Interesting article in this month's Business 2.0 about the burgeoning Pay-per-Call industry -- which is identical to Pay-per-Click except that when web surfers click the Adword, the system generates a call to the advertiser. This is expected to be a $1.4 billion industry by 2009, and Ingenio, the leading company in the PP-Call industry says it's getting $8-10 per call. The great news is that some advertisers report that the conversion rate is as high as 34%, with their programs being "self-liquidating" -- a direct mail term meaning that the marketing campaign breaks even on its first run.
Some things to understand before you sign up:
Have a well thought-out conversion process. If 66% of your callers disappear after calling you, the magic question becomes WHY? Halbert used to say that the best marketers create integrated marketing programs under the imagined threat that their child has been kidnapped, and every week that the conversion rate dips below a certain target, the kid loses an ear, and eye, whatever. Kind of like that movie Speed -- but with a sick marketing twist. If your callers cannot buy your product on the first call (as may be the case with professional services), then have a compelling call-to-action that takes them to the next step in the sales process.
Joint venture opportunities abound: If someone calls your business and is not your ideal prospect -- create alliances that allow you to sell those inquiries to your competitors.
Have a nice person answer the call. "Attractor field" is a physics term that describes the positive force around something that attracts other things to it. Like a magnet. Or a good vibe. In business, there must be a "spark" whenever a customer calls. As Marshall Field used to say, "People always return to that place where they have been proactively made to feel special." Your people must be enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and above all, likeable. This is your chance to inspire trust.
A note about voice mail: The difference between salad and garbage is timing. Having put together two-step lead generation programs for a number of companies, I would advise you not to have a PP-Call respondent call a recorded message. This method can be effective when a visitor to your site has read about your business and would like to hear more about your offer, your guarantee, or your products (see example). But bear in mind that ...
when they are in HEAT."
Trust me: If a prospect chooses your PP-Call Adword over your competitors' non-PP-Call ad -- then you can bet the ranch that the prospect WANTS to speak immediately with an enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and likeable person. Therefore, do NOT throw them into voice mail.
In fact, to boost response at AFLAC, all of my sales letters instructed prospects to call my CELL PHONE so that I would answer their call on the first ring. I used to get calls at 10:00pm -- and many of these calls converted to sales. World-class sales people are ever mindful of that old rule on little league raffle tickets: "You must be present to win."
As ever, people do business with their friends -- so if you think you are going to get away with having some minimum wage well-poisoner on your company's switchboard, think again. Very likely you are going to destroy a ton of value -- since every person who gets mad at your business may tell several friends.
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