For anyone using the Internet with the goal of making sales…
Let’s review.
Here is a list of the bare minimum tasks to complete in order to get leads for your product or service from the Internet:
1. Conduct keyword research related to product/service.
2. Buy a relevant domain name.
3. Host that domain name.
4. Install pre-packaged lead capture page building software or build page from scratch.
5. Create compelling opt-in offer and content.
6. Drive traffic to page (i.e. articles, videos, PPC, etc.).
7. Work the leads either via emails, webinars, or the phone.
8. Convert leads into $$$.
9. Repeat.
That list, in a nutshell, is what a sales funnel looks like. And it takes a lot of time and a lot of work to make one that converts leads into money in your bank account.
Given this fact, it flat out shocks me when I call a business with an interest in buying their product and I get an idiot on the line who can’t answer the simplest of my questions and who clearly knows NOTHING about the product/service he is selling.
This just happened to me today, and I am still amazed at how totally unprepared and unprofessional the guy was who answered the call.
Here’s what happened.
My business partner and I wanted to talk to a real person who is using a software program we are considering buying for our business. This software program is sold through affiliates as many products are these days. A Google search of the product name brought up a “review” page on which an automatic audio message singing the praises of this particular product immediately played.
Based on the content of this message, we concluded this man was not only using this software program, but was getting good results from it. Since he provided his phone number on the site, we figured we’d give him a call and find out more about how the software was helping him build his online business.
Just about everything he could have done wrong, he did. Here are the highlights.
♦ When he answered the phone, he sounded as if he had just rolled out of bed. And things didn’t improve much from there.
♦ It took him at least two minutes to understand who we were and why we were calling him. Several times during the call, he vanished for a few seconds, leaving us wondering if he had hung up on us.
♦ Even though we made it clear at the very beginning of the conversation that we were interested in buying this particular software through his affiliate link, he didn’t wake up to that fact until about 5 minutes into the conversation. But once he realized there was money on the table, he perked right up and never stopped talking after that.
Every time we started to ask a question, this guy rolled right over us like an 18-wheeler on Ice Road Truckers. He made the entire call about him and what he was doing and not once about us and what we wanted. Every other sentence out of his mouth was a pitch for another product he was using that worked “really really well” for him and his business partners.
Yet when we asked him to show us some proof, he couldn’t come up with any real numbers. He did say we could look at a website he sent potential clients to, but the URL told us the account there was “currently suspended.”
♦ When we informed him of the suspended account, he initially denied it, but then quickly rattled off a list of excuses about why it was down.
By this point, we had long since decided we would NEVER buy a product from him, yet he continued to jabber on and on about all the great training he and his team offer people, etc. etc. Not once did we ever tell him we were looking for online marketing training.
No matter what business you are in, getting a phone call from someone who says he wants to buy what you are selling can make for a great day. But if you do not know your products well enough to answer an inquirer’s questions intelligently, your chances of making that sale drop considerably.
I know there are high quality affiliate marketers out there who understand the products they represent and treat their affiliate programs like a business. But I am afraid too many affiliate marketers today are a lot like this guy.
The promise of “easy money delivered to your bank account while you sleep” seduces folks who are out to make some quick cash as online marketers. With dollar signs blinding their eyes, they can be quick to jump on the affiliate bandwagon without knowing anything about what they are selling. This then leads to situations like the one I just described.
We all know this model is not sustainable and certainly not long term. Businesses can only survive when they make sales. With the way this guy approaches his potential clients, he’ll be bankrupt in no time.
Have you ever had a negative experience with an online seller? How did you handle it? If you are an affiliate marketer, what do you do to ensure your customers are satisfied? I welcome your sordid tales! Simply share them in the comments section below.
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