Drive Brand New, Pre-Qualified Advisory Appointments To Your Calendar (On Any Budget!) With This 4 Step Lead Marketing Strategy

When HubSpot asked marketers to identify their top challenge, 61% reported that they struggled with generating leads, and needed more eyes on their marketing materials.

How about you?

If you’re ready to generate more traffic and boost the results of your lead marketing, then today I have great news for you.

I have a system that can help you do both…

It’s simple to build and easy on your budget.

And if you’re still on the fence about sales funnels…

You’re going to love what I’m bringing to you today.

It’s a traffic-building machine that does more than put your lead gen on autopilot..

It delivers pre-qualified prospects who actually want what you have to offer, and all that’s left is for you to close them with your signature charm.

What You Need to Know About Funnels

If you’ve followed my posts on funnels, you know that one of the things I love about them is how effectively you can turn a process into a system, and then automate it.

Funnels allow you to leverage yourself.

And if you’re not ready to upstaff just for lead marketing, you can run this lead generation by yourself.

Here’s the bottom line:

If you’re trying to grow your business— get more attention (traffic) on your marketing materials in exchange for contact information (leads) and finally book some appointments with those leads to turn them into clients (sales)—it’s virtually impossible to succeed without a funnel.

Because without a system you can put on autopilot, every task…every call…every follow-up email becomes a one off.

You end up wasting time…

Good leads slip through the cracks…

And your best intentions trump real action.

Funnels make you consistent, persistent and infinitely more efficient.

All this, while also giving you back more of your time. 

Pre-Qualify Leads With My “Buyer’s Funnel”

While I know first-hand the power of the funnel, I also know how easily people get snagged in the weeds and frustrated with the whole process.

That’s why you’re going love the funnel that I’m sharing today. 

It’s not your typical sales or marketing funnel.

This is a BUYER’S FUNNEL.

We’re going to use it to clear out all the tire kickers and Lookie-Loos who usually waste your time.

A buyer’s funnel generates PRE-QUALIFIED APPOINTMENTS.

It actually builds prospects’ interest in doing business with you throughout the process, on top of leading them toward the appointment on autopilot.

You read that right.

You’re going to convince people—even before they meet you—that you’re the advisor they want.

Of course, you still need to convert them and close the deal.

But you’ll be focusing your efforts on people who are PREDISPOSED to listen to you.

It’s one of the reasons the average close rates using this funnel are so high.

So here’s how the buyer’s funnel upgrades your lead marketing efforts and turns them into solid, reliable lead generation:

• FILTERS out all but the qualified leads that meet your criteria of the ideal customer for what you are offering.

• PROTECTS your time because you only speak to the most qualified prospects.

• ENABLES you to automate much of the process so that once you have built the system and know it works, you don’t have to get involved until the appointments are booked.

• ELIMINATES the need to chase people down—all the follow-up emails and meeting reminders are automated.

• INTRODUCES your concepts to large numbers of people (traffic); then SIFTS for the ones who are ready to talk business.

• ALLOWS you to focus on your closing strategies—and closing is your moneymaker.

• WORKS for you and any of the coachable people on staff who could take over developing and managing this system.

Best of all, you can build your first one in a single day, and future additional funnels probably in a couple of hours…

Even on a shoestring budget.

Step 1: Develop Your Traffic Sources and Drive Them to a Landing Page

There are many ways to generate traffic, and just as many sources.

Here are a few to consider:

• Email—If you have an existing list of prospects or people who have attended financial seminars in the past, continue reaching out to them. If you don’t have a list, now’s a great time to build one. Take all your contact names and get them into a database or CRM where you can work them effectively. If you don’t have CRM, open a free MailChimp account.

• Advertising—If you want to advertise, try Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Google search ads. Also Facebook is a good source for consumers, and you can target by demographics and buying propensity.

• SEO—Search Engine Optimization is organic—you don’t pay for it. While it’s effective to get on the first page of a search for specific keywords, it takes the longest to develop. So consider this a long-term strategy.

• Articles—If you can write, do guest blogs, publish articles or get interviewed and mentioned in someone else’s article.

• LinkedIn—You’ll love LinkedIn for your marketing strategies because the quality of leads is high. Here’s a link to a strategy you can use.

• Lists—You can buy lists, but be careful you don’t spam people. 

If you need help developing your traffic sources, outsource to an expert.

Million Dollar Takeaway: I’m a huge advocate of outsourcing. If you can hire someone to do a task for you at an hourly rate significantly lower than your own, then outsource. This way you can keep your focus on the main event—meeting with prospects and closing the deals.

You can find amazing resources on Upwork and Fivver, where there are people who can probably do it better than you for a fraction of your hourly rate.

Then the next step is to direct all this traffic to a landing page… NOT to your website.

Because the message you use to drive traffic is targeted; you need to send them to a landing page that’s equally targeted.

Part 2: Create Your Landing Page and Strategy Session Video Invite

Building a landing page can be easy.

Use a template service—such as Leadpages.

There’s no coding necessary.

On your landing page, you need three elements: Branding, Video, and an Application Form.

The branding is the masthead on the page. You could use your logo, maybe a small photo of yourself and something that speaks to your accomplishments and associations (without taking up a lot of space or distracting the visitors from the action you want them to take).

The video invite is the focal point of the landing page.

Using video can increase conversions by as much as 86%.

It’s your opportunity to:

1.    Build a relationship with a prospective lead

2.    Qualify them even more, and

3.    Give them a little taste of who you are.

The keys to a successful video are to BE YOURSELF and speak from the heart.

Don’t pitch your services here.

Keep your message about them—your prospective clients.

If you want to get them on the “YES” train, acknowledge their problems and pain points; then share some of your successes relative to how you solved these problems and pains for your previous clients.

You can say, “If this sounds like you, here’s what we’ve done for other people to succeed.”

Then direct them to a complimentary strategy session to kick start their success.

And remember, you are not a commodity.

You are a highly sought-after resource.

So, when referring to the next step, invite people to fill out an APPLICATION.

They’re applying for the privilege to work with you.

Finally, here are a couple of resources to help you get started:

• Use Wufoo or Google Docs to make forms.
• Post your video to YouTube or Wistia.

Part 3: Build a Thank You Page with an Online Booking Calendar

The best part about this lead marketing strategy is that the people who want to talk with you set up their own appointments.

After they fill out the application, they are sent to the online calendar booking app.

Choose one that syncs with your regular online calendar.

And to keep this easy on you, all your follow-up emails, confirmations and appointment reminders should be automated sequences generated by your booking service.

SWIPE THIS:When you send a reminder before the scheduled meeting, be sure to say, If you are unable to make this event please notify me in advance as we have a waiting list.

It will encourage people to keep their appointments.

Part 4: Show Up for the Strategy Session

This is where you get involved.

People have booked appointments; they’re primed to talk with you.

SWIPE THIS STRATEGY: Rather than launching into a presentation, start by asking a question, “What made you come on the call today?”

Their answer will help focus your conversation. You’ll be able to answer specific issues and present yourself as there to serve… not simply to sell.

After your session, they’ll either take the next step or they won’t.

If they don’t, you can put them into a drip campaign—a series of automated emails that continue to educate and nurture them over the next 30 days.

After that, you can always put them on a list to receive your newsletter.

And that’s it.

Once your funnel is built, use it, test it and tweak it until you are getting the results you want.

As the funnel begins to perform, you can think about scaling up for even more business.

If you’re buying PPC or Facebook ads, for example, you can increase your spend rate.

“But I don’t have Marketing Budget or Staff!”

There are many good reasons to be cautious about spending a lot of money on your first funnel.

If you’re new to digital marketing…

If you’re just starting out or working solo and need to account for every dollar…

Or if you’re cautious and want to see results first.

That’s the beauty of this “buyer’s funnel”.

It’s simple enough that you can build it using a number of apps, online tools and platforms that are priced to get you started:

• If you have NO BUDGET, do the work yourself. There are many free apps, platforms like Google with free tools. And even the fee-based services usually have free trials to get you started. Write your own scripts, and record your video using a smartphone.

• If you can BUDGET UP TO $500/MONTH, you can afford the standard pricing options for all the tools I’ve suggested. You also should be looking to outsource some of the work. You’ll free up more of your time and probably get better results.

• If your BUDGET IS $500 TO $2000/MONTH, then you’ll be able to invest in more expensive traffic sources early on. Outsource your Facebook and PPC ads to a pro. If you decide to buy a list, be sure to use a service that specializes in sending out purchased lists spam-free.

• Finally, if you have a BUDGET OF MORE THAN $2000/MONTH, hire a marketing firm to work with you. They’ll have writers, designers and video editors to ensure you get a quality product. However, because the content is critical, make sure that you or someone in your office who has read this post oversees the process. And when you make your video, don’t get talked into something overly slick. Speak from the heart. Be authentic. Keep it real. 

If you like our buyer’s funnel, this is just a sample of the training and coaching available to Advisorist members. 

We share tips and tricks that are proven to work, recommendations on tools to automate processes, and even offer Insider pricing on Done-For-You lead generation services that drive traffic for you, hands-free.

Join us inside Advisorist today.