| In Spreading The Word: Turbocharge Your | | | | •Registering for a free online service, for |
| Traffic, I discussed about the different ways of | | | | example MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr. |
| driving more traffic to your Internet business | | | | •Ticking a box to receive further information |
| using social networks such as Twitter, Facebook | | | | when purchasing an product or service from |
| and MySpace. Once you have an increased | | | | another site. For example, telephone companies |
| amount of traffic to your website, what do you | | | | such as Telstra always has a little tick box |
| do next? In today’s post I will be talking | | | | allowing you to opt-in to receive further |
| about how to convert this traffic into leads which | | | | marketing material whenever you complete a |
| will be part one of a three part series of | | | | transaction with them. |
| Converting Traffic Into Sales. | | | | When a potential prospect opts-in to your |
| For reference, I will be using the term “sales | | | | website, then they are agreeing to receive |
| funnel” instead of “converting traffic into | | | | information from you. This is called permission |
| sales” for simplicity. | | | | marketing and it was first coined by Seth Godin. |
| To understand how the sales funnel works we | | | | If you haven’t read his book Permission |
| look will look at it from a systematic process, | | | | Marketing, you can get grab a copy of it on his |
| starting at where your prospects come from, to | | | | website or buy it at any book store. |
| how we will pro-actively guide them through the | | | | Now I must point out, some Internet marketers |
| sales process and become a long-term client. | | | | have been very successful in selling their products |
| Before any of this can happen, we need to look | | | | straight off the front-end and have made a lot of |
| at how to capture these prospects into a | | | | money doing so. Though you have to see what |
| database using some creative flair. | | | | type of authority they have in the market and |
| Generating Leads From Traffic | | | | the systems they have in place to do this. I can |
| Generating Leads is the most challenging, though | | | | assure you it has taken them many years and |
| fun aspect of the sales funnel. It requires constant | | | | lots of resources to set this up and it’s not |
| testing and monitoring using endless proven | | | | an overnight get rich story. Rich Schefren is a |
| methods, which are only limited by your | | | | classic example of this and has extremely refined |
| resources and imagination. Where we capture all | | | | front-end and back-end systems that help him |
| of this information is from the front-end, or the | | | | continue to generate profits even if his not |
| face of your business on the Internet. As soon as | | | | working. My point here is, not to start selling any |
| a prospect is interested in a product or service | | | | products to your new leads but to offer them |
| you may offer, we want to qualify and | | | | value through content and building strong rapport |
| encourage them to opt-in on your website. When | | | | with them first. The front-end is a mechanism to |
| this occurs, it starts the first step of the sales | | | | generate and qualify leads for your Internet |
| funnel and begins to transform an everyday web | | | | business and is probably the least profitable. |
| surfer into a lead showing their interest in | | | | In the next Converting Traffic Into Sales article |
| receiving more information. | | | | I’ll go into more detail about how the |
| There are many ways for a person to opt-in on | | | | back-end process works together with front-end |
| your website and it’s crucial to have these | | | | and you will realise that the front-end are mostly |
| mechanisms set up to begin generating leads. | | | | ways to generate leads and are not necessarily |
| Here are some examples of how other Internet | | | | profit centers. You will also learn why the |
| businesses capture leads: | | | | back-end process will be the most important |
| •Subscribing to a blog via RSS subscription | | | | aspect for the long term growth of your Internet |
| •Signing up for a Free Report such as my | | | | business and how it will outlast your competition. |
| Internet Business Blueprint located in the column | | | | Continue to Converting Traffic Into Sales Part 2: |
| on the right | | | | Profiting From The Back-End. |