If you are struggling to attract the right prospects to your service business, you’re not alone.
Differentiating yourself from your competition, and positioning yourself as the right choice for your target audience is not easy, especially when it comes to converting cold visitors on your website into hot leads and sales.
The good news is – this article will help with that!
You may be the best service provider in your niche but if your website isn’t designed the right way to attract and convert people, it can be frustrating not knowing where the problem lies.
What’s even worse is when your website is only attracting time-wasters who clearly aren’t a good fit for your business. Your time is valuable, and your prospect’s time is also valuable, so wouldn’t it be great if you knew that they are a great fit before you spend time with them?
The Winning Formula That Leverages Your Time
Most small business owners work bloody hard, so it’s essential to find a solution that helps protect and leverage your time.
After resigning hundreds of websites for service businesses, we tried many ideas & strategies for boosting conversions. Some were more effective than others.
For the past 3-4 years we have been perfecting a winning formula that we use in our service business Studio1Design.com and we use it on our client’s websites.
We have been fine-tuning our winning formula and it’s all laid out in this helpful article.
Without a conversion-focused website that’s designed with a strategy for attracting the right leads, you may be missing out on hot leads, wasting time with the wrong leads, and leaving money on the table.
But why is this happening?
The problem with most service business websites is…
- They don’t position themselves as a trusted brand
- They don’t differentiate themselves from their competitors
- They don’t have an effective strategy to warm up cold leads
- Their free offer isn’t easy to find or is non-existent on their content pages
- They don’t offer a next step on their thank you pages
- They don’t segment their different audience types
- Their sales pages are missing key conversion elements
- They don’t qualify people when they offer a free call
- They don’t educate or demonstrate on their sales calls
To fix all those problems, you may be hanging on to the old ways of selling via your website, which is having nothing more than a brochure website…
The old way of selling is to list your services on your website, talk about how good the services are, hope people contact you, then try and win them over with sales speak and closing tactics.
However… people don’t like to be sold to!
The new way of selling via your website is to…
Educate – Qualify – Demonstrate
If this approach is done correctly, it doesn’t even feel like you’re selling, plus you DO NOT have to be a salesperson for this to work!
The buying decision is the choice of your prospect. Respect that choice. Don’t force it and you will be far more likely to succeed.
Let’s dive deeper into the first principle which is to…
Educate
By educating your audience, you are building massive trust in your brand by warming up your cold website traffic. Lead with value by educating, instead of trying to sell to cold visitors.
Think about your website’s visitor’s intent for being there (are they looking for answers or a solution to a specific problem?), and think about what you want them to do next.
Then share your knowledge with free helpful content like blog posts, podcasts, videos, infographics, slide shares, listicles, etc.
Here are some tips for creating your content:
- Make sure your content addresses your audiences’ problems
- Share your unique opinions and your methodology
- Avoid using cookie-cutter content. Perhaps start with AI content, then edit it
- Make it easy for people to navigate your website so they can consume other relevant content
- Offer free resources in return for an email address, like a checklist, a PDF eBook, a webinar, a video series, a free class, a free seat, a free trial, or a free strategy session, etc
- Nurture those leads via email with more free helpful content
- Have an exit pop on your content pages for a relevant lead magnet
- Display social proof social on your blog to show what’s possible with the services you offer
Once you have established a foundation of trust with your audience through the education phase, it’s time to move on to the next stage, which is to…
Qualify
The first step in qualifying your website visitor is to segment them into an audience group.
Ideally, you want your website visitors to self-segment, then you can design a landing page that talks directly to them.
You could segment by:
- Your service offerings (do they need your basic or high-level services?)
- The problem they are facing (think about their pain points)
- Where they are at in their journey (are they a beginner, intermediate, or advanced)
- The different outcomes they desire, or any other way that makes sense for your offers
Pro Tip: Try to keep it to four or fewer segments, otherwise, it can become overwhelming for your website visitors
For each segment, identify what their situation is, what their pain points and challenges are, and what they are trying to achieve; then position your services as the solution to their help solve problems.
With a targeted landing page your prospects will be more confident that you have a solution tailored just for them, and that you have helped others just like them.
You can segment your audience from your home page, your content pages, your top navigation, etc. The goal is to make it easy for people to self-select which segment most suits them.
Then once they have selected their segment it leads to a targeted landing page.
Your landing page does a lot of heavy lifting and we don’t want people bouncing off the page and pogo-sticking all over your website.
Here is a winning landing page structure to keep your visitors engaged and boost your conversions…
Elements you may want to include on your segmented landing page
It’s essential to clearly communicate who the page is intended for, ensuring visitors feel they have arrived at the right place by using a headline that directly addresses their needs or pain points.
Next, it’s vital to highlight the benefits or value proposition that the visitors can expect from engaging with your offering.
Clearly state what’s in it for them, and create a compelling reason for them to keep reading.
This can be done through conversion-focused copywriting that emphasizes the unique advantages of your service.
Genuine testimonials or case studies from satisfied clients can serve as powerful social proof, demonstrating the positive outcomes others have achieved through your solution.
Having only one call-to-action (CTA) throughout the landing page is crucial. Regardless of whether your goal is to encourage visitors to make a purchase or schedule a call, it is important to prominently showcase the CTA.
Pro Tip: You may also want to have an ‘exit-pop’ offering a free PDF or checklist, etc. to capture email addresses for people that don’t take you up on your main offer
For each segmented landing page, the design can be the same, the only things that need to change are the messaging and the social proof.
To show you exactly what successful landing pages look like, check out Studio1’s four segmented landing pages here:
- Studio1Design.com/Personal-Brand-or-Coach-Websites-Design
- Studio1Design.com/Service-Business-Websites-Design
- Studio1Design.com/eCommerce-Websites-Design
- Studio1Design.com/SaaS-Websites-Design
The segmented landing page can lead to getting an estimate or it can lead to a…
‘Book a Free Strategy Call’ page
This page helps you connect further which is particularly important for higher-priced offerings, where a strategy call can help build a deeper connection with potential customers
Elements you may want to include on your ‘Book a Free Strategy Call’ page
Craft a captivating value proposition headline that speaks to the problem your services solve and clearly conveys the benefits of working with you.
Your CTA should be prominently displayed above the fold.
Include a face-to-camera video, following the SPIN Selling framework. Share insights on who your services are a good fit (and who you’re not a good fit for) and set clear expectations for the strategy call.
Reinforce the value proposition with a paragraph or bullet points highlighting the specific benefits of the free call offer. Incorporate a testimonial showcasing positive results for clients.
Invite visitors to fill out a form below, that includes pre-qualifying questions. Keep the questions on the form to the minimum – this lets you qualify the lead easily without the risk of overwhelming them.
After filling out the questionnaire, this will take them to a…
‘Calendar Embed’ page
Once the prospect has completed the form, the next step is to go to a page with your scheduling tool, like ScheduleOnce or TimeTrade, etc.
This is more convenient and stops the back and forth because you already put in your availability and your prospect can pick a time that suits them.
Pro Tip: Limit your calendar availability to give an impression of scarcity and authority.
Once your prospect has selected a time redirect to a thank you page. You can skip the calendar embed, and go directly to the thank you page if you prefer to manually schedule your appointments.
The ‘Thank You’ page
Keep this page simple. Create a face-to-camera video thanking the prospect for booking a call and letting them know what will happen next.
You can include links to more educational material (such as blog posts or a masterclass) to continue to provide value.
After they’ve booked a call, send an estimate via email and clearly explain your process. The benefit of sending an estimate before the call is to further qualify the lead, and ensure they’re a good fit.
If the pricing is not in their ballpark you have both been saved from wasting time. If they approve the estimate, you can offer a full call and send any more questions that you have before the call, if needed, so that you can prepare for the call.
After you’ve qualified your lead it’s time to showcase your knowledge, where you demonstrate your expertise to build more trust in your brand and your offer.
Demonstrate
If you want to demonstrate that you are the perfect fit for your prospect, preparation is crucial.
To get the most from your calls with your prospect, make notes of important discussion points before the call, familiarize yourself with the prospect’s offer, pain points, and competitors to offer a making sure to review their answers to your pre-qualifying questions.
The free strategy call
The free strategy call is a great opportunity to show why you’re the right solution to solving their problem.
During the call, stay focused on the needs of the prospect, listen to what they have to say, and provide them with a clear pathway and an action plan.
Provide some general tips on how you will help them to help build trust in your business, and if they’re a good fit, offer a full strategy call.
The full strategy call
On the full call, preparation is key. Spend the time needed to really understand their business, their offer, their audience’s pain points, and their competitors.
Then on the call dive deeper into every aspect, and strategize with them and show examples and case studies of similar businesses that you have helped. This will really help position your offer as the solution.
Finish the call by letting them know what’s going to happen next – giving a clear timeline and summary of the next steps, which will be presented as a proper proposal.
Then send a proposal…
We have found that sending a proposal using professional software will increase your conversion (we use and recommend BetterProposals)
A well-crafted proposal demonstrates professionalism, attention to detail, and a commitment to meeting the client’s needs. It also provides an opportunity to reinforce the value of your services and differentiate yourself from your competitors.
The proposal serves as a roadmap, so you have a shared understanding of the project scope and expectations. With a clear and concise proposal, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page and proceed with confidence toward a successful partnership.
Elements you may want to include in your proposal
- A clear and detailed description of your service
- Outline an action plan with a timeline
- An ‘Out of Scope’ section to itemize what is not included
- Clear pricing and a call-to-action to sign the agreement
- Scatter social proof throughout
- Terms and Conditions
Pro Tip: DO NOT take a cookie-cutter approach, personalize it! Make them feel good about their purchasing decision. After that, you need to…
Make sure you deliver a world-class service!!
If you don’t make the most out of these steps, you run the risk of damaging your reputation. It’s important to fully capitalize on these opportunities and execute them effectively in order to safeguard and even enhance your reputation in your industry.
Now let’s check out how this works in the real world, with one of our clients, The Property Couch, and their property investment service, Empower Wealth.
Case Study- Empower Wealth
Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley, two renowned Property Experts in Australia, host The Property Couch podcast.
This insightful podcast is dedicated to assisting individuals in making intelligent property investment choices.
With their in-depth analysis and expert guidance, The Property Couch equips listeners, regardless of their experience level, with the knowledge and insights necessary to thrive in property investment.
In addition to their podcast, Bryce Holdaway and Ben Kingsley are also the driving force behind Empower Wealth, a prominent investment advisory.
The Challenge
When Bryce and Ben began their podcast seven years ago, their initial design left a lot to be desired.
The website suffered from poor design choices that failed to effectively communicate the podcast’s purpose or target audience.
Essential elements such as a clear call-to-action and a lead magnet above the fold were missing, and visitors were leaving the site in droves due to leakage points such as social media icons that were placed at the top of the page.
The absence of photos of the podcast hosts and social proof was a missed opportunity to establish credibility.
Our Action Plan
The process of creating the new website began with a strategy meeting with the hosts of The Property Couch, Ben, and Bryce, to establish a clear direction for the website and fully grasp their passion for educating individuals about property investing.
With this knowledge, we guided them in developing a strategy that focused on lead generation.
The new website now offers valuable resources in exchange for email addresses, allowing Ben and Bryce to nurture these leads and build trust in their brand.
In our re-design, we prioritized a clear value proposition, prominently displaying ‘The Property Couch Podcast: The Insider’s Guide to Management,’ along with a free chapter lead magnet.
To enhance credibility, we incorporated testimonials from Apple Podcast reviews as social proof.
The re-designed website was executed professionally, considering psychological drivers such as impact metrics, featured guests, and a compelling page that highlights their journey and milestones.
Additionally, we extended our services to re-design the Empower Wealth website, which significantly improved their results in booking strategy sessions and ultimately led to increased sales for their business.
What Were The Results?
Just a few months after the re-design they had about three times as many people opting in for the lead magnet, compared to their old website design,
PLUS…
- They now have over 10 million podcast downloads
- They have collected well over 50,000 new leads
- They have also grown their finance business from 15 people to over 90 people!
What would it mean to your service business, if you could convert more leads from your website?
Imagine what it would mean for your time and your business’s growth if you could get more sales from the same volume of traffic you currently have!
Based on your current traffic, you can boost your sales by tweaking every step from cold visitor to a sale.
If you apply what you have learned in this blog post you will:
- build trust and credibility
- have qualified people book a call with you
- give your prospect a clear path and build trust with your audience
- protect your time by filtering out people who aren’t a good fit
- position your business as the best solution to their problems.
If you’re struggling to attract and convert qualified leads to your service business, or if you’re sick and tired of chasing down leads and not seeing results…
You can book a 15-minute call with us to discuss how you can implement this strategy on your website, and let us help you get the results you desire!
Our discussion will be casual yet informative; without any high-pressure sales tactics. Our goal is to assist you in identifying the most effective ways to transform your business into a 24/7 marketing machine.
If you know that your website needs an overhaul, and you’re wondering how much the investment would be to have our conversion-focused team redesign your website, then press the Get Started button below…
