The Timely Entrepreneur

Choose to Thrive: Lead Magnets

2019-07-22T11:40:18+00:00

A lead magnet is a powerful tool as part of your sales funnel. It not only gives customers a free gift and an incentive to shop with you, but it also delivers you that ultimate piece of customer information – an email address!

A lead magnet is a free gift you offer people who may be interested in your product or service. This strategy is employed by businesses around the world. The power of the lead magnet is so great that it can double or even triple your conversions.

Types of lead magnets

There are so many ways to offer lead magnets. The good news is that they don’t have to be long-winded or fancy. Your lead magnet also need not be a sales pitch. In fact, the less sales-y, the better.

Here are 12 lead magnets strategies to drive sales into your business:

• Free info – report / ebook / mini-course / checklist / template

• Free event / webinar / seminar

• Free trial (great for subscription-based services)

• Free product/

• Free quote/appraisal/review/audit/ depending on the nature of your business.

• Free consultation

• Free checklist

• Free voucher (20 percent off first purchase etc)

• Free template

• Free resource list

• Free calculator (for mortgage/finance-based businesses). Check out https://crunchingthenumbersforprofits.com/

• Free recipe

Your lead magnet should be somehow tied to your business and should provide value and information without giving everything away. It should help establish credibility as an industry leader and be genuinely useful for your customer.

So you’ve created your lead magnets. Now, what do you do next?

Once you have shared a lead magnet with potential customers, your work is not over. To back up this strategy, you need to have a communication plan.

For example, a weight loss coach may offer her clients a free ‘cheat sheet’ on reducing belly fat in 7 days. Once she has their email address or phone contact, she can add them to her targeted marketing campaign. They will receive a follow-up with a special offer such as a discount on a full-service package. An added incentive may be delivered a week later to give that future client the nudge they need to come on board.

Implement these strategies and be sure to let us know what worked well for you. Send us your results via thetimelyentrepreneur@gmail.com

Bonus:

Looking to build an email list? Here are some tools to assist along the way. Please note that The Timely Entrepreneur is not in any way affiliated with any of the following. Of course, these may not all be applicable to you, but you can choose what works! Have fun playing around.

ConvertKit
Hello Bar
AddThis
EasySendy
Entice
Rafflecopter
Vyper
Leadpages

Apart from Mailchimp, you can also choose from:

Constant Contact
Sendinblue
Hubspot
ConvertKit
AWeber
Drip
Mailerlite

If you Choose to Thrive and would like to uncover more ways to win clients over, sign up for a private meeting at our Micro Business Clinic. Call our offices to book a time to chat 706-5934 or claim your spot at our Micro Business Clinic:- https://www.new.thetimelyentrepreneur.com/advisory/

(Visit the link and select Choose to Thrive with Lead Magnets)

Crab Mentality – A Message to Entrepreneurs

2021-03-16T03:54:26+00:00

Not everyone is going to like, or want, or even purchase what you’re offering, and that’s quite okay.

Don’t take it personally. (Taken from a past blog we wrote).

There is absolutely no way, everyone is going to like what you do or what you have to say. Not everyone you bounce ideas off will agree and support your decisions. However, as an Entrepreneur, you must know that it is OK!

We recently had a new Entrepreneur who was afraid to show her progress. It was almost like she was ashamed of stepping out for fear of what people would say. We didn’t get it. We didn’t understand why she didn’t want to be celebrated, why she bothered to care what someone would say. After all, she was successful in getting started and she started making money before even launching the business! That certainly was something to celebrate.

Exit Strategy – How to Close Your Business the Right Way

2021-04-24T01:06:13+00:00

In our last article, Is it time to close my business, we mentioned that when the time comes to move on, Entrepreneurs ought to have an exit strategy, as properly...and gracefully closing things off legally and financially will improve your chances of transitioning smoothly into another venture.

No doubt, the idea of ceasing your business will be a tough and difficult one to process, but you would need to put emotions aside and close your business the right way, so as to avoid you further distress and setback.

How Can My Business Survive 2021

2021-08-27T07:22:35+00:00

2021 just hit like 2020 and micro and small businesses are no doubt still having some problems either pivoting or adapting.

However, there is still reason to be somewhat optimistic about the future of some micro and small businesses. But this grandeur future won’t come without the work. For the businesses sitting around and waiting for the “normalcy” to return, you may have quite a long wait and your business may suffer while you wait.

In the grand scheme of things, businesses have to literally now “mind their own business!” Your survival depends on what you do now AND what you don’t do.

Here are some key things that can contribute to your survival and success:

Improve Cash Flow in Your Business

2021-04-19T04:47:56+00:00

A business’ cash flow is by far the most underrated area in most micro and small businesses.

It is no wonder then, that startup failure rates are high - 9 out of every 10 startups fail

Of course, startup failure is not planned by an Entrepreneur. People who venture into the startup world usually know what they want to do, and at most, they have a plan, that if followed, they will have eventual success. These startup Entrepreneurs have done their research and have come to the realization that their product or service will indeed solve real needs in the market. And so, they set out on their entrepreneurial journey.

But success as an Entrepreneur depends largely on Money Management. Talks about money remain somewhat taboo, and startup Entrepreneurs’ attitude to financial management is paramount to their success in business. As a result, cash flow should be every founder’s key focus in the early years of the business and beyond.

Is It Time To Close My Business?

2021-04-23T09:39:57+00:00

This one is going to hurt your pride most, we know.

Though some MSMEs may be seeing the end of their venture, we must send some comfort their way – some doors close so that others may open. For some, this usually means the start of something new.

When the time comes to move on, Entrepreneurs ought to have an exit strategy, as properly...and gracefully closing things off legally and financially will improve your chances of transitioning smoothly into another venture. So how do Entrepreneurs know when it is time to shut the door and move on? It is indeed a difficult realization that most must come to. The end may also be inevitable, and it is just a matter of when. Here then, we find Entrepreneurs holding on with every last bit of hope, cash, and pride, as they slowly come to terms with what has to be done. We do not always have the ability to foresee the end or detect the time at which we need to move on.

Even successful Entrepreneurs can be faced with the decision to fold for one reason or the other. It must be noted that a failed business does not define an Entrepreneur. In this fast-paced, ever-changing, global digital era, adapting, pivoting, transitioning, and even evolving, can mean shutting a present business down to start a new project, perhaps using a different model, different tools, different principles, and different objectives so as to now cater to the changing shift in buyer decisions and consumer demands. Consequently, it is imperative that businesses are able to monitor and identify the signs that will indicate when the time has finally come, to shut the doors on a teetering venture.

Return on Investment - Your ROI

2021-02-18T09:40:47+00:00

No doubt, you have invested much in your small business.

But do you honestly calculate what you have invested and matched it against the rewards you’ve received?

What To Do When Sales Are Slow

2021-02-18T07:12:50+00:00

I know, the sirens are going off in your head. We are seeming to slowly come out of a bad year and you’re hoping for a breakthrough soon as sales have been terribly slow; for some, sales have even halted. No one's buying your products or services and your goods are just sitting around in boxes or on shelves alongside the other items that were supposed to bring in good money last year.

So, what's a storeowner to do when he / she feels down in a slump?

You're a Bully

2019-10-28T06:35:59+00:00

Dear Entrepreneur, You’re A Bully And I Don’t Like You!

“bully – seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable)” Google dictionary

The month of October is dedicated to many things, including National Bullying Prevention Month. And, as we've just entered the month, we chose to highlight Entrepreneurs, not anyone in particular, but all Entrepreneurs.

A lot of Entrepreneurs are real big, bad bullies and this is evident in how they conduct their businesses.

Entrepreneurial bullying is much more prevalent than we’d like to admit. We hide the truth, and more often, when an attitude becomes so natural, it’s almost habit-forming, it can seem not only ‘normal’, but ‘right’.

Are you a bully business person?