No matter how brilliant your marketing is, how pretty it is, how expensive it is…the only question that is worth addressing is this – Does it sell?

Most businesses focus all of their marketing attention on advertising or lead generation. That’s fine, you’ve got to make the phone ring but, if you don’t turn a significant amount of those leads into new clients then your marketing is little more than an exhausting exercise in grab ass. (sorry about that, my high school football coach used that word when we weren’t accomplishing anything – and it seemed to work here.)

Marketing is lead generation and lead conversion…well, it’s also customer service, but one step at time.

Don’t even think about running an ad or sending out a direct mail appeal until you have fully scripted what you are going to do when the phone rings.

You can’t just wing it. Winging it is what lands clients that turn into nightmares.

A true lead conversion process puts your in control of the marketing relationship and allows you to present your value in the way you want your client to understand it and experience it.

Way to much selling is done in the probe and listen, redirect and reposition style. That to me is how you end up telling the prospect what you think they want to hear.

A lead conversion process should be more like an internal seminar. You walk the client through a process and educate them in a way that presents what you need them to understand. Now, your approach won’t be for everyone but you don’t want everyone as a client.

You want clients who get and appreciate what it is you do. So tell them and then take the order