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Have you ever shared your email address with a brand in exchange for, say, free shipping or access to an exclusive video? Tell you what — you’ve just fallen for the irresistible charm of a lead magnet.

Also known as an ethical bribe, lead magnets are one of the best lead generation strategies to help grow your email list, gain authority, and attract potential customers.

If you're looking to draw more people to your product or service — just like what happened to you — make sure to follow these tips on how to use lead magnets to attract leads.

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Create a Lead Magnet Through Useful Data

Data-driven lead magnets are a favorite among business owners because they help you build authority while driving qualified leads to your website.

Presenting basic information unfortunately won't do the trick. You need to deliver something compelling to your prospects for them to push through. But if you don't have the time or money to generate this kind of data, you can use your specialization as a lead magnet.

For example, if you run a real estate company, you could attract more visitors by providing free appraisals or a helpful report. It’s valuable to prospective home sellers, because this information can help them decide on the price, necessary upgrades, their ideal buyer, and whatnot.

You'll need a landing page. Use LeadPages to get yours up and running.

Use Books to Boost Email Lists

Another great way to get more leads and establish your credibility and reputation simultaneously is by using books as lead magnets. It’s perfect for those in the coaching and consultancy industries, as books instantly cement your trustworthiness.

Whether you offer an ebook, audiobook, or paperback, think of it as a sort of business card. It’s the perfect introduction to who you are as a business, what you do, and how you can help. Basically, you’re saying "I have this content you could use for your personal or business growth.”

And while most people think of this lead magnet as giving away money, it's not. It's an investment that can spur sales. I’ve built my 45,000 strong email list of prospects using my book, so I know it works.

But here’s a little insider tip, include various calls to action throughout your book for readers to connect. I mention resources they can download through my website, but they have to opt-in to access them.

You can even use accompanying workbooks as tripwire offers to ascend your customers to the next stage of their buyer’s journey. So a book is a very powerful way to acquire high-value prospects.

Earn More Leads with an Informative Course

Thing is, no client is the same. While some love to read a book, others prefer to learn through a formal experience that only courses can bring.

Although this lead magnet may seem labor intensive — you need to create lectures, videos, and worksheets, after all — it's actually easier than you think. If you already have existing e-books, presentations, and videos, you can always compile and repurpose them as an actionable course.

Courses are excellent lead magnets as they can drive clients to sign up for another class. It's like an addiction.

As long as your clients enjoy your content, they’ll pay for it.

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Magnet a Lead with a Free Guide

People love free things, especially when it comes to great content. That said, you can draw customers to your website by offering a free guide.

Since guides are shorter than e-books, a free guide can offer comprehensive yet compact information. Customers love guides because they’re quick reads, and you can implement what you learned right away.

But if you want your free guide to be a success, it needs to be specific and solves a problem. You need to target the pain.

So instead of creating content for how to set up a landing page, it's better to make it more specific, like, "How to set up a landing page with Program X in under 10 minutes."

Offer a Free Trial as a Form of Lead Generation

When people get things for free, they’re more open to giving something of value in return, like their email address.

What makes the free trial a good lead generation tool is the low cost that comes with it. It can greatly help clients in the consideration part of the buying process.

By giving your leads a bird's eye view of how your products work, you'll get more than just their contact information. They might even sign up for your basic package right away!

To make your free trial irresistible, add a bit of scarcity. If the client doesn't proceed with the offer right away, he/she will lose access to this content upgrade.

And when you know you're about to lose something that has a lot of value, you'll do everything to hold onto it, even if you have to pay a certain amount.

Give a Framework or Template in Exchange of Email Addresses​

Just like a free guide, a framework or template can make people's lives so much easier as it simplifies what they need to do. Frameworks also work great as  your new leads and get them to become your customers right away.

The best example for this is the one-page digital marketing plan, which is a sort of one-stop-shop for businesses in need. This lead magnet helps writers gather specific ideas for their marketing plan, like:

• The target market
• The message to the target market
• The necessary channels that will be used to reach the audience
• Lead capture systems - Hubspot, Ontraport, ClickFunnel
• Lead nurturing tactics
• Sales conversion strategies
• Methods on delivering world-class services
• Tactics to increase the customer lifetime value
• Strategies to facilitate referrals (here's how referral marketing benefits your business)

Know That Cheat Sheets Can't Be Beat

If finding a spare moment in your day to put together a lead magnet is virtually impossible, go for cheat sheets.

Whether it's a checklist for building out a business plan or using social media, you can readily offer it as an easy download. Promoting it is effortless, too, as you can always append this lead magnet to your website or blog posts.

Lead magnets are tried-and-tested ways to grow your customer base. By investing in any of these methods, you're guaranteed to attract more quality leads more often.

Ever thought, Could I do business coaching?‍

So what's holding you back?

If you've built a successful business, you've got a wealth of knowledge, skills, and advice to share. You may need to hone your leadership skills, but there are plenty of struggling business owners who'd happily pay for a professional to coach them on their journey to profitability and freedom.

Business coaching has been around for decades. Even the most popular entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs work with coaches to level up their services and businesses.

And as a coach, it's rewarding to see so many talented business owners transition to coaching.

So if you have the personal goal of becoming a business coach, this guide will help you on your journey.

If you're wondering, why business coaching? Click the link to read up on the benefits.

Grow Your Business With My Consulting Toolbox

The consulting toolbox arms you with a plug-and-play collection of proven template, frameworks, and processes used to scale your consulting business to 7+ figures.

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What qualifications do you need to be a coach?

The business coaching industry is unregulated. You can search for coaches on the web, and you'll see endless options. Likewise, anyone can pretty much call themselves a coach.

This is when you start assessing yourself. Do you have what it takes to be a business coach? Here are three questions to ask yourself:

1. Do I really want to help other people reach their goals? When you think about it, qualifications are more than your skill set or expertise. Start with your personal attributes. You need to be emotionally and mentally prepared to help others. In a nutshell, you have to: Explore, clarify, and align with what someone wants to pursue, promote self-discovery, support in implementing tailored solutions and strategies, and hold a client responsible and accountable.‍
2. Do I possess coaching skills and knowledge? If you've built a business you can transition to coaching. But if you want to be successful you need to know how to set up your coaching business, identify your niche, market yourself, develop relationships, create successful programs, and implement strategies to grow a potential client’s business.‍
3. Is there anything else I can do aside from coaching? Sure, you might see yourself spending one to two hours a day coaching a small business owner, but this business is more than that. According to ICF, coaching is just a single revenue stream that produces 13% of your profit. So whether you like it or not, your business growth and profitability will rely on these areas:
   1. Consulting
   2. Training
   3. Mentoring
   4. Teaching
   5. Counseling
   6. Webinars
   7. Workshops
   8. Public Speaking
   9. Media Mentions

Business Coach Certifications - Do you need a degree to be a business coach?

This is probably one of the most common questions I get when it comes to business coaching.

Frankly, no. You don't need a degree to become a business coach.

But, if you want to boost your credibility, earning coaching credentials from an accredited organization like the International Coaching Federation is a huge help. Based on ICF's study, 83% of clients agree that accredited credentials are vital. And this drives 77% of coaches to get certified.

So, you can get ICF-certified, but many successful coaches chose a different path and still became very successful. You can work with a certified coach for coach training and mentoring. Also, you can take up leadership courses and programs to develop your skills and build a world-class coaching career.

How do I become a life and business coach?

As I said, coaching is business. It's not a nine-to-five job or a corporate profession. So aside from your passion and skill set for coaching, it's important that you also know how to start, run, and manage your coaching business (click to learn more). Here are my tips on how to become a successful business coach.

1. Set Up Your Coaching Business

Before anything else, you have to choose an entity type for your business coaching practice. Here are your two options:

• Sole proprietorship: This allows you to own an unincorporated business.
• Limited liability company (LLC): This requires you to register your business with limited liability for all members.

Now what should you choose between the two? Here are a few things that you should consider:

• Costs: An LLC will need you to spend higher upfront costs because you have to register your business. You'll also have to pay for initial registration and annual maintenance fees. On the other hand, a sole proprietorship has low initial costs.
• Regulations: An LLC is more regulated than a sole proprietorship. If you're choosing the former, you may also need an operating agreement depending on where you live.
• Taxes: As a sole proprietor, you're taxed as self-employed, while an LLC will have you follow corporate tax structures.
• Liability: As a sole proprietor, you own all the responsibility for the debts and liabilities of your coaching business. Meanwhile, an LLC holds the responsibility for the business's debts and liabilities. If you also combine your personal funds with LLC funds, you can lose your limited liability protection.

Keep in mind your business goals and where you want to go. Don’t be scared of asking for advice or help from seasoned professionals. As a business coach, choosing the right type of business entity is important. Where sole proprietorship offers freedom and low costs, an LLC provides benefits and protection that are worth considering. The decision is up to you.

2. Work with a Small Business Coach

Let me give you a quick background on how I started. I was a college dropout who tried to pursue a career in IT. It worked well for a year. Then, I left my corporate job and plunged into starting my very first company.

I soon realized that I’d traded an 8-hour workday for a 16-hour workday with less money and hours of sleep. It was frustrating, and this drove me to work with a business coach.

So for you to become a business coach, you also need to get a business coach of your own. You need someone who already knows the ins and outs of the industry. Otherwise, you're shooting from the hip.

3. Build Your Business Coaching Plan and Set Your Prices

Just like most certified business coaches, you can charge your clients in three ways:

• Per session (every hour)
• Per month
• Per coaching package (The calculation can vary: e.g. $x/3 months or $x/6 months)

There are business coaches who offer hourly and monthly sessions. Rates range from $75-$1,000. They're the right fit for businesses that only seek initial and one-time coaching.

But if you've just started becoming a business coach, it's highly advisable to charge per package. This helps you calculate the number of months that your clients signed up for, so you can also identify your income and manage your expenses.

The catch is, you can attract more committed and high-paying clients. These are businesses that want to take coaching to the next level and seek your help in the long haul. Coaching packages also generate more sessions, which means you can have a bigger impact on their lives, and you can charge higher.

Here are some factors to help you settle on the right price:

• Your credentials
• Your experience
• Your coaching-skill level
• Your target market
• Your profitability goals

Your competitors' business coaching rates

4. Create and Follow a Marketing Plan

In my first business, a business coach advised me to become a really good marketer if I wanted to win more customers and upscale my business.

I've learned this the hard way, spending a lot of money on ads without getting returns. I don't want this to happen to you, so here's what you need to remember. You can't hack marketing. You can't simply do a little marketing and expect a massive return.

You need a marketing plan if you want to become a successful business coach. It doesn't matter how amazing you are at coaching people if you can't get clients in the first place.

Your marketing plan can help you target the right people and do whatever it takes to entice them to sign up for your coaching program.

5. Build Your Online Business Coaching Presence

Now that you have a marketing plan, let's focus on how you can be visible to your target market. Business coaches have an online presence, so you should build one for yourself too.

The truth is, you don't have to spend a fortune doing this. You can come up with an effective business coaching strategy that’s cost-efficient, produces tangible results, and doesn’t take over your life!

As a starting business coach, you can focus first on:

• Building your own website
• Getting on social media

For your website, you need:

• Information about your coaching program, pricing, and other services you offer
• Your story: How did you begin? What pushed you into business coaching?
• Your credentials and qualifications
• Visuals: Include photos of yourself, promotional videos, and even podcast snippets that introduce what you do as a business coach
• A landing page, contact form, or online scheduling tool (like Calendly)
• Testimonials (if you have any)

For social media, take time to answer these questions:

• What social media platforms would you like to use?
• What platforms do most business coaches use?
• What platforms does your target market use?

6. Expand Your Network

Networking is a surefire way to extend your opportunities and resources. You can't always rely on marketing tactics to win new clients. As you move forward, extend your reach and people will come to you.

There are a lot of platforms that can upscale your coaching business, but again, I highly recommend for you to sign up on social media. For a start, you can set up business accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

You can use LinkedIn to connect with CEOs and other executive clients. But if you'd prefer to work with small businesses rather than large corporations, be more active on Facebook and Instagram.

Here are a few business coaching tips to expand your network:

• Whatever platform you're using, optimize your business coach profile. Add your photo, credentials, and information about your coaching program.
• Participate in conversations. Share your knowledge and expertise. You need to build your image as an expert and authority.
• Join relevant groups on LinkedIn and Facebook. Engage with entrepreneurs, professionals, and everyone in the coaching community.
• Connect with other business coaches too! You might just get clients from referrals and by word-of-mouth. And asking for a referral doesn't have to be scary. Try these referral top tips.
• Build a content strategy. The key here is to post content that's attractive and valuable to your target audience. If possible, you can also share content from other business coaches.

Entering the Business Coaching Industry

So that's how to become a business coach. While it might sound exciting, I need to warn you that it takes work, time, and effort to establish yourself as an accredited authority in your industry.

You need to be willing to go through coach training and you have to develop a business plan for your company. Identify how you will find new business and what methods you'll use to develop and nurture coaching relationships? What knowledge, skills, and tools will bring a positive impact on their lives.

More importantly, you must want to help business owners overcome challenges, devise strategies for success, build a team, and achieve their goals.

If this all sounds good to you, I’d say to dive in.

Take the Next Step & Join The World Of Business Coaches

Considering everything you've read, do you have what it takes to be a coach?

Are you up for the challenge?

Forget about qualifications. I've been mentoring business owners around the world for the past six years. I don't have an MBA. I never completed my degree. I simply identified a gap in the market and used my knowledge and skills to fill it.

And I learned early on that a client only wants results, so I deliver. So let me ask you this:

• Do you want to develop your coaching practice?
• Have you always wanted coach training?
• Would you like access to my 7-step coaching process, the tools my team uses to market Lean Marketing and acquire new business?
• Do you need help identifying your niche, overcoming common business challenges, and building a business plan you can depend on to advance your coaching career?

Then let's kickstart your online business coaching journey. Click here and complete the coaching certification form. Or get your hands on my coaching toolbox. This handy little toolbox contains every document, guide, and resource I use to get my coaching clients world-class results.

Grow Your Business With My Consulting Toolbox

The consulting toolbox arms you with a plug-and-play collection of proven template, frameworks, and processes used to scale your consulting business to 7+ figures.

Get It Now

Do you want to become a 1PMP Certified Business Coach?

What if you could change the trajectory of your career? I recently launched the Certification Program for agency owners, consultants and marketers who'd like to become a 1-Page Marketing Plan certified business coach.

It's a 12-week intensive CERTIFICATION program that will shortcut your path to business success. How does this program differ from other business coaching programs?

• I share everything you need to structure, price, market, sell, and manage a six or 7-figure consultancy. How do I know it works? Because I used this same methodology to build and scale Lean Marketing.
• You’ll walk away with a framework for teaching your clients The 1-Page Marketing Plan and showing them how to implement each section.
• You can look forward to personalized help and support every step of the way. We’ll explain how to get past the most common roadblocks clients face and the mistakes you need to look out for. This isn’t information you’ll find online or on YouTube.
• You’ll get access to all of my templates and strategies for marketing, sales, onboarding, client management, and maximizing client retention.
• You’ll have exclusive licensing to use all of my teaching materials in your business, including The 1-Page Marketing Plan book in your company’s branding.

Upon graduation from the certification program:

• You’ll gain exclusive rights to use the 1PMP coaching materials in your business. That's all of my templates, frameworks, and standard operating procedures.
• You can choose to reprint The 1-Page Marketing Plan book with your company's branding, which is great for gifting clients.
• You’ll get a frameable certificate and badge, which you can proudly display on your website, social media, and marketing materials.
• You’ll be listed in the certified consultants' marketplace.

And you’ll have formed a network of elite like-minded peers to engage with over the years to come. All my graduates have gone on to become successful business coaches and you can too.

Check out testimonials from Certified 1PMP coaches here.

Do you ever wonder whether you need a little help from a business coach? You might be surprised by the benefits of business coaching.

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. Initially, you spend every waking hour working on your business. And it can feel like you're stuck on a desert island.

Who do you turn to for guidance?

Sure, there are millions of online articles, videos, and other resources on how to build and grow a business. But what if your business is unique and a one-size-fits-all solution won't work?

This is where business coaching comes in. (Check out my definitive guide to building your coaching business)

Business coaching has become a common and essential practice for entrepreneurs and CEOs wanting to level up their companies. But so many entrepreneurs don't understand the benefits or how it works.

I'm going to cover the benefits of business coaching for you, and how a coach can help you reach your entrepreneurial dreams.‍

Is Coaching For You: Free Template

This checklist will help you determine whether coaching would be beneficial to your business.

Download Template

‍

What is a business coach?

A business coach is an expert entrepreneur or executive who knows how to start and grow successful businesses and is willing to train and mentor you.

For example, you've been running your business for roughly three years now, but you've seen little to no growth in your profitability. Instead of rambling or making impulsive decisions on your own, you can work with a business coach to teach you what to do and how to upscale your business.

Why you need a business coach?

You need to hire a coach because growing a business is tough. You're going to make a ton of costly mistakes and coaching can help you to shortcut your path to success. They'll give advice specifically tailored to your industry.

So a good coach will focus on your strengths, hone your skills, deliver a few business truths you might not want to hear, and guide your company to financial success.

Let's unpack the eight ways a business coach can help you to level up your company.

8 Benefits of executive coaching for business

1. Fulfills vision and goals

What are your visions and goals? A lot of my clients will throw out airy-fairy goals. Now I like a challenge, but I'm also a realist. It's important to look at historical data and set realistic goals.

A business coach can help you achieve them. More importantly, they make sure your goals are realistic and on point.

And here's a quick tip: Create long-term goals that won't only benefit your business, but your entrepreneurial life too.

So aside from reaching your target ROI or revenue in a year, coaching can help you to achieve the life you want.

You can freely tell your coach about your other goals. Do you want more free time? Travel? The opportunity to pursue other passions? Try a different line of business?

A business coach will come up with a plan to make these things possible without compromising your business' success.

2. Helps you gain perspective

As a coach, I don't make the decisions or produce the results.

I'm here to learn the ins and outs of your business so I can provide insights and guidance on every step or move you make. A good coach will help you to identify key challenges, make smarter decisions, focus on money-making projects, and develop strategies that take your business to the next level.

So, coaches create an impact by redirecting your perspective on the right path. They change the way you think and act for the better, and this usually provides great results.

3. Outlines a clear roadmap

Having a coach is not the same as asking a friend for guidance. While friends and family mean well, unless they've built a successful and profitable business, they don't understand what you're going through. And they never will.

So, they might suggest you try a bunch of random tactics, but they can't guarantee results.

On the other hand, business coaching comes with a plan—a clear roadmap—that you can follow and implement to grow your organization. Remember, your coach has probably built several companies in your industry. They've been where you are. They've made mistakes and learned vital lessons.

You're reaping the benefits of this knowledge, so make the most of it.

4. Improves skills

No matter how long you've been in business, you're always learning. It's vital to your development and your company’s success.

Good business coaches don't spoon-feed. We're here to help you improve your skills.

So first, a business coach will identify how you work, learn, and relate to others. Then here’s where your work comes in. You need to identify:

• What areas do you have to improve?
• Do you have problems with communication?
• Project management?
• Handling a team?

A coach will be there to guide, instruct, and offer encouragement and direction as needed, but you'll get the freedom and autonomy to make progress and meet your goals.

5. Boosts confidence

As an entrepreneur, you've probably gone through a lot in your personal and business life. And your confidence can take a knock. But no matter what happens, don't let these negativities and fears get the best of you.

Business coaching offers an invaluable space for personal development and support.

Whether you're just starting your business or you’re a seasoned business owner, coaching provides support and encourages you to work things out on your own. With time, you'll learn to trust yourself to lead with confidence and tackle challenges.

6. Improves performance and profitability

Leadership affects employee performance. And unfortunately, a demotivated team is more likely to produce substandard work which can affect client retention and eventually profitability.

So if you're struggling to manage and communicate effectively with your managers and employees this could impact their performance and output.

To be an effective leader you must understand your strengths, weaknesses, and what motivates you. Coaching is pivotal to self-development.

Business coaches offer insights for management and leadership advice. They can help you find the leadership style that works for you.

Employees who work under great leaders tend to be more satisfied, productive, and connected to their organization. In return, this has a ripple effect that reaches your business's end goal.

7. Improves leadership

Some of today's most successful business owners once worked with a business coach. For example, Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google hired a coach recommended by a board member despite his company growing. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates also invested in coaching.

Why? Because they recognized that the best investment you can make is investing in yourself. One-on-one or group coaching will help you clarify your goals, build a winning strategy, and implement an action plan that will likely increase your revenue.

8. Holds you accountable

Accountability is massively vital to the success of your small business. The objective of business coaching is to take you from point A to point B.

Having worked with clients as a coach, and been mentored by other coaches, I know you'll only benefit from coaching if you pay for it. The thing about investing money is you want to get a return.

And you're wasting your dollars if you're not implementing the growth strategies your coach advises. So not only will a good coach challenge you to think broader, try new ideas, and take risks, but they'll also hold you accountable.

Work with a Business Coach

To be clear, this is a two-way street. You'll reap the benefits of business coaching when you invest time and effort in the relationship.

And just like every relationship, it's a matter of compatibility. Unlike other marketers or coaches, I don't teach businesses to run a major marketing campaign that could earn millions.You’ll find a lot of coaches out there are just to-do list nannies.

I take a different approach. I help build your internal marketing capabilities and scale your small business rapidly. If there are gaps in your strategy, or if you're struggling to build a high-performance marketing team alone, my one-on-one coaching program will identify and provide solutions to these challenges. The rest is up to you.

When I coach, I lead the conversation. And this conversation is based on a structured program that takes you through a defined process.

Build the lifestyle business you've been dreaming about. Sign up for business growth, greater freedom, and profitability. Learn more about my 1:1 coaching program here. Are you thinking about starting a coaching business? Wouldn't it be cool if you had a roadmap you could follow instead of making it up as you go?

So, to help you get started I've written a handy guide on how to start your coaching business and scale revenue. Check it out now, just click the link.

Become A Certified Business Coach

Do you want to become a business coach?Here’s a recap of why my 12-week intensive CERTIFICATION program is the rocket fuel to your business.

• I share everything you need to structure, price, market, sell, and manage a six or 7-figure consultancy. How do I know it works? Because I used this same methodology to build and scale Lean Marketing.
• You’ll walk away with a framework for teaching your clients The 1-Page Marketing Plan and showing them how to implement each section.
• You can look forward to personalized help and support every step of the way. We’ll explain how to get past the most common roadblocks clients face and the mistakes you need to look out for. This isn’t information you’ll find online or on YouTube.
• You’ll get access to all of my templates and strategies for marketing, sales, onboarding, client management, and maximizing client retention.
• You’ll have exclusive licensing to use all of my teaching materials in your business, including The 1-Page Marketing Plan book in your company’s branding.

If you'd like to become a certified business coach, join my Certification program now.

Conversational sales is the process of talking to qualified leads on their terms, for example online with a chatbot, a phone call, or using forms on a landing page, whatever.

The focus is to use conversation to provide support, answer your prospective customers' questions, and move them through the buying process.

Every sales team, every rep, every company needs to be trained in conversational sales (low-pressure ways of converting leads to sales).

Unfortunately, most sales reps tend to forget the human element. Customers expect companies to connect with them, give a damn, and offer a solution to their problems. They're not just new leads for a rep to call and sell benefits.

So whether you're selling to other businesses—B2B marketing—or you're selling to consumers—B2C marketing—you won't see growth if there's no human impact.

This is why you need to master the art of conversational selling because conversations lead to customers.

But first, you need to know why conversational selling is highly dependent on human-to-human marketing.

Why Human-to-Human Marketing Matters In Conversational Sales

Human-to-human marketing, or simply H2H, is the best thread that unifies both B2B and B2C business models. It's the understanding that all of us want sales conversations with real people, not automated bots.

Customers want personalized buyer experiences. They want to feel like they matter—not like they’re a nameless, faceless purchaser.

You need to show them you care about their hopes, dreams, struggles, and pain points. And here's where the challenge lies. You need to figure out how to make conversational selling work. You need answers to these questions:

• How can you get your customers' attention?
• How can you make them happy?
• How can you touch their lives?

Remember, conversations lead to conversions.  

CX plays a vital role in the growth of your business. But what does CX mean, and why is it important? In short, CX are initials for Customer Experience, and this boils down to how your customers perceive their interaction with your brand.  

As your potential customers reach out to you, their experience and the relationships they build with your brand really matters. Giving this a truly human touch and delivering a world-class experience can transform a once-off purchase into life-long engagement.

3 Tips To Help You Master Conversational Sales

Here are three conversational selling tips you can use to your advantage.

1. Ask questions.

When meeting someone for the first time, how do you start the conversation? You introduce yourself, ask questions, and naturally build rapport. This is how you get to know someone from your lead list too.

In conversational selling, you need to ask questions to see if your prospects are a good fit for your business. If you're out of ideas, you can start asking them:

• What they love?
• What makes them happy?
• What they’re feeling—what emotion led them to reach out to you for help
• What are their needs?
• What are their challenges or pain points?
• Where is their business now, and where do they want to be in six months to year? Knowing this gap is vital
• What are their goals?

Asking questions validates a person. And being validated delivers a unique customer experience—something that's very important for business growth.

2. Be real.

Since this is all about human-to-human marketing, you need to show the human element in your brand. So when you're selling, tell your story. Share your ups and downs in sales conversations.

This is a great way to bridge the trust gap in the sales process and build authentic relationships with your customers. In H2H marketing, people engage and buy from businesses and brands that genuinely show who they are.

3. Deliver value.

There are a lot of ways to deliver value to your prospects and customers through conversational selling. But the bottom line is, you must be open to helping them without expecting anything in return.

For example, a prospect asks for help on a problem they can't fix. Someone from your sales team offers free advice, which they implement immediately. Later on, they see fruitful results. This situation can prove that your service is worth investing in. And in the end, they'll buy from you and hopefully recommend you to others.

For me, this is how you deliver value through conversational selling. Instead of slogging through the doldrums of cold calling, listing your products and services, then waiting until someone bites, target the right people, and offer the value they need.

Now you might be wondering, is conversational sales the same as conversational marketing? Well, let's just say they use a similar methodology.

Do You Want to Grow Your Business Rapidly?

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What is conversational marketing?

Conversational marketing happens when you personally engage with prospects and customers in real-time through multiple channels. This happens online and in person, and these channels include:

• live chat,
• chatbots on websites,
• video,
• email support, and
• messaging apps.

Any form of one-on-one communication, like phone and email, are considered part of conversational marketing.

Today, messaging is the most effective conversational marketing strategy to reach out to prospects and customers online. According to a recent survey from Twilio, 90% of consumers love to use it to communicate with brands and businesses.

So you want to consider using messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Viber to reach out to your potential and existing customers.

And even if you're worried you can't always reach out to people face-to-face or in real-time, conversational marketing tools like chatbots can really help. You can program them to automatically respond to messages and engage with prospects. Rather than sending an unwelcome form, you can start a conversation with an automated but warm greeting.

What are the benefits of conversational marketing?

When done strategically, conversational marketing can do wonders for your brand. These include:

• Helping you convert more qualified leads faster
• Creating personalized, authentic experiences with prospects and buyers
• Building and fostering relationships with happy customers

How can I be more conversational in sales?

So now I want to talk about sales language. You really want to get this right, because the language you use can make or break your ability to sell.

Think about how you'd engage with a trusted friend. You're relaxed, easy-going, and the conversation flows naturally. This is how I want you to approach selling. You want to put your prospect at ease. So how can you do this.

Well, let’s start with what NOT to say.

Bad Sales and Marketing Language

It’s unfortunate, but lots of sales trainings teach bad language. These are some common phrases that have been overused by sales teams over the years:

• “Follow up”
• “Next step”
• “Moving forward”
• “Would you be interested?”
• “Would you like to explore?”

I wouldn’t be surprised if you've used some of these in a sales conversation before. But I want you to know that this is outdated sales lingo. These phrases immediately trigger an internal alarm in prospects that says, "I'm being sold to." And they will slowly start backing away from you.

If you want to win customers and build long-lasting relationships with them, don't use these in conversational selling.

So now that you know what not to say, let's look at the kind of sales language which works well.

Effective Sales and Marketing Language

Remember, I spoke about keeping your conversations relaxed and positioning yourself as a trusted friend. If you use some of these phrases, you’ll see your sales numbers increase:

• “Tell me a little bit more about that.”
• “How long has that been going on?”
• “Is it a priority to fix it?”
• “Any feedback on our previous conversation/meeting?”
• “That’s not a problem.”
• “You’re absolutely right. It can be perceived as high. No doubt about that.”
• “Where do you think we should go from here?”

As you can see, using these statements in a conversation is not complicated. Most of them are probing questions, and you'll eventually receive a lot of different responses from qualified leads.

It puts the power back in the hands of your prospect, without causing pressure. By asking probing or leading questions, you're actually saying to your potential customer, I care. I want to know more about what you're struggling with.

That creates trust, which is essential to selling.

You can read our list of key sale tips here.

Top Insights into our Team's Conversational Sales Strategy

We asked our lead sales rep to share her best insights when it comes to conversational sales. Here's what she had to say:

What is the difference between conversational sales and traditional sales?

I liken conversational sales to playing doctor. You get on the call with the patient. You listen to their symptoms. Give them space to talk about their problems, and by the end of the call, you can diagnose a solution.

Traditional sales, on the other hand, is pushy. You’re not allowing the other person to uncover what the real issue is. You're focused entirely on yourself, and that creates friction which will turn off a lot of prospects.

Why is conversation vital to sales?

Conversations are vital because the more your prospect talks about their problem, the more it creates a sense of urgency within them to get it fixed. It's almost like they're convincing themselves that they need to take action and solve their problem.

What improves sales conversion?

Speed, really. The faster you can respond to a hot lead, the greater your chance of closing them. Don't give them time to reconsider.

What affects sales conversion?

1. Time: Are you selling a course, program, or software? If your product requires the prospect to invest the time they don't have, that will reduce the number of sales you get. It's really important that you don't encourage your prospect to purchase if you know they won't be able to use the product effectively. That will only lead to unhappiness.
2. Budget or finances: If you sell a high-ticket item, your market is much smaller than an entry-level product. So you will get many more unqualified leads. I'd still encourage you to speak with them. I use these conversations to improve my sales process. I take note of the phrases and ideas that connect with the prospect.
3. Multiple decision-makers: Often, the leads I speak to need to touch base with their partners. It could be a spouse or a business partner. This can make getting the sale more difficult as I need to convince both parties.

Conversational Selling in a Nutshell

Sales and marketing have evolved, and your business should too.

I'm not against classifying business models, but it's right to say that the era of B2B and B2C marketing has ended. It's over. You need to stop thinking that you're either in B2B or B2C. This time, you're in H2H marketing. And, you need to do what it takes to humanize your brand.

The power of conversational marketing and sales lies in personal and real-time engagement. Conversation is the best way to deliver a world-class customer experience.

It branches off in different directions. So whether you want to use messaging apps or chatbots on your website to reach out, what's important is shortening the buying process, understanding your prospects, and boosting the empathic element of your brand.

Every business has one ultimate goal: to gain more customers and close more sales. You need marketing to do that consistently.

And though there are millions of strategies and tactics you can use, the starting point remains the same: have a well-crafted marketing plan.

After all, marketing is what drives your target audience to buy your product or service, bringing in the cash. But without a marketing strategy, it's like going to war without your weapons.

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The Marketing Plan Explained

A marketing plan is basically a blueprint that outlines the methods you're going to implement to make your customers buy your products and services. It acts as a roadmap that walks through your marketing strategies, tactics, marketing activities, costs, and expected results.

It has to be detailed enough to contain the actions that small businesses need to do to accomplish their goals.

A marketing plan ensures you don't get sidetracked and start chasing shiny objects (ooh, look, TikTok!)

You can create a marketing strategy good for a month, quarter, or the whole year.

Want to know what are the best marketing strategies for 2022? Click the link.

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Marketing Plan Vs. Marketing Strategy: What's the difference?

Marketing strategy is the overall big-picture. It answers what you hope to achieve with your marketing and why. Knowing this makes getting buy-in from stakeholders and business owners much easier.

The marketing plan lays out exactly how you'll achieve those strategic goals. It maps out the tactics you'll implement (inbound and outbound marketing), the assets you need, and the processes and systems you'll develop to help you level up your marketing game.

4 Purposes of a Marketing Plan

Every business needs a marketing plan because:

1. It coordinates company goals and objectives.
2. It defines the target market, allowing you to segment them according to your needs.
3. It defines the marketing mix.
4. It systematizes each activity for every marketing strategy.

Why Do Businesses Need Marketing Plans?

It doesn't matter whether you're running a small business or scaling a huge one — you still need to create a marketing plan.

After all, it comes with a whole bevy of benefits like the following:

1. It can help you create measurable business goals.

Clarity is super important when setting your business goals. It shouldn't be as simple as 'not going broke' or 'meeting annual sales KPIs.' Otherwise, you're just setting yourself up for marketing failure.

If you don't have a clear target, you can't implement marketing activities to help you reach what you want to achieve.

With a marketing plan, you can focus on tangible targets, improving your sales and business performance throughout the year.

2. A Plan provides consistency.

Whether you have a small team or a big one, a marketing plan makes sure you're all on the same page. Everyone is given the exact instructions on what to do to meet the company's business goals.

Without a marketing strategy, your plan will end up fractured and ineffective.

For example, some of your employees might work on social media, online content, or email marketing, while the other half uses print and radio ads.

3. It pushes you to stick with your budget.

Even a big business has to work on a set budget.

With a marketing plan, you can place importance on activities that yield the best results. It can save you from the headache of creating strategies that are not worth pursuing.

4. It helps you provide better service to your customers.

The importance of a marketing plan goes beyond the process. You can also use it as a guide in dealing with your clients.

When you understand what you need to do, you can address your audience better.

5. It gives your company the reality check it needs.

Businesses often have multiple objectives, and it can get confusing real fast if you don't have a marketing plan to guide you.

It serves as a benchmark that reminds you if you're hitting your marketing targets. You can make sure that your strategies are aligned and aren't veering away from the business goals you had from the start.

6. It can serve as an excellent motivator to your marketing team.

Say you want to start your business by marketing ten items per day.

When your employees know the exact marketing strategies to employ to achieve that goal, they waste less time in brainstorming sessions and follow-up meetings. All they need to do is follow your marketing plan, and everything will fall into place.

7. A plan is the key to getting more investors.

Let's face it: Building and running a business involves a sizable investment. If you want yours to grow in people, products, and income, you need to invest more capital.

One way to do so is to get different entities to invest in the product you're marketing. But you won't get the funding you need if you can't present a marketing strategy that outlines your business direction. It's massively important if you want to level up your company.

8. It can make you think and be proactive rather than reactive.

Planning lets you understand not just your target market and products but also the process of how you can bridge these two to achieve your business needs.

Teams with marketing plans are also more proactive. So you think about things in advance rather than just dealing with them when they occur. You're able to pre-empt and solve issues immediately.

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How to Create a Simple But Effective Plan in 5 Steps

Step 1: Prepare all the documents you need for your marketing plan.

‍You've probably heard of the saying, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." The same goes for creating a good marketing plan — you can't come up with many promising marketing ideas without much preparation.

For a seamless planning process, make sure to have the following marketing documents at hand:

• Latest financial reports, including operating budgets and profit and loss activity
• Sales figures by product and location for at least the last three years
• A list of new products or services, as well as their target customers
• Different marketplace documents, such as the list of competitors, regional boundaries, intended customers, current distribution channels, demographic data, and market trends

Step 2: Write about the market situation, as well as the threats and opportunities.

‍When you create your marketing plan, it's absolutely essential to consider the current trends in the marketplace, like your market's dollar size, selling and distribution setup, target audience, and even how much you've sold throughout the years.

Remember, you'll also need to take note of the threats and opportunities your business faces. These include the customers' demographics and the new trends that might be against you. And don't forget to focus on exploiting the ones that work in your favor.

‍Step 3: List down your marketing plan objectives.

‍The focus here should be the business goal you wish to achieve in a specific time frame.

Each objective needs to be clear. It must describe what you want to accomplish in, say, a week or a month, even six months. So be sure to jot down the numbers you want to get.

If you have a hard time creating different objectives for your marketing plan, you can always refer to your old records.

If your business has managed to keep an 80% in gross revenues from customers this year, gunning for a simple 20% to 25% increase in activity is a pretty achievable target, in my opinion.

Again, your marketing plan must also include the tactics and activities you're planning to do to achieve your targets.

For example:

Goal: Introduce the new X item to Roseville and sell 10,000 units for total revenue of $50,000.

‍Objectives:

• Promote the item and reach more customers online using email marketing or social media.
• Run marketing ads in the local newspaper.
• Get a radio ad in a local station.

Tactics:

• Obtain email addresses of Roseville residents by offering freebies on the website.
• Create Facebook marketing ads targeting the Roseville market.
• Contact newspaper people regarding ad rates and reserve an ad spot if you can.
• Contact the station manager and inquire about placing an ad.

Step 4: Set a marketing budget.

‍Now that you have your marketing strategy in place, it's time to talk numbers. I like to tell my clients that as long as you're making a return on investment, why wouldn't you keep plugging dollars back into your marketing activities?

But initially, you want to assign a specific budget so your team knows how much they can allocate for every promotion. The golden rule here is to add 25% more to your current estimate.

When establishing a budget, be sure to plan with the people who will be executing these activities. Their input will help you get a ballpark figure of the amount you want for each strategy. It also allows you to determine a point person who will keep a close eye on the budget and ensure it's put to good use.

‍Step 5: Create an executive business summary.

‍Although this should be placed at the top of your marketing plan, the executive summary should be the last thing you do in your marketing plan. It serves as an overview of the content you have inside.

For easier reading, make sure your plan is written in simple sentences. Bold the most critical points, and list them down in bullets as needed.

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Monitoring Your Plan's Performance

Successful marketing comes down to knowing your numbers.

• How are your marketing campaigns performing?
• Is your lead nurturing sequence converting?
• What messages work and which don't? Check out our messaging framework for refining your marketing message.
• Does your target audience engage with your social content?
• Is your advertising effective?
• Are you tracking Google Analytics, and what do your results reveal?
• What resources are most popular?

Marketing isn't just about putting a piece of content out there and hoping it sticks. You need to gather as much data and information as you can and analyze it to be sure you're getting results and not wasting your money.

So add KPIs to each and every marketing activity.

Types of Marketing Strategies

A clear marketing strategy identifies which tactics your company will use to get your customers to know, like, trust, and buy from you.

If you've built an in-house marketing team, they may wish to create separate plans for each tactic, for example:

• Content marketing plans outline the articles you'll write and post on your blog to rank in search engines. These can be built month to month or yearly in advance.  SEO is one of the best ways to attract organic traffic and grow your audience.
• Media marketing plans outline which media you'll use to reach your audience. This could be social media, PR, SEO, PPC, television, radio, podcasting, or Ted Talks, to name a few. In advertising agencies, you'll be given a media plan that lists dates go-live/publisher dates, costs, and timelines.
• Social media marketing plans or a social content calendar break down the types of posts you'll share across any given month.

A lot of big companies have annual marketing plans. That's why I wrote the 1-Page Marketing Plan. It's something you can review every six months and only update when necessary.

Business Success Starts With A Sound Marketing Plan Strategy

As mentioned, there are many good reasons why your business must have a marketing plan. As the business owner, you need to own your marketing strategy. So it's vital that you're involved in the writing of your marketing plan. Although it can be challenging to build out, it's essential to your business's success. So, make it a priority.

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How do you find great remote workers? Does your recruitment process consist of posting an ad on a job marketplace and waiting for the perfect candidate to apply?

There are plenty of hiring strategies to use, but this method is not the best move these days.

It's like signing up for Tinder and getting hundreds of matches while your competition meets their match through a trustworthy mutual friend. You can still find "the one," but it'll take a lot more time, money, and effort.

A remote team is only as good as the people in it. So if you want to work with great talent, you need a strong recruitment process.

Here are three of the most effective hiring strategies you can use to find great remote workers and build a strong and talented team:

Why You Need To Hire A Team

I've worked with many businesses, and one of the first questions they ask me is, "Whom should I hire first?"

Now, let's delve deeper into what your organizational structure looks like.

Are you the center of your team? Do you:

• Hire everyone?
• Onboard new team members?
• Answer all questions from your team members?
• Involve yourself in every decision-making process?

If you handle most of these things, you’re a huge bottleneck for your team. Entrepreneurs are ideas people. You come up with goals, plans, and solutions for a profit. You don't have to train every team member or answer questions that don't involve you from the get-go.

So what works best is to hire from the top, down. But what do I mean by that?

1. Hire from the top, down.

To hire from the top, down means your first hire must employ the rest of the team and run the future team.

There are two reasons for this:

1. Hiring is never easy. Writing job descriptions, posting ads, reviewing résumés, interviewing candidates, and onboarding new team members are labor and time-intensive. You don't have to do everything on your own.
2. You can hold your team leader accountable for the team results. This won't only get things off your plate, but you're indirectly training your team leader to become more responsible for the team.

So again, remove yourself as the bottleneck and hire someone you can trust to hire and run the rest of the team. If you need a reason why you should hire a team, check this out.

What Position Should You Hire First?

This is next question I often get asked and I have two choices for you:

• Marketing Coordinator
• Remote Assistant (Virtual Assistant)

Once you're ready to find your first hire, here are three things you should consider first:

• Budget: First things first, you should be conscious of your budget. Can you afford a new hire? What’s your budget and what tools will they need in their role?
• Buy-in: Who else needs to be involved in this conversation? What is their role? Are they a decision-maker?
• Timelines: Set clear expectations on a timeline to hire, onboard, and ramp-up.

Among these three, budget is the most pressing factor for entrepreneurs. Do you already have a figure in mind? For your first hire, you can choose either of these two, depending on your budget:

• Marketing Coordinator: around $35 per hour or $2,800 per month
• Remote Assistant: around $700-900 per month

Now, if budget is not an issue or your top concern, you can choose based on the candidate's skill set.

Marketing Coordinator (6 Non-Negotiables)

1. Copywriting

Copywriting is central to marketing and success. It touches everything. In every single campaign, you're going to have words—either on a page, video, social media, email sequence, and so on.

Copywriting translates into many other good things that can bring to the business as well. It builds your image, brings out the personality of your brand, and boosts your digital marketing game.

Even if ultimately this person won't be doing all the copywriting, they do need to understand what compelling copy looks like.

They need to be able to understand how to put a message together because if your team leader can't communicate effectively, it'll negatively impact the internal team and everything you put out into the marketplace.

2. Being Tech-Savvy

Marketing has become much more technical. You've got CRM systems, content management systems, websites, and landing pages.

Technophobes (anyone who's scared of technology) won't succeed in this role. You need someone who's willing to be trained to learn how to use different platforms. You also want them to implement systems. Learn more here.

3. Leadership Potential

As I said, you need someone who has leadership skills because your first hire is in charge of hiring and running your remote team.

4. Project Management

As your team leader, they're going to be responsible for the delivery of your projects. You want to make sure they're able to manage your team and deliver projects on time and on budget.

5. Being Teachable and Coachable

Trust me, an arrogant, know-it-all person can bring down a team. I've always found that the best hires are always teachable and coachable. You need someone who can learn new concepts, accept new ways of doing things, and just run with it.

6. Being a Self-Starter

It might sound cliché, but you need your first hire to be a self-starter. You need someone who can work autonomously without needing to be constantly babysat and asked how things are going all of the time.

Remote Assistant (6 Non-Negotiables)

1. Excellent Communicator

Communication serves as the foundation of every facet of your business. You need someone who understands the grounds of their work, who's willing to reach out for help when they need it, and who can create a positive work environment within the team.

2. Detail-Oriented

As the business owner, your role is to always look at the big picture. It’s up to your remote assistant to pay close attention to all of the small particulars when working on projects. This results in high-quality work with little to no errors.

3. Strong Written English (or the language you do business in)

English is the most widely spoken and written language in the world. So, if your first hire doesn't know English (or the language you do business in) well, they can't effectively communicate with you and your team.

4. Comfortable with Technology

Like I said, you need tech-savvy people who're willing to learn how to use new systems and equipment.

5. Reliable

Look for a dependable remote assistant. Find someone who can deliver within the deadline and create high-quality deliverables you’ve agreed upon.

6. Eager to Learn

Growth potential is an important quality in your first hire, and willingness to learn shows that capability. This person must be willing to undergo training or mentoring for career progression.

2. Hire based on attitude first, not experience.

I believe that you should hire on attitude first instead of experience or skill level. Why? The idea is to hire good people who are open to learning new things—people who are not stuck in their old ways of working.

To give you a better idea, consider hiring someone who's a bit more of a blank slate. They've got a great attitude, are willing to learn, and are open to new ways of doing things. You just need to train them to do things the way you want them done.

‍So, don't hire. Invest.

‍You should invest a lot of time and money in training your team.

“Now what if they leave?” people always ask me.

Let's turn it around.

"What if you don't train them and they stay?"

That's going to be a bigger loss for you. You'll be in a world of pain if your team doesn't know what they're doing and they stay in the business.

So, invest in them. And the other thing is, if you’re treating people decently and you've got a fun work environment, it's unlikely that people are going to leave unless they have major life changes.

3. Use your network and different platforms to find great talent.

If you want to find great talent, start by letting your network know you're hiring. I actually found my team leader through my network. All I did was write a job description, post it, and wait for referrals to come. You can also use referrals to get new business. Back to hiring.

Then, my team leader hired everyone else. It's the most efficient and cost-effective way to look for top talent. Putting trust in your team leader just shows that you're involving them in your company’s growth.

Aside from referrals, you can also post on platforms like LinkedIn, UpWork, and Onlinejobs.ph.

Building Your Remote Team

Rather than waiting for great talent to miraculously discover your business and beg for a job, redirect your efforts to strategically sourcing them. So to recap, you must:

• Hire from the top, down
• Hire based on attitude first
• Find talent from your network and other platforms

Sourcing top talent is essential to the future of your business. If you want to get two steps ahead of your competition, hire the best candidates in the market because a solid, dependable, flexible team is the backbone of a successful business.

But finding great talent is only the first step. Now you need to build a work culture that makes them want to log on each day and do good work. To learn more about how to create that awesome work culture, check out this link.

Once upon a time, many moons ago, LinkedIn was a glorified online resume platform for recruiters and job hunters, but that's long since changed.

Today LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the digital landscape, and if you're not on it, you're missing out.

Through LinkedIn, you can promote yourself and build a solid network of professionals who can add value to your business.

And the best part? It’s completely free.

If you're into B2B marketing, it's the top channel to use. In fact, 97% of its users utilize LinkedIn for their B2B marketing efforts.

What you might find surprising is:

• 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn.
• 65% of B2B companies have acquired a client or a customer in this platform.

Simply put, LinkedIn is your go-to platform for building your personal brand, generating more leads and scaling your client or customer list. It's an asset.

‍So, how can you make a good first impression? Start with your profile In this blog, I'm going to share my best LinkedIn profile tips for creating and optimizing your account. This step-by-step process is really quite simple to do.

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The LinkedIn profile sections you need to complete

If you want to stand out on LinkedIn, you need an awesome profile—one that speaks directly to the needs of your target audience.

Now you can have an individual LinkedIn profile or a business profile.

Either way, the profile section tips I share below can be applied to both.

1. Your LinkedIn Profile Picture and Background Photo

Without a doubt, a great LinkedIn profile starts with a good profile picture.

LinkedIn profiles with photos get more views, messages, and engagements rather than faceless ones. It gives the idea that you're dealing with a real person and not a bot.

So your first step is to add a profile and background photo.

‍Profile picture:

• The ideal size is 400x400 pixels. It must be less than 8MB.
• You can crop it in a square or circle.
• Upload a high-quality professional headshot. LinkedIn profiles with professional headshots get 14 times more profile views. It doesn't have to be a high-end, expensive photograph. Just make sure it's decent, presentable, and visually clear.
• Most importantly, your profile picture must fit your branding.

Cover photo:

• The ideal size is 1584x396 pixels.
• It must be less than 8MB, too. It must reflect your passion or advocacy (if applicable).
• You can add your company logo with its tagline. Think about products or services you're known for.
• Make your background picture customized. But if you want to keep it simple, there are ready-to-use templates to choose from in Canva.

‍Here's an example of a nice, presentable profile and cover photo. As you can see, it easily depicts who you are and your branding.

Now, you have to pick your photos carefully. Career experts say that LinkedIn is a platform for professionals. It's not the right platform to show off your significant other or duck face selfies. Here's another reference to look at.

2. Choosing The Right LinkedIn Headline

Aside from your name and eye-catching photos, people will most likely look into your headline. This is similar to your Facebook and Instagram bio, where you can describe who you are in 120 characters or less.

Keep it clear and direct as much as possible. Remember, confusion creates a bad impression. People don't want to waste time trying to guess what it is you do.

Best practice, use short and simple search terms. It takes a few seconds to skim a LinkedIn headline, so make sure yours is meaningful for your prospects.

If you're struggling with creating your own headline, you can use this formula:

‍[Your job title/what you do] | I help [your prospects] to [how you can help them] to [result].

‍This is how it looks.

3. Make Your LinkedIn About Section Count

If you're limited to 120 characters when describing yourself in your headline, you can write as much text as you want in your “About” section.

Now you can elaborate on what you do, how you can help, and what results you can deliver.

But before I get into that, I want to make one thing very clear. Your about section isn't really about you. It's about how you can help your ideal prospect to get results. So make the focus about them.

Here’s what your “About” section must include:

• Introduction: Start by sharing something about yourself or your company. What's your story? What core values and principles matter to you the most?
• Your products or services: How do you help people? Add as many products and services you offer as possible. Then, give them a rundown of what you do. Be descriptive. In my case, I'm known for my book, The 1-Page Marketing Plan that helps people thrive and succeed in business, so I've highlighted it in my “About” section.
• Results: I’ve noticed that a lot of profiles don't include this part. It's an opportunity you shouldn't miss. Talk about the results you can deliver. If you're a PR agency how many press releases do you write a month? If you're a lead generation specialist, how many quality leads can you produce in a month? Or if you own an e-commerce store, how many sales did you get in the past year? What about your current Google rating? Transparency is a major factor here. Just keep it real. Help people to manage their expectations.
• Call-to-action: Although people can directly connect with you on LinkedIn, share other ways they can reach out. Feel free to add links to your website, e-commerce store, email, and other social media accounts.

Take time to write your “About” section. Not a lot of people know this, but you can actually use it as your lead magnet. Here are some tips in drafting your own:

• Keep it personal. Write it as if you're talking to a friend.
• Avoid over-promoting yourself.
• Use your prospects' pain points.
• Define and use your brand voice. What jargon does your target audience use? This influences how prospects perceive your messaging.

4. Summarize your Career in the LinkedIn Experience Section

After going through your About section, people will scroll down to see your “Experience” section. This is an important part of your profile as it shows your work history and proves your credibility and competence.

Employment history differs among people, so it doesn't matter whether it's written short or long. Maybe you own multiple businesses or have different roles in your company. If this is the case, explain each business or role further by adding:

• An overview or description of what you do
• Achievements
• Social proofs or testimonials

Most importantly, link your role to your company page on LinkedIn. Make sure your LinkedIn company page is complete because people will check it too.

See for yourself.

‍

Individual LinkedIn Profile Add-Ons

Every single LinkedIn profile has a profile photo, headline, description, and a list of experiences. But only a few spend their time:

• Filling in their “Accomplishments” section
• Adding recommendations
• Personalizing their LinkedIn URL

This is what I meant by optimizing your profile. Aside from your basic information, these boost your image and branding. Use these optimizing tips to gain a competitive edge and stand out from the rest.

1. LinkedIn URL

All new profiles have system-generated URLs composed of random letters and numbers. So if you want to optimize your URL, you have to change it. A long string of random characters is unsightly. So it's best to keep it short and customized. Here's how to change your profile URL:

1. Click the “Me” icon at the top of your homepage.
2. Click “View profile.”
3. Click “Edit public profile and URL” on the upper-right side.
4. Click the pencil icon next to your URL.
5. Remove the last part of the URL in the text box and replace it with your name, with or without your company name, containing 30-100 characters. Do not use spaces, symbols, or other fancy characters.
6. If your custom URL is no longer available, that means you have to create a different one.
7. Save it. And there you go. You have a new LinkedIn URL.

It may take time for search engines to detect the updates you've made to your LinkedIn profile. If you haven't seen any live changes, reload the page.

2. Your Accomplishments

Your accomplishments matter. It shows your commitment to your field and how others recognize your efforts.

This profile section must include outstanding publications, honors and awards, courses, projects, and organizations.

3. Your LinkedIn Recommendations

Here's a profile tip that most people forget. LinkedIn recommendations are a great feature to highlight statements from people who enjoy working with you and are happy to recommend you.

Even if you're not a job seeker at the moment, 76% of B2B buyers prefer to work with professionals who have displayed recommendations on their profiles.

You're lucky if you get a recommendation from your clients, mentors, or colleagues without asking for it. But most of the time, it’s a give-and-take situation. Write a recommendation for someone and ask if they would write one for you.

Or better yet, you can ask for it through email. You can use this template, do your tweaks and send it to get recommendations.

‍Hey [Name],

Feels like it’s been years since we last spoke. [You can insert some personal notes.]

I was hoping to ask a favor. I’d massively appreciate a recommendation when you get the chance. And I’d be happy to write one for you in return.

Keep in touch and let me know how things are going.

‍Just like any other word-of-mouth, it should be genuine. It should come from someone who knows you professionally and can describe your strengths, character, and skills.

4. Your Featured Section

Optimizing your LinkedIn profile is made even better with new updates. In 2020, LinkedIn launched the Featured section which allows you to showcase the best work samples you're proud of. This can vary to:

• Old or previous posts you've written or shared on LinkedIn
• Successful blog topics from your website (for example a blog about the benefits of a marketing plan) and social media handles
• External media such as photos, documents  and links

Now how does this new section differ from the Activity section on your profile?

The Activity section shows all your activity for the past 45 days. This includes your posts, articles, likes and comments on other LinkedIn posts. With the recent update, you can find it just below the Featured section on your profile or LinkedIn feed if you choose to enable it.

What makes the Featured section different is you can pick and curate the content you only want other people to see. Meaning, you have full control over what to include and exclude in this LinkedIn section.

Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile for SEO

So now that you've learned about the basics and set up LinkedIn essentials on your personal profile, let's take things to the next level.

LinkedIn is one of the top five sites (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Wikipedia) that Google regularly indexes. This means that you have to apply SEO to your profile if you want to appear in search results more often.

This won't only help you gain better search visibility in native LinkedIn searches, but also in Google searches. Just think about seeing your name on the first page of Google. That looks interesting, isn't it?

Now, let's talk about LinkedIn SEO.

1. Create a keyword-rich profile.

If you're familiar with how digital marketing works, then you probably know how important keywords are in SEO.

And this is also applicable when optimizing your LinkedIn profile.

So how do you start?

You have to make sure that the keywords you'll choose are those that people use when searching for your products and services.

For example, if you're a dentist, you can include the long-tail keyword "dental care and dental services" in your job title. Then on your job description, you can include relevant phrases like "general dentistry, cosmetic dentistry" and other variations of these.

Now, here's a tip to remember.

Be careful of keyword stuffing. Just place relevant keywords naturally in your LinkedIn profile.

2. Build quality backlinks.

Do you want to give your LinkedIn profile a boost?

Building quality backlinks is the answer. Now what should you do?

You have to link to your LinkedIn profile from your own website. This is extremely effective if your website has a high domain authority (DA).

And if you're guest posting on other websites, use this opportunity to link back to your LinkedIn profile. You can simply use your author bio to get backlinks.

This technique helps your profile rank higher in Google and even in LinkedIn itself, resulting in high visibility.

3. Post New Content (and share) other LinkedIn User's content.

Sure, you've already filled out your LinkedIn profile with everything people need to know from you. What's next?

Apply SEO to your profile through content marketing. Meaning, you must post relevant and valuable content.

This is a fantastic way to interact with your LinkedIn connections. Also, this drives traffic to your blog post, web content, whatever.

Now aside from posting your own content, consider sharing content too. Have you read a piece of content from someone that you find valuable? Share it. This creates a domino effect—helping you reach a wider audience effortlessly. It's also one way to build a better community.

4. Join and participate in LinkedIn groups.

LinkedIn shows the groups you're part of on your profile. In return, this helps the platform to know more about you and what search results are relevant to you.

So take time to look at some groups relevant to your industry and join them. Ask questions or provide valuable answers to other people's questions.

This is one of the most effective ways to grow your LinkedIn network.

Participate in the conversation, and people will start noticing you. Now if you do this consistently, you'll eventually boost your reputation as a thought leader.

5. Expand your LinkedIn network.

LinkedIn search results heavily depend on your network of colleagues, business contacts and friends.

So does this mean it has its own search engine? Yes.

And just like any search engine, LinkedIn also considers a few ranking factors to get your profile on the first page.

This includes the number of connections that your profile has.

For example, if you're one of my colleagues and I searched for keywords related to your profession, I'll probably see your profile on top of the results.

Remember, LinkedIn is also a social media platform. The goal here is to connect to as many people as possible.

Although this is what you have to do, you still have to be careful about who you connect with. More connections may mean higher ranking and visibility on your LinkedIn profile, but the wrong connections are up to no good.

Prioritize getting as many 1st level connections as you can. 2nd and 3rd level connections can also boost your network. Avoid directly connecting to LinkedIn members who are out of your network. Make sure you check every profile who wants to connect and see what value they can offer to you.

6. Use alt texts to name your images.

Are you looking for an underrated LinkedIn SEO hack? Here it is.

Google indexes images just as it indexes web content. So for every image you upload to LinkedIn, you must also name it with a keyword or phrase that's discoverable online.

This is the role of alt texts. Add alternative texts (alt texts) to all the images you post on your LinkedIn profile or feed. This helps voice-over screen readers to know what the image is all about.

So for example, if you're name's John Doe, you can rename the image with your profession.

Now before you do this, I want you to think of a very important matter. Are you running a company or building your personal brand? These are two different things. So if your personal brand matters more, consider using your name as alt texts to your LinkedIn images.

In my case, when you search for "Allan Dib," I'd like to have most of the results to show my profile picture.

7. Use Customized and Generic LinkedIn hashtags.

Let's get this straight. Hashtags aren't only for Twitter or Instagram.

LinkedIn might be a social media network for professionals, but it also uses hashtags.

So take advantage of it. Add hashtags when posting articles and other forms of content on LinkedIn. Users can find you when they follow a hashtag you use. This is a fantastic tool because it just means that others don't necessarily have to follow you so they can see your posts.

8. Get endorsements from fellow LinkedIn connections.

Are you looking for ways to optimize your job search? Here's another overlooked LinkedIn feature that you should check.

Use the endorsements section to boost your LinkedIn SEO game.

This validates all the skills you've posted in your LinkedIn profile. It's also a great place to add target keywords within the skills on your list.

So the key here is to get more endorsements for a few, handpicked skills instead of few endorsements for many skills.

Recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates. Use endorsements to impress them. Having social proof gives you a higher chance to land a job.

9. Add the Open To Work LinkedIn Banner if you're in the market for a new job

For business owners and recruiters, the Open to Work LinkedIn Banner is a great way to quickly find new talent.

Instead of posting a job and waiting for candidates to apply, you can directly approach a potential employee to see if they'd be interested in new work opportunities.

If you're looking for a new job, this signals to your network that you're serious about making a move.

To add the Open to Work banner, watch this instructional video.

10. Up the ante by taking a LinkedIn Skills Assessment

Demonstrate your technical skills and know-how by taking a LinkedIn Skills Assessment. There are a number of skills tests from various industries that you can choose from.

Once completed, the skill badge is then added to your LinkedIn profile page to help recruiters in their job search.

• Skill assessments don't take long, max 20 minutes.
• They strengthen your profile and can make you more searchable to recruiters.
• It's free.

11. Invest in yourself and complete a course on LinkedIn Learning

I’ve worked with a lot of influences and coaches during my career, and there’s one thing we all have in common…we invest in ourselves.

I’ve spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on 1:1 and group coaching, virtual courses, business books, and speaker events.

I do it because I know there are better ways of doing things, and I’ll only discover them if I’m continuously learning.

So you can use the LinkedIn Learning section to add new skills to your resume.

As a business owner, it's always handy to at least understand the inner workings of things even if you aren't handling it yourself.

Examples of top profiles to follow on LinkedIn

Catherine Gladwyn - Taking women from employment to enjoyment and beyond. Let me show you how to become an in-demand Virtual Assistant - VA Mentor since 2018 and Multi-Award Winning Bestselling Author

Andy Barden - We write really cool stuff for your socials.💥Or we can train you to write even cooler stuff for yourself.💥Your complete social media strategy partner for training and managed ghostwriting services.💥

Lea Turner - Founder, The HoLt | The business community where square pegs fit perfectly | Find out more the-holt.com

Michelle B. Griffin - Thought Leadership Accelerator for Women ➢ I teach female experts to communicate their value, build personal brands & get visible with PR to become top of mind in their field ➢ Author ➢ Speaker ➢ Own Your Lane Book 11/19

Start Using These LinkedIn Profile Tips To Make Your Profile Stand Out

So optimizing your LinkedIn profile is the first step to attracting more high-value leads. Before reaching out to your prospects, make sure that:

• They can recognize you
• You gain their interest and trust

It all starts with providing your personal information. Take it a step further by optimizing your profile with a customized URL and sections for your accomplishments and referrals. This section is vital because it's other customers or clients vouching for your business so fill in your LinkedIn referrals section. We cover how to systemize referrals here.

Then move forward with implementing an effective strategy to connect with individuals you know personally and those you want to connect with.

So start with these LinkedIn profile tips and let me know how it goes.

A lot of businesspeople believe sales is about convincing a lead to become a customer. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I'll make it simple for you. I saw this quote by Peter Drucker: "Marketing aims to make selling superfluous."

That doesn't mean you should axe your sales process entirely. Rather, selling to leads should be easy and simple—not pushy, cajoling, convincing, and all of those things that you typically associate with sales.

So to help you increase your sales pipeline and lead conversion rate, I'm going to share a few truths your sales team can implement today. But let's start with a little myth-busting.

3 Common Sales Myths

1. It's a numbers game.

Say you make 100 cold calls daily.

It's possible to get 20 leads to commit to an appointment and convert 10 people to customers, right?

Yes, it works. But it's a hard slog. It's soul-crushing. Not to mention it's an inefficient and counterproductive sales strategy.

So sales is not a numbers game. It's a performance game. It's about how your sales team deals with people who want what you've got.

2. It's your job to overcome objections.

"No" is a tough pill to swallow, but it doesn't stop a lot of salespeople from overcoming objections. Die-hard salespeople tend to push qualified leads who aren't ready to purchase over the line.

So don’t skip steps in the sales process; it will position you as a pushy salesperson.

Instead, focus on nurturing a lead in your funnel. Keep the communication lines open, and when they’re ready to buy, convert them to a customer.

3. Always be closing.

Everyone has seen the movie Glengarry Glen Ross where it's all about closing the sale and making the deal at any cost.

This is an old sales tactic. And it's a losing strategy. Being aggressive positions you as needy, and it reeks of desperation. Instead, use your marketing efforts to get leads into your sales pipeline.

The Psychology and Mindset of a True Salesperson

Salespeople typically face an uphill battle to win customers and generate more sales. In my 20-year career as an entrepreneur, I've learned that conversations are more likely to lead to sales. That said, there is a right way to approach conversational sales. Start here.

‍Or try this low-key method to achieve these goals.

1. Be authentic.

Have you ever attended a sales training? Sometimes, they talk about things like being enthusiastic and energetic when communicating with leads and customers. If this is your personality, there's nothing to worry about.

But if you're putting on a fake smile and trying to drum up an excited sales voice to convert a lead to a customer, you're only creating pressure for yourself.

Don't fall into this trap. Be authentic. People want to do business with real people, not fakes.

2. You're not in sales; you're a trusted advisor.

A great way to sell more starts with positioning.

You have to position yourself as an expert—a trusted advisor—who has your customer’s best interest at heart. You're their confidant, someone they can trust to help solve their problems.

3. Get to the truth.

The ultimate goal of sales is to get to the truth.

Let's admit it. You can't convert all of your leads into customers. It's a matter of compatibility. You have to figure out if you're a good fit for a prospect. And you do that by qualifying your leads.

Some prospects will tell you they either don't have the budget, are not interested, or are not ready to buy now. Your sales team needs to be open to hear these objections and accept them.

If your instinct is to push the sale and counter objections, you're only creating pressure. This drives leads away, which affects your lead conversion rate.

4. Aim for the right goal.

Aim to sell only the next step in your buyer's journey, not the final step.

This is a common mistake among salespeople. When they offer a sales deal, they skip to the final stage in the sales process. They focus on getting leads to sign on the dotted line as quickly as possible.

And again, this is a poor sales tactic. It makes your marketing campaigns redundant, and it defeats the purpose of building your sales funnel. So rather than shortcutting the sales process, sell only the next step.

2 Lead Conversion Strategies

Besides defining a professional salesperson's psychology, I have two key action strategies to help you convert leads into sales.

1. Positioning

How you position your business is vital. Leads will take you at your own appraisal. Focus on positioning yourself as an expert and a trusted advisor. It gives potential customers the impression that you're the best person to consult with, analyze a problem, and offer a solution.

2. Discounting

Resist the urge to discount. You're unintentionally driving away high-value leads. If your marketing is targeted, you'll attract interest from more qualified leads. You won't lose customers, and people will still buy from you.

So rather than discounting, consider:

• Bundling
• Increasing quantities
• Adding peripheral products or services
• Boosting the value of your offer

3 Risk Reversal Action Strategies

Most leads have been burned before by dodgy salespeople. They were probably pressured to buy and regretted the decision afterward.

So most of your leads have learned to put their defenses up, and trust becomes a major barrier to sales.

To counter this roadblock, try to reverse the risk. Take the risk on yourself rather than putting it on the lead. This will help build trust and remove the friction from the sales process.

Here are three risk reversal tips to help your business convert leads to sales.

1. Using power guarantees.

I'm not talking about generic ones like satisfaction guarantee, money-back guarantee, whatever. They barely work.

Now, if you say you can double their money back if your product doesn't work. That's powerful.

It builds trust and confidence with your prospect because there's nothing to lose. If they're not happy, you fulfill the guarantee, and they move on. And if they're happy, you naturally convert leads into sales.

2. Offer an unlimited package.

Many businesses are moving towards the subscription model. I'm talking about Netflix, streaming services, and similar companies.

One-off purchases still work, but subscriptions have become super convenient for most customers.

For example, to get a prospect to experience your product or service, you can offer a free trial on your website. If they love it, this lead will sign up and become a customer. This is the power of creating a subscription-style service. You benefit from regular, monthly transactions. It never ends.

3. Try before you buy.

Give your leads the opportunity to test drive your product or service before they buy.

This works because reciprocity is a strong instinct. If somebody does something for you, it's normal to feel that you need to return the favor.

It gives the impression your company is willing to take risks to win their trust. So if the customer likes your offer, they won't hesitate to pay and do repeat business with you.

Lead Conversion 101

Lead conversion is more than getting thousands of visitors to your website or thousands of comments on your blog post. It's about capturing and nurturing the right leads and converting them into customers.

Get rid of old habits that barely work. Think about how you can use targeted marketing to drive qualified leads to a landing page on your website and get them to fill in a form and opt-in to your CRM. Re-engineer your sales process so your team focuses on leads at every stage in the buyer's journey.

Follow your sales process. Whatever marketing tactic or strategy you use, it must be aligned with your sales pipeline. Do one step at a time, and you'll get a high conversion rate.

Ever worked for a bosshole? Maybe you were one?

If you can't help micromanaging employees or showing signs of frustration at work, I hear you. Perhaps you're having a bad day, or you have your own personal reasons.

But let me tell you this: Business problems don't exist. You probably have personal problems that reflect in your business.

And this is what embodies work culture. Work culture trickles down from you (the boss) as the person at the top of the chain, down to the rest of the team.

In this blog, I'll help you understand how work culture affects you and your company. I’ll also share some tips on how you can build a work environment that works best for your team.

The Impact of Work Culture

Like I said, culture trickles down from the top.

This means your attitude and personality shape your company’s or organization’s work culture.

Bossholes are poor leaders. Their sole focus is to make themselves look good. And this results in an unhappy workforce.

When you have an unhappy team, there’s often a domino effect. They're not motivated to work hard, productivity slows down, profitability plummets.

In my experience, happy teams are everything. When you provide a sense of vision, purpose, and inspiration to your team, they'll aim to please you and help you hit your goals. And I think that's important.

So how can you make sure you’re building a great work culture? Just follow these five top tips.

5 Ways to Build a Strong Work Culture

1. Check in regularly.

Whether you're the boss or the team leader, you must at least schedule weekly check-ins with your team. Aside from discussing projects, the goal is to see how people are doing. Make them feel like you're willing to listen and address concerns. This will help you to keep your finger on the pulse of your business.

2. Set goals with your team.

Your team isn't only supposed to pull levers, follow your orders, whatever. Make sure you involve them in setting quarterly goals. They know better than anyone else when it comes to what they can achieve.

There are so many companies that set ridiculous goals that demotivate their teams. Why? They're unrealistic and there's no hope hitting them.

So here's what you can do. Before every quarter starts, you can ask each team member to share the goals they want to achieve. You can review them together and decide whether to tweak them or leave them as is.

3. Offer opportunities to learn new skills.

Believe it or not, money isn’t always the biggest motivator. Big paychecks are just one of the things that can make your team happy and in it for the long haul. I’ve found that creating more opportunities for your team to learn new skills is the most empowering thing I can do as a boss.

If your team realizes that you want them to grow and upskill, they'll do great work for you and they won't want to leave.

4. Celebrate wins.

As the boss or the team leader, it's imperative that you provide constructive feedback, correct mistakes, whatever. But at the same time, you must also celebrate wins—whether they’re big or small. This boosts employee morale and strengthens bonds with one another.

You can send a short compliment or a celebratory GIF through email or your group chat. Your team will love it. Recognition feels good. It’s that simple.

5. Be aware and track stress levels.

A happy team thrives on a manageable and healthy workload. So it's important to be at least aware of what's on their plate, how they're doing, and if they’re capable of handling the job.

When your team's always stressed out, they'll struggle to deliver quality work. Their decision-making abilities will also be dulled.

If you think someone has been swamped for quite some time, reprioritize certain tasks or hire another person to handle the extra workload.

Creating a Work Culture for Success

Every company has its own culture. And as the boss or team leader, establishing your company’s work culture falls on your shoulders. Positive work environments don’t just happen on their own, you’ve got to be VERY intentional in building them.

The most successful companies cultivate their work culture over time with  as the endgame. They treat their teams with mutual trust, respect, and empathy.

So use these five tips to create a positive work environment and let me know how it goes. It’s one of the reasons my business is so successful, so I‘d love to hear how it affects your company’s productivity and profit.