THE OCTOPUS SYSTEM 




By Daniel Cavalli

Don’t get sucked into believing that you need a business plan. It’s a fallacy. I built a business off line from zero to $140million in 18 months without one.

Don’t waste your time and effort on a 100 or 200-page document that you won’t visit once it’s done. It’ll sit on the shelf and collect dust. When you hear someone say anything differently, ask them when they last updated their business plan and communicated it to be actioned?

I did the exercise a few years ago and out of 100 business people I asked they all (without exception) said they have never reviewed their business plan to suit their present situation. The last time they had anything to do with it was when they originally had it done.

Instead of a business plan all you need for a small business online is The Octopus System a one-page “lead generation” action plan and Lead Nurturing Plan.

Here are the steps:

ONE

Take an A4 sheet of paper and rule it vertically into 3 equal columns.
Draw a line across the top of the page and head them up - Source – How – Who and When.

You may be saying that it will take hours to do that. That’s right and therein lays the secret to making this the greatest little business plan you will ever have. It will deliver more profitable business than you can handle in the shortest amount of time. 

TWO
As part of my ABC’s of Success series the “A” stands for Attract your customers. To do this all you need is to action a Self Generating Lead System. The more ways to do this the better but you must have at least 10 to start with.

TIP: Remember there is more to selling than personally speaking with customers face to face. You must also market your service through as many mediums as possible. Be smart and include as many options as possible in verbal, written, online and offline.

You will notice that there is one sheet,  essential to set up an Octopus marketing plan simply and efficiently.

It  gives you the different channels of marketing that you have to direct your attention to. More the merrier we have at least twenty in our Lead Generator.

 The Lead Nurturing Plan is designed to register your contacts that may not be ready for you to market to just yet. They may be ready in a few months time with careful nurturing. A system of email and / or letters & /or visits will develop this for you.

Use this sheet as a guide only they are specific to my business. Do one for your particular requirements by making changes to your particular types of channels.
 
They will help with more qualified leads coming through the door.
 This is only a base template. Build upon it, using the techniques in step one above and marketing to the channels that are appropriate for your specific industry, the particulars of your enterprise, and your opportunities within your specific community.

Lead Nurturing Plan (LNP)

This is designed to register your contacts who may not be ready for you to market to just yet. With careful nurturing, they may be ready in a few months. A system of emails and/or letters and/or visits will develop the lead into a qualified lead for you.

The basics of lead nurturing are to convert enquiries into qualified leads that will be eventually sold or be discarded in the sales process. The LNP keeps the relationship going over time building a good relationship and trust within the lead. In other words it is a system of follow up on each and every enquiry with the hope of turning it into a sale.

As described  all enquiries go through a process of capture. So the name of the game is to capture as many names, enquiries, contacts as you possibly can. Build the relationship to a high level turning that lead into a friend and customer. There are a number of benefits for you.

 In the new prospects mind and as a customer to some extent have a certain amount of fear when being sold anything. I have covered many of the reasons that a customer may be uncertain about you or the product that you have on offer. Here are a few of those I have not covered.

The customer may be thinking about:

 In fact part of a great LNP will bring the concerns to the fore and answer them in detail before the customer brings them up. Anticipating them as if the customer or lead has in fact asked them themselves.

Lead nurturing is all about building trust and removing as many negative concerns that may be lurking in the customers or leads mind. The end result must be The LNP will anticipate these concerns and cover them to their satisfaction to the point where  the lead will say to themselves I want to and will do business with this person or company.

The LNP includes continued follow up with phone email and letters to complete the process properly. Done correctly you will never have to sell on price again rather it will be based on  the virtues of your product and what it means to your customer.

 Email Nurturing

As I mentioned before e-mail is the medium that you have at your fingertips for lead generation. However more than that emails are most valued in the LNP. An email should follow any phone call with more information (see templates for email follow up reasons). Some of the information will support the subscribers request for more information in each of your subscriber’s boxes.

If the subscribers box promises information about a free newsletter, free report, news release, white paper, invitation, survey results or a research report your supporting e-mails must back them up with relevant information.

Content of value is what will interest the prospect. The purpose is to build a relationship of trust and value with your subscriber. The material that you offer must be relevant and perceived as full of interesting and worthwhile content for the prospect.

Auto Responders Templates

They use templates or a series of ready made emails that are relevant to the topic in the subscriber box that has been set up to get the prospect to enter. Here are a few suggestions of the purpose of your email series:

Create different subscribers boxes inviting them to enter dependent on the landing page topic that they have chosen. Offer brochures, resource materials or whatever else you can afford to give away for free provided that it is perceived as valuable.

 

Category What Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4
PHONE CALLS          
Build the relationship          
Questionnaires          
Referrals          
Collect eMail addresses          
Update information          
Invitations          
Qualifying          
           
DIRECT MAIL           
Letters          
Postcards          
Newsletters          
Brochures          
White Papers          
Invitations          
           
WEB BASE          
Website          
Blog          
RSS          
           
eMail          
Newsletters          
Links to and from sites          
Invitations          
Research          
           
EVENTS          
Seminars          
Tradeshows          
 Product Nights          
           
           

 

If a prospect has enquired and taken the time to subscribed to your box you should reciprocate and develop a relationship with that individual. The above table  is a typical LNP plan for you to examine and individualise for your particular needs.

Your database is the medium that will assist you to manage the whole process. The follow up then including the keeping of records of contact and where the lead is at in the LNP is of paramount importance. 

Dan Cavalli
Making it easy for business and people to be the best they can be now!  Dan is an Australian businessman his expertise is in the creation of businesses and building them to full potential. If you really enjoyed this information, please consider recommending it to your friends and contacts. They may also benefit from Dan’s free subscription for Business and Personal Development Tips at http://www.commandobusiness.com



 

Submit your Name and Email and you'll receive Dan Cavalli's…


"ABC's of Success eNews Free"
($167 Value ABSOLUTELY FREE)

First Name
E-Mail
How did you find this site
Mail Format HTML Text