.
Don’t pounce on them the moment they opt in. It’s completely OK if they don’t buy right away. You’re building an asset. And the value of it is compounding over time. Two years down the line…
The yield will be so much higher than anything you’re squeezing out of your leads right at the gates.
For more on engaging and doing something, head on to the podcast.
