Have a section on your company website to give information about what you do? Got testimonials on there from former clients? Turns out you’re doing it all wrong.
Business tip guru Baz Gardner of The Social Adviser told brokers at the
MFAA national conference yesterday how to get more clients in less time and little cost.
“It’s not hard to get clients, it’s easy – you could have them lining up at the door. But a false idea of professionalism restricts you and holds you back,” he said.
First you must define your purpose and craft your language of influence and then you must build trust, rather than just talking to people about what it is your company does, he said.
Gardner, who was a successful financial planner before deciding to pas his tips on to others, puts it bluntly: “Let’s talk about why most business websites suck.”
“The first 10 seconds on your website is critical because 99% of visitors go straight to the ‘about us’ page. But their average time on website is between 3 and 7 seconds.”
The reason people click away so quickly is because your dry company proposition bores them.
Because potential clients will most probably Google you – not your company – Gardner suggests building up a strong SEO and social media presence.
He said brokers should make sure LinkedIn profiles are full and updated, and “YouTube up a storm” by making 30-second videos about who you are, what your passions are, and subjects you are knowledgeable on.
“Now if someone Google’s you, they see a real person.”
Gardener also recommends “actually being social” on social media by starting conversations, offering advice and tagging people in – because giving value in this way builds trust.
And website testimonials? Only “okay”, said Gardner.
“What should be on your website is stories about your clients, rather than stories about you from your clients. Because that reduces fear, they can relate to these people.”
