Do you have single friends?
According to bunch of studies done by big online dating sites, apparently 25% to 50% of relationships are now started online.
The other 50 to 75%? They’re probably NOT using those sites.
Ok, even though I might be poking fun, you and I know that now pretty much everyone these days uses a dating website.
Why?
It’s cheap (vs. going to bar, club, etc), fast (vs. remember the good old days of asking a girl for her number and waiting 2-3 days to not look desperate?), convenient (come on ladies.. so what if the guy forgot to brush his teeth this month.. give him a break), and, most importantly, it works.
You know what else is cheap, fast, convenient, and works super well?
Online Sales Lead Generation.
It’s funny because all my clients’ want MORE leads…
AND having seen sales & marketing processes in various companies for some time now, I noticed something…
Lead generation/nurturing and sales is JUST like online dating.
Allow me to explain.
You, the business person that happens to sell (insert stuff that you sell here), are the guy.
Hot girl is the customer.
You want her.
These are the steps of lead generation and how that looks JUST like dating.
1) Targeting
You gotta find the right girl. Say you sell franchises…
It’s hot new thing.. and a lot of people want it.
I mean, who wouldn’t?
It’s free money for life.
Anyhoo… you got something people want.
But not ALL.
In dating, despite how awesome you think you are, not EVERY hot girl is going to want you.
Sure you can message EVERY girl with 2 arms, 2 legs, and a heart beat (now that’s MY KIND of woman!) … but guess what?
You’re not relevant to her needs and wants.
Some girls want good looking… some want charming… some want funny… and some want good looking, charming, and funny – kinda like me. (What? Why you laughing?)
It’s the same in the sales process, particularly in the lead generation phase.
For those that want franchises, some can’t qualify for financing… some don’t have houses… and some don’t have a high enough skill set to warrant an investment (they’d be better with a job).
This is where lead generation comes in handy, because it’s like the “search filter” in dating – it weeds out the people who don’t fit your search criteria.
2) Initial Contact
You’ve cast your net…
In dating, you want to be seen as much as possible by the women YOU are interested in.
So you message LOTS and LOTS of women.
In lead generation, you want to be seen as much as possible by the right demographics who probably are interested in what you have to sell.
So you buy the right traffic. (Never, ever, spam.) And voila!… You get a response.
The fish is ON THE hook, so to speak.
You’ve got her engaged.
She’s giving you permission to let you talk to her out of hundreds, if not thousands, of guys who messaged her.
Because you had a kick ass unique selling proposition (USP), you now have her attention.
Same in lead generation. Your customer saw your USP and is now asking you to talk to them.
What’s important here is that, NO, this does NOT mean you can take her to bed right away.
And NO… your prospect is NOT interested in buying RIGHT NOW.
So don’t ASK.
You’re going to scare her away.
And yes, you’re going to scare away your prospect if you try to close them. This might come as a surprise, but countless female friends of mine tell me that men actually try to get laid over 1 frikin’ email.
“Hey baby, wanna come over?”
Likewise, your potential customer (notice the emphasis on potential) isn’t going to buy over a single phone call… or 1 single visit.
If you do, you are a fool.
3) Lead Nurture (Baby Lets Get Close)
This is where you put your best FOOT forward.
The hot girl has given you permission to take her out…
Now it’s time to dazzle her… wine & dine her, make her laugh… have her feel COMFORTABLE around you, knowing that you could potentially be her mate for life.
No, it’s STILL too early to close the deal, because she really wants to know who you are, what you do, and what you have to offer her.
She is sizing you up as her potential partner.
Same in lead generation… now turned lead “nurture”…
Now your prospect is interested in talking to you, so you give him/her your sales presentation, customer testimonials, reviews, product benefits, how the product/service looks and feels on him/her.
But most importantly… answer WIIFM. “What’s In It For Me?”
Just like in dating, no… do not ask for the close just yet.
4) Romance
By this time, if you’ve nurtured your lead (in dating or in sales) right, she’s VERY close signing on the dotted line.
In dating, she’s probably dated a couple of other guys because she’s shopping around (oh, come on, aren’t YOU?)… But she’s DRAWN by your seductive, charming personality… your muscular moobs… your chiseled jaw that scream Alpha Male… and your animal instinct caress… (Note to self: Consider writing those soft porn-like romance novels suburban housewives like to read.)
In business, your lead is very excited.
He/she keeps asking about franchise projections and territories, does searches on the web about the business you are going to deliver, looks for reviews on your company, etc..
He/She is checking you out because the conversation you’ve been having was pretty darn convincing.
Your USP is good.
Your sales pitch is good.
You are doing the dirty dance of sales lambada.
And yes… you have nice man boobs.
And voila! The courting is about to come to an explosion of passionate love and/or a sale.
5) Closing
Ok there is nothing exciting here.
If you’re a guy, you know what I’m talking about.
Chasing the girl is MUCH, MUCH more exciting than actually GETTING the girl.
Same in business, your customer signs on the dotted line…
You hand over a nice shiny new franchise… and voila.
A big fat cheque.
Yeah, much more exciting than being a tired parent who gets about 2 hours of sleep every night, but you get the idea.
Neil
P.S One of the services we offer at ROARlocal is a franchise selling service. If you have a great idea for a business that you think would be an awesome franchise then get in touch 🙂