Last month, I talked about how your visitors are primarily looking for helpful content and at first don’t care too much about you or your company. I also talked about how you only have seconds to grab the attention of your visitors so you really must make it easy for them to find and receive the information they are looking for. Finally, I explained why offering no other “Call-To-Action” option besides filling out an application is a huge mistake that many Loan Officers make online.

We received more feedback on the final point than anything else so I want to talk in detail about that topic in this article.

But first, I want you to think about how you would react to the following…

Imagine that it is past 3 am Saturday morning and you hear the phone ring. At first, you think you are dreaming but then it hits you that this is real. Who in the world would be calling you this early in the morning? Your heart is racing as you scramble to the phone and then you hear her on the other end.

That voice is your 18 year old daughter, a college freshman. You automatically switch to “concerned parent” mode and then your daughter says something that sounds so ridiculous that you pinch yourself to make sure you are not still asleep and having the worst nightmare of your life.

“Mom/Dad remember that blind date I was telling you about this week? Well, it was earlier tonight and I’ve got some really great news! My date and I are at the Elvis Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas and in about 10 minutes, we are getting MARRIED!”

“Are you CRAZY!?”, you scream! “That’s ridiculous! Stop joking and go back to sleep.”. Unfortunately, 15 minutes later you find out that she is not joking and your worst nightmare is officially confirmed.

That is a far-fetched story right? No way would a “non-celebrity” do something this crazy!

Well, if this story is so unbelievable, why is it that most Loan Officers marketing online try to marry their prospects within seconds of their first date? Don’t believe me? Just look at all the websites that ask for the application without giving any other option to the visitor.

Most of these sites make the long-term-profit-killing mistake of asking a complete stranger (a blind first date) to marry them. In essence, you are saying, “Hey Mr. Prospect, I know you don’t know anything about me, my product or service but just TRUST me anyway by filling out this application with your name, address, phone and social security number. Oh! And don’t forget to tell me how much money you make, how many kids you have and how much debt you have!

If we all agree that this is a mistake, why are so many people still doing it?

I think the answer is two-fold.

1. Most website companies and even some Loan Officers think that since the most preferred action is to get the application then everything else is just a waste of time
2. They just don’t know how to set up and manage a follow up process without hiring 3 or 4 more staff members to handle it.

Unfortunately, we sometimes don’t think like our prospects. We let our egos get in the way. Of course the application is the most preferred action…without it, there is no way food will get on the table! Just because you know what they need, it doesn’t necessarily mean that is what they want.

I think a quote from the movie Joe Dirt says it best:

“Well that might be your problem, it’s not what you like, it’s the consumer.”

And studies clearly show that the consumer wants helpful information!

Well, the simple solution to this problem is that you just start dating more! Yes, you heard me right. The next time a first time visitor lands at your website, don’t go directly for a marriage proposal (getting the application). Instead, make sure you offer them the chance to receive some additional information thus allowing them to get acquainted with you.

So how do you convince your website visitor that you are worth building a relationship with?

The quick answer is “Ethically bribe them with something of high perceived value”. It must be something that has enough perceived value to your visitor to get them to exchange their contact information for it (this is called ‘opting in’ or giving you permission to contact them later via email). At first, the offer should be something that can be delivered online and offers some “insider information” that addresses or solves one or more of their problems, issues or concerns like a free special report, free mini-course, a home buyers guide, an e-book about home buying strategies in your city, or even access to an audio or video file that you have prepared.

How do you go about collecting the contact information, storing it and then delivering the ethical bribe?

I’m pretty sure you don’t want to go out and hire a staff of people to manage this follow up process. And if you are like me, you are just not that great at following up with prospects that have only dipped their toe in the water. You are too busy following up with people that are already in the pool. As my good friend Brian Sacks would say: “Am I Right, or Am I Right?”

Thankfully, technology has been developed that allows you to capture and store your contacts’ information after they have filled out a form on your website. Furthermore, the system will automatically send a series of emails that you set up once and then walk away to let it work its magic all by itself. You load your messages, designed to build one upon the other…the prospect requests your free information through a simple form on your website…and without any other work on your part, that prospect receives a series of mailings -personalized with their name- on the schedule you’ve set-until the series is complete or until that prospect unsubscribes.

What if you could do all this without paying any salary, commissions, or almost any overhead-not even any postage? Do you think this might help your bottom line?

The system I am referring to is called a “Sequential Autoresponder” which is just a fancy name for an Automated Follow up System.

There are several popular companies currently offering this solution and you can find them just by typing “sequential autoresponder” into your favorite search engine. If you are a current Mortgage Web Success subscriber then you have sequential autoresponders built directly into your system along with default messages already waiting for a prospect to opt-in at your site.

How much contact information do you ask your visitor to provide in exchange for the offer?

Since we are going to deliver the initial offer digitally, we only ask for their first name and email address. We have found that the number of people accepting the offer is highest (aka the opt-in conversion rate) when only the name and email address are requested. There are several strategies that you can test which will allow you to get more information. The key is that if you request more information, you should make sure your “ethical bribe” is so high in “perceived value” that giving the additional contact information is a no-brainer for the prospect. OR if the offer has to be delivered by mail then it makes complete sense to ask for the address information…Just make sure you clearly explain why you need that additional information on the opt-in form.

What information should we give in our follow up (autoresponder) sequence?

It is important to lead your prospects down a path with your messages. Try to put yourself in their shoes while still keeping in mind that you want them to contact you when they are ready! You should definitely give solid information they can use but try not to give away so much information that they end up thinking they don’t need you! Also, you want to make sure that each message ends by leading them to contact you for a free consultation and don’t forget to let them know to watch for the next message with more valuable information. I would even go as far as tease them with the title of the next topic and give them an option to contact you to get the information quicker.

TIP: If the current offer is not converting well (meaning - not many people are giving their contact information), you may need to offer something of higher perceived value. This can be in the form of something mailed to them like a CD a real book, etc. Of course, you will then be able to get their mailing address and probably phone number which is much more valuable to you than just their name and email address because it gives you other ways you can market to them. Another secret strategy is to offer something digital at first in exchange for their name and email address and then on the next page, you would ask for their address information so you can mail them another “Special Gift”. The most important thing you need to know is how much each prospect is worth to you. Then you will know how much you can spend to acquire new prospects. How you figure out and accurately track this number will be covered in a future issue.

KEY POINTS- Experts have shown that it often takes 7 or more marketing exposures before prospective customers purchase and many of us just don’t have or take the time to follow up like we should so remember to date your prospects before you propose to them using an automated follow up system called a “sequential autoresponder”. At first, ask only for Name & Email Address and deliver the information to your prospect digitally.

Each month, I will be sharing with you the “secrets” to having an online presence that can actually generate business for you. Each and every month, I will give you another secret tip, strategy or resource and show you exactly how to implement it to grow your business. Next month, I will discuss low cost strategies you can use to drive long term targeted traffic to you website.