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 LeadsA 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