Improving Lead Generating and Conversation Rates: Think Like a Farmer

John's a freelance photographer in Ohio who called to tell me of his frustration with the advertising and promotional campaigns he has tried in the last couple of years. Each time he does a promotional mailing to his list of 10,000, he is lucky if he gets one or two inquiries. I had a similar call from a corporation that was spending its time and money driving traffic to its web site. With six thousand visitors a day, they were only getting a couple of inquiries per week.

Both businesses were spending a lot of money to get attention but weren't converting this attention to leads.

Are you having the same problem?

Marketing is a lot like farming. You can't just head out to your fields and bring in a bountiful harvest. First, you buy seed from the money you've budgeted. You buy enough to be sure that a good crop will germinate and thrive until harvest, and you're likely to plant several different crops to hedge the weather and the market.

You may not be interested in becoming a farmer, but if you want to see your business grow there are three ways thinking like a farmer can help you.

1. Learn How to Collect More Leads A farmer needs seed and lots of it to bring in a bountiful harvest. You need a lot of quality leads to increase your clientele.

If your ads or mailings aren't resulting in a steady stream of inquiries, find out what's not working and change it. By changing a couple of sentences of your marketing copy or your offer, for example, you can increase response rates by a factor of ten or more.

Could you collect more leads with the right marketing strategy and marketing copy?

2. Learn How to Increase Your Lead Conversion Rate A farmer who had spent his savings on seed wouldn't plant his field, then go on vacation and come back months later expecting to find a healthy crop. While you may be the exception, this is the way most people market their businesses. According to The Yankee Group, between 40% to 80% of new business leads aren't converted simply due to lack of follow-up.

Many businesses spend money on getting attention and then don't follow up on a prospect's interest by giving them the information or contact opportunity they want. What you tell a prospect and how promptly you respond when they show an interest determines whether they continue to stay in touch.

Of the people who see your ads, what percentage respond?

Of the people who visit your web site, what percentage contact you?

Of the people who contact you, what percentage become clients and customers?

Could you increase your lead conversion rates by improving your Internet, phone and mail follow-up?

3. Learn to Use Systems that Generate Leads, Nurture Them and Increase Conversion Rates Today's farmers are as technologically and information savvy as any of us. Farmers use GPS in their tractors to plant their crops, the web to connect to weather forecasting and crop price information web sites to track their markets.

Using high tech information and machines to get the work done, today's farmer has a system for buying seed and supplies, planting, maintaining and harvesting his or her crops. They make good use of systems and machines to increase their chances of bringing in a bountiful harvest.

In the case of the corporation mentioned above, a simple change to their web site increased their lead conversion from 1 or 2 a week to 80 a week.

Could your lead conversion rates increase with a better system for capturing and following up on leads?

If you're like me, you get hungry often. Whether you're taking photographs or growing lettuce, you want to generate more leads and grow your business. To fill your larder and bring in a steadily increasing number of clients, think like a farmer. Use your marketing strategy and lead generation system to bring in many more prospects and increase your conversion rates. When you do you'll find yourself with a bountiful crop of new clients. -

2005 © In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved. - The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the F.ree Marketing Strategy eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


7 Marketing Lessons I Learned From the Muscleheads at Golds Gym

Can I share a secret with you?I love working out.... Read More

Becoming The Obvious Choice In A Sea Of Competition

Differentiation, niche marketing, and positioning. These and other related business... Read More

Mortgage Marketing to Realtors ? Creating a Memorable Positioning Statement

Mortgage marketing to Realtors involves having a crystal clear position... Read More

Build your Trade Show - Virtually

Virtual trade shows are gaining momentum as a way to... Read More

Direct Mail Sales Letter Mistakes to Avoid

Some companies that use direct mail to sell their products... Read More

Marketing on the Cheap: Write? Right!!

We all know the value of writing articles for promoting... Read More

Grab Your Audience by Focusing on Benefits

Have you ever chosen to pay attention to someone just... Read More

How to Set (and Get) the Right Prices

Which product feature of yours is every buyer keen to... Read More

Top 7 Tips for New Businesses

The marketing decisions you make for your new business are... Read More

Learn How to Market Your eBusiness in Real Time: Dissect, Study, Emulate

Everything you will ever need to know about internet marketing... Read More

The Future of Marketing Part 1

It used to be if you were a small business,... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 2

NB: You can read part one here: ... Read More

Top 10 Dos and Donts for an Effective Business Referral Network!

Every business - particularly small, entrepreneurial or professional businesses -... Read More

5 Ways To Entice Your Parallel Market to Trade Links

Lots of people get confounded when attempting to exchange links,... Read More

Creating a Marketing Plan for Your Website

Have you created a marketing plan for your Website? If... Read More

The Beginners Mail Order Opportunity Guide

The "Mail Order" business is not a business of itself,... Read More

Understanding Survey Software Features

If you take a look at the features that different... Read More

Business to Business Direct Mail Offers that Say Free

In direct mail, the offer is the incentive or reward... Read More

Design Direct Mail Postcards Back-to-Front to Boost Response Rates

Conventional wisdom says that the front of a direct mail... Read More

How to Protect Yourself Against the Hidden Cost of Shipping to Trade Shows

Trade Shows are lots of work, but they can generate... Read More

8 Lessons in Strategic Marketing A La Daddy Daycare

I bet you thought the movie "Daddy Daycare" was a... Read More

The 3 Unknown Steps of Marketing Success

To be your own marketing expert you first need to... Read More

4 Steps To Increase Your Job Sign Marketing

It's no secret that using a job site sign can... Read More

Quick and Instant Marketing Soup

Everything happens Quickly and Instantly on the Internet. In the... Read More

People Pleasing Postcards

Why are more businesses turning to full-color postcards as a... Read More

Wife?s Marketing Prowess Helped Edison See the Light

It is well known that Thomas Edison was an inventor,... Read More

Create a Blueprint for Your Success

Having a strong foundation enables you to build a thriving,... Read More

Always On Stage - 3 Quick Tips for Trade Show Exhibitors

Do you feel uncomfortable when you're in the trade show... Read More

There?s More to Marketing ROI (return on investment) Than Meets the Eye

All too often people look at marketing ROI in terms... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - What Your Client Wants

Your business depends on the success of your marketing efforts.... Read More

Who is Your Perfect Client

When I started my coaching practice I believed that I... Read More

Sage Advice from a Marketing Expert!

An international hair-cutting chain opened a new store directly across... Read More

My Product is Obviously Better ? Why isn?t it Selling?

The movie, "Field of Dreams" opens with a farmer standing... Read More