Hey!
I noticed you didn't watch video 2 the other day.
Below I put together a transcript of what you missed.
I did this in case you prefer to read rather than watch it.
If you prefer to watch it, cool beans -- just go here.
(By the way, video 1 is still live here in case you missed it)
Real quick, here's what you're getting from reading/watching video #2:
- I'm giving you the exact funnel blueprint template (PDF) that we use as the basis for our work with our clients
- You'll get the top 3 cheap tools (and one bonus tool) that makes it 10x easier to create your funnel's foundation
- The most overlooked step struggling marketers and startups miss...
- The RIGHT way to compose a basic, working email sequence that drives people to take action
- How to avoid creating opt-in offers that no one cares enough to convert on
Here's the video link to watch now…
Read the transcript below or here's the transcript as a Google Doc...
(after a personal intro...)
Hey and welcome back. In this second video we're getting down to business and getting our hands dirty.
I've got a complete crash course lesson for you on how to create a solid foundation for your marketing funnel, and how to automatically follow-up to convert cold prospects into steaming hot leads who are eager to buy.
Now, in this second video, I'm going to show you the Funnel Blueprint template we use for info product and service based businesses. This template is a visual diagram that explains how leads flow through the funnel and how all the pieces fit together.
I'm also going to give you three cheap tools that save hours of time and make it 10 times easier to create your first automated marketing funnel. (The 3rd tool I'm going to share is actually the simplest, but it's also one of my favorites. You'll see why in a bit…).
Also, I'm going to share with you the most overlooked step that struggling marketers and small business owners miss far too often…
…and the RIGHT way to compose a basic, working email follow-up
sequence that drives people to action.
Lastly, we're going to talk about how to avoid the common pitfall of creating an email opt-in offer that fails to convert.
Now, if you haven't seen the previous video, I highly recommend you go back and watch it now because what I'm teaching you today is going to build on top of those foundational ideas.
This is what we call "stacking the bricks".
Now in today's video, I've created a mini crash course lesson for you that quickly
shows you how to set up your key landing pages and email sequence, and walks you through the flow of the funnel.
This lesson will also give you the exact set of best practices you need to drive
prospects to take action (without being pushy or spammy)…
…and explains why each part of it works to drive conversion at every step. This way you understand everything you need to get your basic sales or lead generation funnel up and running in a matter of days, without struggling to do it all by trial and error, copying and pasting every marketing trick in an effort to stay afloat.
To be clear, there are many other advanced, ninja tactics that can and do
work as part of my Six-Figure Sales Funnel training – but in the interest of
time, I can't cover all of them. So instead…
…I'm focusing on the ones that will have the most impact for you right now.
This is part of my "Fast Funnel System" which I've created to help you prioritize key actions, while minimizing the time and effort before you start seeing results.
Sound good? Cool.
Now before we get going, I want to be completely transparent with you.
While it's true that I've been in sales as….
…an entrepreneur since I was a teenager, and that I've been developing
my digital marketing ability since the early days of Facebook…
…it's also true that Google consistently ranks AutoGrow and our article resources in the #1 or #2 spot….
…sending us tens of thousands of readers every month…
We've also been featured in Inc magazine, Forbes, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Neil Patel.com, Quick Sprout, and many others…
Now, it's also true, that we've built a six-figure sales funnel 3 times now for our own business, cutting the time in half or more with each new funnel…
…and multiple times over across different markets for our clients, from answering services, to karate schools, fitness, membership sites, and enterprise software. Now,
while all of that is true…
…I cannot teach you how to build a 7-figure sales funnel (at least,
not yet) – but a 6 figure sales funnel? No problem.
All right, so let's dive in. Here's the BIG mistake that marketers make before
they even START to construct their funnel…
This is so critical to creating a successful, six-figure funnel that it would be wrong of me to start this lesson any other way.
When you dodge this mistake, your conversion will be higher and you're going to feel more in control of your
marketing destiny.
The mistake is this:
Not knowing who your target prospect is because you refuse to pick a market niche.
I made this mistake for years.
In multiple funnels that I created earlier in my career, I used to think that choosing a niche was "small minded" or a "foolish strategy." The service we were offering was specific enough, I figured, so that service or product would be the "niche" – right?
Wrong. My refusal to pick a niche back then easily cost me and my
company…
….hundreds of thousands of dollars.
See, when you pick a niche, you're giving yourself a target to aim at. This helps you across the board.
For example….
…it makes your copy easier to write because you can pick your prospect sitting in front of you, and simulate how they might react to the words.
It also helps to clarify how and where you can attract them from, in order to get them into your funnel.
You might think, as I did, that picking a niche would limit the "grand vision" you have for your company's future.
Or you might feel that by niching down to a specific market segment you're pigeon-holing yourself, and that sales would decrease.
Actually, the opposite is true because…
people across all markets want solutions to their problems that are specific to who they are or what kind of business they have.
So, actually, conversion rates go up when you do this.
I'll talk a bit more about how to research and niche-down to your target prospect in video 4, but for now…
…understand that choosing a niche will give you a clear target to aim at. This in turn helps you grow faster, and increases conversion rates because…
the copy and everything else will be more in line and reflective of who the person is that's actually in your funnel.
This is also called "The Law of Alignment"
An example of choosing a bad niche?
Financial planning for dog lovers. No offense to the person whose business this is, but this isn't the greatest choice for a market niche because being a dog lover has little to do with what someone wants in a financial planner, who's going to help them build wealth for the long term.
It's nice that you also like dogs, but hey, what's this have to do with me saving
on my taxes?
Here's an example of a better niche. This one is actually from a current client…
Lawrence Watkins, who has a very successful six-figure sales funnel. His niche is:
African-American speakers bureau for Universities and Professional Organizations.
Lawrence's funnel for GreatBlackSpeakers.com has been super successful in dominating his market, in no small part thanks to his strategic niche market choice.
Notice the formula for picking a niche is: [ The service or product ] + [ who it is for ]
Now that we know about the importance of picking a market niche,
let's take a look at our Funnel Blueprint.
But before I show it to you, I want you to know I did something a little special.
I realize most people watching this fall into one of two camps. You're selling either professional services or info products. Rather than trying to squeeze all the ideas for those business types into one FAT over-sized diagram, I decided that what you care about is time.
Given the choice, you'd probably say, "Matt, just tell me what I specifically
need to do for MY type of business to get results fast."
So, I included both Blueprint Templates here, and I've also included a link below
this video where you can download a PDF of each of these diagrams.
Some of the most successful sales funnels are a combo of done-for-you-services and info products, but if you're just starting out, pick one and move forward.
Now generally info products will take a bit longer if you have to create the product from scratch, and also because the starting price point will be lower.
Services are faster to generate revenue, but can be more difficult to scale the operations as the service grows. (More about scaling later in this lesson.) Generally there are pros and cons to each.
All right, so here's the blueprints for both an info product business
funnel, and a service business funnel. Now, this may look a little complex,
but I'm going to break it down into easy, bite-sized chunks for you.
Now, the lead generation funnel is a bit simpler by design, but in the interest of time, let's look at the info product funnel first, since it has all the same best practices as the service funnel, and also to reveal some hidden tactics.
First, notice how each element is tagged with a RED…
Download the Funnel Templates
PDF here
YELLOW
and GREEN circle with a
One
Two
Or three inside the circle. This represents the 3 F's framework from video 1:
Foundation … Follow-up … and Fuel.
Let's examine the top most important components that make the
funnel work from top to bottom.
There's 5 total.
The opt-in offer, aka lead magnet that converts AND pre-qualifies prospects.
The email sequence, which you're going to learn how to craft the RIGHT way.
The sales or service landing page, the exit intent pop-up, and the way retargeting ads are used as part of the "smart upsell" process.
So first is the opt-in offer.
When a visitor enters your funnel, it's best to assume you have one chance to convert them into an email subscriber, because on average…
70% of visitors to your site will visit once and never return. So you'll need an opt-in offer….
…better known as a Lead Magnet – usually in the form of a valuable, downloadable piece of content – to give people a reason to join
your email list.
Pretty straightforward right?
But here's the HUGE trapdoor I see too many marketers fall into.
And once again, it goes back to the Law of Alignment I went over in video 1, where the copy must align with who the person is that you're trying to reach.
For example, nobody wants an e-book. E-books as lead magnets have been used forever, almost no one reads them all the way through, and it takes you way too much time to create one—it's just not worth it! This is another one of those counterintuitive facts about creating a funnel that converts.
For a lead magnet, simple, actionable checklists and templates convert the best. In other words, prospects are more than happy to get a nugget of actionable value as a reason to join your email list. This illustrates the Law of Alignment because people prefer to make smaller, micro-commitments since they are busy or risk averse.
In other words, they may not immediately trust you.
But here's the second critical part to creating an effective Lead Magnet offer…
And here again the Law of Alignment comes into play.
You need to pick a topic for it that is tightly aligned with the product or service you'll soon be selling them.
Because sure, you can create any old lead magnet in 30 minutes that converts and gets people onto your email list – like a checklist, which will also convert better…
…but how is that valuable if those prospects are not ALSO likely to buy from you?
So here's an example: If my introductory offer was an online course
on how to brew the perfect cup of coffee every time…
…then my lead magnet should be something like: the 5 essential
tools you need to brew the perfect cup of coffee.
Another example: if my company was selling a done-for-you landing page design service…
…the ideal lead magnet leading into this offer would be something like: "The 20 Point Perfect Landing Page Checklist".
And I'm going to recommend my favorite tool for delivering lead magnets to your subscribers coming up soon, so stay tuned…
Alright, the next important component to making your funnel work from top to bottom, is the email sequence. In my Six Figure Sales Funnel training program, this is NOT your typical follow-up sequence and I'll show how it's unique.
The email sequence is a series of emails designed to nurture and drive the prospect to take action on a new or next level offer.
The first mistake marketers make when it comes to creating an effective email sequence is…
Well, they just don't do it – and this is horrible!
But email marketing is the most effective marketing channel out there, driving more than 2 times the amount of sales revenue compared to SEO, and 10 times that of social media, according to the direct marketing association, or DMA.
There are a number of other mistakes, but I'll just list the top 3…
…and give you my simple email funnel formula for solving all 3 in one punch:
Mistake number one is, they don't follow-up after the opt-in to add value, or just to remind prospects of the lead magnet and how to apply it.
Mistake number 2 is, they don't set a proper frame for persuasion. Framing is a whole subject in itself, but all you need to know for now is that frame means, in this case, the projection of authority or credibility – in order words you KNOW what you're talking about because you've helped others get a positive result.
Mistake number 3 is, marketers either fail to ask for the sale, or aren't direct enough about it. It's good to be polite, but if you believe in the value of your product or service, you need to do what is within your power to cause the prospect to make a purchase decision!
So here is my super simple email funnel formula for overcoming all 3 pitfalls and driving qualified leads and sales.
Ready?
It's called the VACuum formula, because like an actual vacuum, this formula will help you suck up and convert leads. V-A-C in the word vacuum is an acronym and it stands for: Value (that's email 1), then Authority (that's email 2), and then Call-to-Action (email 3).
In email 1, you're touching base, reminding them of the free resource you already delivered, and re-enforcing the value it provides, and how they can apply it to get a positive result.
In email 2, you feature a story case study of a client who your product or service helped. Talk about the before, then the after result, and then the journey of how he or she got there. At the end you can include a "soft" call to action for your offer.
In email 3, this is your "hard sell" – but you're not going to be overly salesy or pushy about it. The trick is, striking the right balance in your tone between the urgency to make a decision, and the importance of presenting and explaining the top benefits your offer will give them when they buy.
Don't forget to include a link for people to click-thru to your sales page toward the bottom of the email.
A quick example, when we plugged in the VACuum formula into the marketing funnel for PSS, a plastic surgery firm in California, leads rose 15% month over month.
And when it comes to quickly setting up an email funnel, here's a cheap email
automation tool that I've used for years and can't recommend highly enough. In fact, I'd say it's responsible for driving at least 50% of all our sales revenue.
It's called Active Campaign, and unlike Infusionsoft – AKA "Confusionsoft",
which locks you into a 6 month (or longer) contract, charges you $600 per
month, and gives you features you'll never use - ActiveCampaign gives you
all the power of infusionsoft but at a fraction of the price, starting at just
$14 per month with a free trial as well.
It's a great choice for the long term too when we're ready to create a more advanced email funnel (which can tag contacts and segment prospects for more personalized follow-up based on their actions, like opens or clicks).
I'll tell you more about that in video lesson 4…
Okay so the third element in making your funnel work from top to bottom, is
your sales or service landing page.
One of the biggest issues I see that hold marketers and small businesses back is with the copy and design of their landing pages.
For example, avoid overly complex forms (basically anything longer than 4 fields, unless it's a checkout form). Call-to-Action buttons should be – shall we say – "stupidly clear"—in other words, ya just can't miss em! And finally, you need to talk clearly. Don't try to be clever, just be clear about what the problem is that your offer addresses, talk about it in detail, then introduce the solution and elaborate on the top 3 benefits.
The best tool I recommend for quickly stylizing and rolling out a high converting landing page in a matter of minutes – without hiring a designer or learning how to code, or requiring you to have any technical expertise at all – would be ThriveLeads.
With Thrive leads you can use their templates and 2-step opt-in forms
to create a professional design frame that will work for you to convert
prospects in your funnel 24/7. Thrive Leads only works with Wordpress
websites, and starts at $19/month.
If you want another option in case you're not on Wordpress, use Leadpages. It's another fantastic option, and makes it even simpler to get up and running fast, although their prices are higher, at $79/month.
Both tools are worth their weight in gold. They've helped us build
and attract…
…over 20,000 subscribers to our email list in record time,
AND both tools have features to help you automatically deliver your
lead magnet instantly to prospects.
Speaking of lead magnets and landing pages, this is also the perfect time
to mention one of my other favorite tools to you, which is the Easy Pricing
tables plugin tool from Fat Cat Apps.
The Easy Pricing Tables plugin makes it easy to display 2 or more different
pricing packages for your offers. This is incredibly valuable for both service
funnels and info product funnels, for different reasons.
One is that for both businesses, research shows that when you offer 2
or more pricing packages, the sales conversion rate goes up. In other words, more people buy. We've tested this at AutoGrow.co and we can say from experience that it absolutely works.
Why? Because when you only give people one choice, the decision to buy
is binary.
It's a yes or a no. It's either 1 or it's 0, and that's the focus: do I want
this or not?
Instead, when multiple pricing packages are given, the conversion rate is higher because the question is more likely to be framed in the prospect's
mind as: which package is right for me? Rather that it being a binary decision.
The second reason pricing tables are important is that for service businesses,
when you package your services, it makes your offer look more presentable
and packaged, which makes your overall business model more scalable, and it works to better qualify prospects before they get on the phone.
In this way, prospects get a glimpse of pricing to know whether or not
they can afford it. Most people just don't want to waste time, and getting on the phone, expecting someone to try and sell them on something, isn't always a positive experience.
Further, for a service business, you can place your pricing packages on a separate page and use it as a "next level" lead magnet wherein people have to opt-in to get access to it. This way you can track and follow-up with those people who are more qualified in a different way than the other email subscribers, because they're deeper in your funnel. By opting-in, they have shown direct interest in buying your service.
Onto key element #4, the exit intent pop-up.
The exit intent pop-up is a way to maximize the number of email subscribers you collect from your key landing pages. It only displays when a visitor is about leave a page.
On average, when using the exit intent pop-up within our own sales funnel, we saw a 59% increase in the number of email subscribers we were collecting daily. When we've used this within our client's funnels, we have seen similar and better results.
In the case of a popular B2B blog for CRMSwitch.com, we increased
conversion rates by over 113% in 1 week.
The tip to an effective, high converting pop-up is to re-use whatever lead
magnet that's already converting the highest elsewhere in your funnel, if
you have more than one. This will make sure you get the maximum number
of conversions, and that your funnel is working as hard as possible on every page to convert visitors into leads.
A reliable formula for creating an effective pop-up offer is the following:
Headline: "Want our [ resource name ] for FREE?"
Subheadline:
"Learn how to [ benefit or end result they want ] with / without
[ benefit or pain point they want to avoid ]"
Now, by this point I've given you 3 of my favorite, time-saving tools
for putting the meat on the skeleton and bringing your sales funnel to life via pop-ups, landing pages, and pricing tables.
Keep an eye out for a special, limited time bonus in video 4 where I'll show you how to get all three of these tools for FREE…
Finally, the fifth and final key element in building your sales funnel top to bottom is the way retargeting ads are used with "smart upsells"
This is a bit more subtle than the others, but it can be the difference
between
an email subscriber who is worth $1 on average
or one who is worth $3.
To put it a bit more blunt, it could mean the difference between
comfortable profitability….
And breaking even.
So we're going to talk about the way retargeting ads are used with "smart upsells".
You can see here how there are different offer levels built into the funnel:
An introductory offer
A core offer.
And a profit maximizer.
You don't need to worry about having all of these on day one. It's sufficient
to start with the core offer and then insert the other two later on.
What is important to understand though is how the funnel is designed to continuously nurture the prospect towards the next level in the buyer-seller relationship.
Moreover, the retargeting message shown at each level is relevant to
wherever the customer last left off in their journey through the funnel.
Further, by using a tool like ActiveCampaign, your subscribers…
…are tagged when they make a purchase, so the funnel system knows to automatically pause and wait before proceeding to the next level. This way you don't burn out the relationship, while still maximizing the dollar value of your relationship with each new or repeat customer.
It's subtle tricks like this that make my Six Figure Sales Funnel training unique, superior, and easy to follow.
Now, there are 5 major objections worth addressing through your retargeting ads…
(as well as in your advanced email follow-up sequence)
But we'll save that for video 4… :)
So there you have it! The 5 main pieces of your basic working funnel.
To recap, in this lesson, we tackled: a common, strategic mistake to avoid in
choosing a niche market which will decisively increase your conversion rates.
I showed you the simple funnel blueprint template you can work off of to create a working funnel that sells your products or services.
How you can create your first email follow-up sequence using the VACuum formula in under 60 minutes. I gave you my top 3 tools (ActiveCampaign, ThriveLeads, and Easy Pricing
Tables) that take just a matter of minutes to setup your landing page, and to launch your first email sequence.
I also walked you through 2 simple ways to dramatically increase conversions with exit pop-ups
and retargeting ads based on where a prospect is at in the funnel.
Hopefully, by now, you can start to see that in order to set up a successful
sales funnel, you don't need to be a copywriting wizard.
You don't need a ton of marketing experience, connections,
or special technical knowledge.
You don't need to spend a lot of money, either.
The tools I've recommended cost less than $83 to get started.
And you don't need to spend a lot of time. You could setup this basic funnel in the span of a single Sunday afternoon.
There's really nothing magical going on here. The only thing you do need though is to follow a proven system
There are a few other pieces I want to share with you as part of my
Six Figure Sales Funnel training…
…but that's more than enough for now.
Not too bad for a short little video, yeah?
In the next video, I'm going to show you how to fuel your sales funnel
with lots of fresh traffic.
And I'll show you how to do it regardless of your ad budget.
We'll also talk about how to decide whether content marketing
or paid ads are right for you, and I'll cover the pros and cons of each,
as well as which one I recommend you start with...
Lastly, I'll also show you a simple way to track results so you can make smart
decisions as you grow and continue to build out your funnel.
Now in the meantime, leave me a comment with your feedback below.
Watch video 2 & leave a comment here
Tell me what else you want to learn about generating more leads and sales with your overall marketing funnel. I read all the responses so thanks in advance.
That's all from me, I'll see you in video 3 coming TODAY at 2pm EST.
===
That's it! See you in video #3.
Talk soon,
Matt
PS - Miss video 1? You can still watch it here for a limited time.
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