Posts Tagged ‘Online Dominance’
Look Over Your Website Visitor’s Shoulders for Greater Profits
Wednesday, September 7th, 2011
Ever wonder what prospects did when they visited your Website? What if you had the ability to “stand over their shoulders” and see exactly what they clicked on (whether actually clickable or not), the path their mouse took, etc. With this kind of insight chances are you would have a much better idea as to what’s working on your site, what’s not and what to do about it. Seem too good to be true? It was, until now…
Measuring Your Visitor Behavior
Website analytics (e.g. Google Analytics) provides extensive statistical data about where your visitors came from, how long they stayed, links they clicked on etc. While a powerful and necessary tool for any Web marketer, it’s not enough. Since most Websites are not static, it’s crucial that you also see how visitors react to and interact with your Website. This is called behavioral metrics and there are now a number of easy to use (and inexpensive) tools that provide detailed insights on how visitors behave on your site.
In one of my previous articles I mentioned an online service called CrazyEgg which provides “heat maps” of what your visitors view and click on in aggregate, on your site (see example heat map below —the brighter the spot, the more people clicked).
While very useful, another recent startup company, LuckyOrange, has taken behavioral metrics to a whole new level. In addition to heat maps, LuckyOrange also gives you the ability to record (like a video) what visitors do on your Website, including how they move their mouse, where they scroll, what they click on, etc. This innovative service even lets you “spy” on visitors as they are on your Website in real time!
Now before your brain starts screaming “That’s an invasion of privacy!”, it’s really not, well… in most cases anyway. The reason is that you don’t know who they are, just that they are an anonymous visitor. There is one exception however, and that’s if they start filling out a form on your Website and then decide not to hit the “Submit” button. LuckyOrange will record what they typed into the fields, whether or not they decided to follow through.
The only way to really get a feel for the full scope of what is possible with LuckyOrange is to visit their site and click the “Watch the Live Demo” button near the top. Be ready to have your mind blown as you watch recordings of actual Website visitors move their mouse, scroll, click, fill out forms and so on.
Best Practices
Like any kind of tool, LuckyOrange has no value unless used and used properly. With this in mind here are some best practices to help you get the most out of this one:
- Don’t Initiate Chat – while in real-time “spy” mode you have the ability to initiate a chat session with your visitor, ostensibly for the purpose of helping them find what they are looking for. Avoid that temptation unless you want to scare them away from your site.
- Watch what they click on (and don’t) – use the heat map feature to determine what most visitors find attractive as they vote with their mouse clicks. If they are not clicking on various parts of your site consider changing them to something more compelling.
- Watch their mouse movements – by viewing the recordings of individual visitors you will gain insight as to how engaged (or not) they are with your Website. You will find that most people move their mouse as they read, almost like using a finger to underline text as a book is read. Do they appear to be focused and engaged, or distracted? You may need to change some of your site copy to keep them on the edge of their seat.
- Watch for any hesitancy in when completing forms – you may consider redesigning your forms, adding privacy language etc. if your LuckyOrange recordings indicate visitor hesitancy to completing your all-important Website forms. Abandoned forms cost you immediate business.
As of this writing you can try LuckyOrange for two weeks free and after that it is $7/mo per Website. To get started, you (or your Web master) simply put a bit of code on each page you want to record. After that, it’s just a matter of visiting your own site and pressing CTRL + SHIFT + 1 on your keyboard to bring up your site’s LuckyOrange dashboard (after entering your email and password one time).
The more you understand your Website visitors’ behavior, the better you will be able to tweak your site to help convert them into closed transactions. And I know of no other behavioral metrics tool that does a better job of this than LuckyOrange.
NOTE: Mr. Internet®, RUSSER Communications, its staff and officers receive no compensation whatsoever from any third party vendors (unless he/they are directly involved with the creation and/or improvement of a vendor service or product), and make no recommendations as to the suitability of the products or services mentioned in this article. Always thoroughly investigate any product or service before trying or purchasing.
Mr. Internet is the alter-ego of Michael J. Russer, an internationally recognized Internet speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry. He’s dedicated to helping real estate professionals leverage their people skills into profit on the Internet. Send your Internet questions to help@askmrinternet.com or you can visit his Website at http://www.OnlineDominance.com and Facebook page at Facebook.com/OnlineDominance
This article is reprinted in its entirety from the August 2011 issue of REALTOR® Magazine by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright © 2011. All Rights Reserved other than mentioned above. Mr. Internet® is a registered trademark of RUSSER Communications.
Go Where Eagles Gather
Monday, July 25th, 2011
As I write this I’m in San Diego speaking to the Corcoran Coaching Mastermind and STAR POWER conferences. Both of these event tend to attract the “best of the best”. And as a featured speaker, it gives me a unique opportunity to see the shared qualities that make these folks so successful.
Here’s the short list:
- They think like business people – most of them strive to make their business run successfully without them doing all the work;
- Their hunger for new ideas is insatiable – they are constantly looking for the “edge” in sales, marketing and operations;
- They are wary of “bright shiny objects” – too many of them have already been burned by the “Just buy this and all your problems will be solved!” pitches. They know that building a successful business is marathon, not a quick sprint using some fancy new tool or service;
- They freely share ideas – no small-minded “I’m going to keep this idea to myself.” behavior found in these groups. In fact, they are down right excited to help each other;
- They consistently implement - this group knows that great ideas not put into practice are worthless;
- They are very coachable – they really get that the potential size of their business success is inversely proportional to the size of their ego when it comes to being open to new ways of doing things.
And one more thing. Eagles gather with other eagles on a regular basis just like at these kinds of events. So if you are tired of hanging around the turkeys and want to really soar, start showing up where the eagles hang out and grow a few –eagle feathers that is.
Freedom to Succeed
Monday, July 4th, 2011
Happy 4th of July! As a kid, this was my all time favorite holiday with its requisite BBQ’s, ball games and fireworks (not necessarily in that order). As an adult it’s still my favorite, more so now because of what it represents, individual freedom —something far too many of us take for granted.
Very real blood, sweat and tears were shed in untold quantities for us to enjoy freedoms that those in many other countries can only dream about. Yet slowly, insidiously we are letting our freedoms be exchanged for “security”.
Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.
~ Benjamin Franklin
One doesn’t have to look to hard to see signs of this in nearly every aspect of our daily lives. The mere fact that our esteemed lawmakers seem fit to pass thousands of new laws each year under the guise of “protecting” us, the citizens is evidence enough. And I see so many in our industry that willingly give up their freedom to innovate and stand out in exchange for the comfort and protection of group, company or franchise with whom they have chosen to align.
In the end it really boils down to just one simple thing: individual responsibility. Unfortunately far too many people are will to exchange their freedoms (of any kind) in exchange for relinquishing their responsibility. Power hungry political leaders understand this as do organizations…
Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry is own weight, this is a frightening prospect.
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Freedom is the most precious thing we have and it requires personal responsibility to sustain its life and vibrance. It also means not blaming others or situations for our lack of achieving the results we hoped for. Each and every one of us has the freedom to attempt success and risk failure —as long as we take responsibility for our own actions.
A truly free man or women much prefers to try and fail repeatedly, than to not really try at all because they have given up their responsibility (i.e. ability-to-respond) to someone or something else. We are hard-wired for freedom and to accept anything less will only result in frustration and misery.
How to Avoid Being BOPPED By Your Competition
Sunday, June 19th, 2011
The media recently highlighted the fact that IBM just celebrated its 100th anniversary of being in business. So what does this have to do with you and your career? Well, actually quite a bit.
The latest issue of the Economist magazine did the best job of analyzing why IBM lasted so long in such a tumultuous and ever-changing field of technology. The writer addressed the very core of what makes this company great and why it is likely to be around for another 100 years. This “core” is known as a Basic Operating Principle (BOP), which for IBM is: “We invent and use technology to help businesses become more productive.”
A powerfully effective BOP is simple, well defined and so fundamental that it will work no matter how much things change. It is the “True North” of highly effective businesses.
We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that one objective.
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
If you look closely at other great companies, their BOP will shine through. For example, Apple’s is: “We create insanely cool personal technology and sell it for insanely high profits.” All of this of course begs the question as to what your BOP is, and is it powerful and fundamental enough to last through all the market changes going on today and in the foreseeable future.
Those that specialize in a particular niche already know their BOP. However, that’s less than 2% of the real estate sales population. Most of the others likely use: “I try to get business any way I can.” as their BOP. Needless to say, some BOPs are more effective than others. Yet here’s the thing; if you are not clear about what your Basic Operating Principle is, you will likely be BOPPED by those that are.
Increase Website Profitability by Instantly Testing It
Saturday, June 18th, 2011
When you build your Website you hope that it will be effective in engaging visitors so they pick you over your competitors. Perhaps you included several unique offers on your site that you hope will catch their eyes and cause them to start clicking on their way to doing business with you. This is all well and good except for one thing. You really don’t know how your visitors are going to react to any particular part of your Website until you test it. Typically, this was a process that only the “big boys” could afford to do. Now there is a way you can instantly test any aspect of your site’s ability to engage visitors, so you know for certain what works and what doesn’t.
A/B Testing on Steroids
A/B testing is the process of creating two or more versions of your Website that are delivered at random to your site visitors and then measures the click-through rate for each version. This is a proven way to have your visitors vote with their mouse as to which version engages them more. The traditional tool for this is Google Website Optimizer which is free. However, it requires that you (or your Webmaster) create the different versions of your Website that need testing which is time consuming, requires a fair amount of technical skill and therefor is definitely not free.
That has all changed now with a new online service called Optimizely. With Optimizely you can create different versions of any part of your Website instantly right from their Website. Its online WYSIWYG editor allows you to make create alternative versions of your site’s copy, images and even move whole sections around in just a few minutes. And the astounding thing is that this can be all done without creating different versions of your Website’s code.
After you have created the alternative versions of your site, you simply add a bit of Javascript code provided by Optimizely to the pages being tested. Once your A/B test is active, Optimizely will automatically and randomly send the different versions of your site to visitors and measure the click-through rate of each one. You just let it run until you’ve had sufficient numbers of visitors to give you a reasonably certain statistical answer to which version more effectively causes visitors to click or convert. And don’t worry about trying to remember your Statistics 101 class because Optimizely automatically calculates the statistical significance for you.
Since videos are worth a thousand screenshots, the following will demonstrate just how easy and powerful this new service is to use:
Your first 30 day’s use of Optimizely costs nothing, after that it is a very reasonable $19/month. Now here’s the thing, you can turn this service on and off at any time which means that for about $19 you can determine what kinds of changes to your site will produce greater conversion of visitors to new transactions. Not a bad ROI.
Of course all of this begs the question as to just what you should consider testing on your site…
Offers, Offers, Offers
Ideally your site has one or more “Irresistible Offers” that are designed to attract your visitors’ attention and compel them to take action. If you are a little fuzzy about what irresistible offers are just check out my earlier REALTOR Magazine article “Make An Offer They Can’t Refuse”.
Often what we think is irresistible is anything but from the consumer’s perspective. So creating different variations of your offers is the first thing you would want to test for conversion effectiveness. Here are some other things you might consider testing as well:
- Copy – create alternatives to copy that compels visitors to take action. For example, one Pennsylvania REALTOR found that he received a far greater click-through by changing “Featured Listings” to “Best Buys”.
- Images – perhaps a different kind of image in the body of your home page will cause more people to click on getting your special report or check out your IDX listings.
- Action Buttons – this is a subtle yet potentially very powerful test. Consider changing the shape, color and/or copy of your clickable buttons and see which version receives the most clicks.
- Reassurance Language – test different variations of the copy above your important forms that reassure your visitors that their privacy will be protected and see which ones cause the form to be filled out more often.
Avoid Build and Forget
The most profitable Websites are under a constant state of refinement. Far too many people just have their Website built and then do nothing to improve its ability to convert visitors into new business. The main reason for this is that it was just too time consuming and expensive to do it the old way. Now with Optimizely you have no excuse for having a site that “doesn’t work”. It’s just a matter of testing different variations until it does.
NOTE: Mr. Internet®, RUSSER Communications, its staff and officers receive no compensation whatsoever from any third party vendors (unless he/they are directly involved with the creation and/or improvement of a vendor service or product), and make no recommendations as to the suitability of the products or services mentioned in this article. Always thoroughly investigate any product or service before trying or purchasing.
Mr. Internet is the alter-ego of Michael J. Russer, an internationally recognized Internet speaker, trainer, author, and strategic consultant to the real estate industry. He’s dedicated to helping real estate professionals leverage their people skills into profit on the Internet. Send your Internet questions to help@askmrinternet.com or you can visit his Website at http://www.OnlineDominance.com and Facebook page at Facebook.com/OnlineDominance
This article is reprinted in its entirety from the June 2011 issue of REALTOR® Magazine by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. Copyright © 2011. All Rights Reserved other than mentioned above. Mr. Internet® is a registered trademark of RUSSER Communications.
Why Many Realtors Fear Standing Out
Saturday, June 11th, 2011
Striving to stand out from your competitors can be a scary thing. It means that you have chosen to “break from the pack”. At the very least it can feel like you may be shunned, or, perhaps even have a target painted on your back as they go gunning for you. Here’s why giving in to those fears can cost you plenty and hold you back from your full potential.
During a meeting the other day, a group of agents were asked what they thought of a particularly new and rather unique presentation that was designed to help each of them stand out head and shoulders above their competition. I was completely blown away when one of them said they felt it was berating other Realtors (which it wasn’t). There is a huge difference between pointing out one’s own unique capabilities and putting down the competition, a distinction this sales pro seemed to have missed by a mile. While still trying to shake off my bout of incredulity, a flash of insight occurred that made it clear what the real problem was.
Sales associates are very social animals and most feel uncomfortable standing out from others in the industry. This is a phenomenon I’ve witnessed time and time again as a coach and trainer. It’s like their emotional right brain is saying: “It’s not nice to try to dominate the market by being different or unique because others are not going to like you.” Meanwhile their logical left brain is screaming: “You better stand out from the crowd or you’re going to starve and die!!” Imagine how effective you would be with those two conversations going on in your head.
Be different, stand out, and work your butt off.
~ Reba McIntire
Marketing 101 says you need to differentiate your services so that a) you are seen, and b) you are chosen. Striving to dominate a particular niche or stand out from your competitors does not make you a bad person. It makes you someone who gives the consumer an easy choice to make as to who they are going to use for their real estate needs. You can still stand out and be a great person. Giving in to the need to “fit in” and not rock the boat may make you feel more comfortable, until you realize that it will also make you poorer.
How to Empathize Your Way to Profits
Sunday, May 29th, 2011
You’ve probably heard the expression “Before you judge another man walk a mile in their moccasins.” Here’s another one for you: “Wear the skin of your prospects before you market to them.” Here’s how that last expression can make you a lot of money.
One of biggest mistakes that sales associates make when contemplating a marketing plan is failing to see things from the perspective of their intended target market. We are so used to being in “sales mode” that it can be very difficult to “wear the skin” of our prospects.
“Wearing their skin” simply means strongly imagining how they feel, what they fear and what excites them within the context of the real estate process. The more strongly you imagine actually “being them”, the more powerfully you able to tap into their emotional triggers, which is the very essence of what effective marketing is all about.
Another way to think of this process is “empathy with an agenda.” Yes, you need to deeply understand what powerfully motivates your target market. However it’s just as important that there is a purpose for all this. And that purpose is to have members of your target market choose you over any of your competitors.
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.
~ Jack Handy
This is often a difficult and delicate balance to maintain. Salespeople tend to skip over the empathy part and go right for the close in their marketing efforts. And newbie marketers tend to focus on creating empathy and often forget the call to action. It takes both to market successfully.
Learning to feel and experience life through another person’s eyes is not just a prerequisite to marketing successfully. It also happens to be a great way to go through life in the community of others.
When Ugly Wins
Sunday, May 22nd, 2011
It’s a pretty safe bet, that when you first thought about having your website built, deliberately making it “ugly” was probably the furthest thing from your mind. Yet the very first thing that top producer Mark Seiden said to me when he joined my most recent ULTRA eTEAM was: “I want to have the ugliest real estate website in the industry!” Well, he achieved his goal and here’s why he’s going to make tons more money than most of those with so-called “beautiful” real estate websites…
SellingMyHomeSucks.com is unlike any real estate website you’ve ever laid eyes on before and it took nearly 6 months of planning to make it that ugly. Also, you’ll find no IDX, no property search, no tips for buyers or sellers and it contains not one word about local neighborhoods yet I will stake my reputation on this becoming one of the most profitable websites in the real estate sales industry. And that’s even after my wife took one look at it and declared it “tacky”!
So what’s happened here? Has the market change so much that we suddenly find ourselves in a “bizarro world” where ugly is good and beautiful is bad? Well, not really. If you substitute the word “distinctive” for ugly you get at the heart of what Mark was really trying to accomplish. You see, he understood immediately that the key to success online was standing out and being as different as possible from any of your competitors.
And after about six months a rigorous planning on what would appeal to his target market of sellers who have listings that expired, he empowered “distinction” with effectiveness. What makes SellingMyHomeSucks.com so powerful is that it is designed for one thing and one thing only: to have any and all sellers who experienced the failure of not selling want to immediately contact him to take over the marketing of their home. If you put yourself in the position of the expired seller and feel their frustration, anger and confusion then look at SellingMyHomeSucks.com with those eyes, you’ll get the point.
SellingMyHomeSucks.com was “soft launched” (i.e. mostly completed but with a few minor refinements still yet to be done) on May 17, 2011. Mark sent the link to his site to a few of his friends, one of whom forwarded to a friend of theirs who was going to expire in about three days. That person immediately contacted Mark for a listing appointment. Not a bad early indicator.
The take away here is don’t assume anything when it comes to building a website. If there are any fundamentals they are: a) make sure your website speaks to the needs, wants, fears and desires of your intended target market, and b) make it stand out as much is possible from the rest of the competition.
Effective marketing is not about being beautiful. It’s about being seen, standing out and compelling your intended target market to want to do business with you. From this perspective, ugly certainly can be quite beautiful.
The Quickest Way to Get Better at What You Do
Saturday, May 14th, 2011
It’s safe to say that pretty much everybody in this business strives to get better. How you go about doing that is going to make all the difference in the results you’ll ultimately see. Here’s why…
Assessing Your Strengths and Weaknesses
The first step on the path to improvement is to become objectively clear about your current strengths and weaknesses. This comes about by asking the right questions, typically through what is known as an “assessment”. There are currently a huge array of assessments used throughout business. You may be familiar with and in fact have used the DISC profile which is a highly effective personality assessment used to help people communicate and work more effectively together.
An effective business assessment, however, is one that asks you questions about your current business that you may never have considered before. The value of this is that it causes you to think about your business in different ways and become open to possibilities you didn’t know were available. It is in this spirit that I created the free Confidential Business Assessment (CBA) specifically for real estate sales professionals who want to have a business that serves them rather than just a job selling real estate. Here are the five areas that it specifically assesses:
- Your Experience – including what kinds of business you do, where it comes from and your strengths and weaknesses;
- Your Business Strategy – including specializations (if any), ways you promote your business, written business plan (if any) and your “Exit Strategy” for when you retire;
- Your Goals & Aspirations – covers both financial and lifestyle goals and reasons you feel held back from reaching them;
- Your Business Operations - including how you currently get things done and how your current operational approach may be holding you back;
- Your Personality Profile – including your current DISC profile (if you had one done) and other factors that may impact your ability to achieve long-term business success.
Busyness Is Not the Same As Business
Sometimes sales professionals don’t want to assess their current situation, rationalizing that they are already so “busy”. The irony here is that this “busyness” is actually holding them back from having a viable business. A true business is one that serves you 24/7 whether or not you are in the office or on vacation. In case you hadn’t noticed they are not particularly easy to create (just ask the 3% of the industry who have successfully done so). However, this possibility is available to anyone who is willing (and courageous enough) to objectively assess their current situation.
You have to know where you are now before you can plot a path to where you want to go. If you would like to confidentially assess your own business, just CLICK HERE. It’s free, takes only 5 minutes and the process of just completing it could change your entire career.
Your Most Powerful Gift of All…
Thursday, May 12th, 2011
You’ve heard the expression “Great salespeople are made not born.” Well, sorry to burst your bubble but that expression and others like it exists for the benefit of those of us who were not so innately gifted at time of birth. As a speaker and coach I can assure you I’ve met my share of born salespeople. However, I’ve also met people not so gifted, yet somehow did a better job selling than many of their more endowed counterparts.
We all come into this world with certain gifts and capabilities, but these are just potentials until we put them to use. And, as human beings we have the ability to take the necessary actions to fine tune, hone and enhance these God-given abilities. My dad had an expression that I’ll never forget: “Turn your weaknesses into strengths.”—which says a lot about our ability to make good use of and improve what we were given.
Just about any kind of skill can be taught. If the student is determined enough, they can turn mediocre innate abilities into profound capabilities. In all my years of being a coach of top performers and an entrepreneur who depends on others getting things done, it has become abundantly clear to me that what can’t be taught is attitude. The fire in the belly needs to be stoked from the inside. Otherwise it just stays a flickering flame waiting for someone to turn it on, not realizing only its owner can do that…
Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go so much further than people with vastly superior talent.
~ Sophia Loren
There a lot of geniuses in this world “pushing brooms” who wasted their potential either through laziness or simple lack of drive. Given the choice, I’ll take someone with a roaring fire in their belly and lesser talents than someone who is immensely gifted but with little or no drive.
There’s nothing we can do to influence which gifts we receive at time of birth. However, the one gift we all received is the ability to choose how we use and improve other capabilities. free will is the one gift we’ve all received in equal amounts. And it’s the one gift that gives us the ability to influence all our other gifts —which makes it the most powerful gift of all.
