Sales Rescue Team visits 60 Minute Strategic Plan
An expert panel of online marketing and sales types collaborating to help a fellow business owner.
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PrintThe Sales Rescue Team mission this time is to help 60 Minute Strategic Plan, Inc.
They provide a unique method for helping biz owners and entrepreneurs craft a strategic plan (not a business plan) to help them get on the path to staying focused on the critical issues in their business. Please know that they have a successful business, as do most of the companies we serve – but we are offering up ideas to take it to the next level. All of us can get stuck in a what next scenario for growing our businesses, so the concept of sales rescue is meant to be positive in how we often come to the aid of a friend in need.
Team responses:
Raz Chorev from Continuity Programs Australia:
I have recently come across a website, which intrigued me: it had nothing but a series of online tutorials videos, and a contact form. I was a hot prospect, and I filled in the contact form – and I followed up with a phone call. I had a sleepy receptionist on the other line, which took my message, and said someone will phone me back. No one did…
My point is – online tutorial videos, webinars are fantastic tools to get the right people to call. It should eliminate tire-kickers, and bring in the right prospects.
As part of their website, they should include a presentation (2-3 minutes) of a workshop, to attract potential buyers, video testimonials of customers (taken straight after a workshop) and at the end a link to see a live workshop, or web based one.
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Shanee Kirk from Shanee Kirk Marketing:
#1 - To improve conversion, they need to have a stronger call-to-action on each and every page. Currently they have a teeny-tiny call to action at the bottom of the page. I recommend an on-page contact form. I have found that this simple change can increase the conversions by 4x's!
#2 - Meta-Tags - The title and description tags could use some work. Pulling your best keywords into your title tags will help with search engine rankings and pull more visitors to your site with a compelling title. I don't see description tags on the pages that I checked! The description tag is the first place to have a call-to-action before someone even visits your site: "Learn more about our consulting services and our 60 Minute Strategic Plan."
#3 Online Workshop or Webinar - Yes. I definitely think that they can do this. I have seen great success with PPC driving traffic to register attendees for webinars. They could attempt one with a fee first. If this doesn't drive the traffic/revenue that they are looking for, they might try an "intro" course that is free, then a lead nurturing program to convert those people to other paying courses.
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Lisa Jachimowicz, Digital Signage Forum:
These people at 60MSP are so smart that the immediate answer is right within their website! The answers are located in John E. Johnson's Blog! He writes about the change in recession and how hard times can be useful!
First order of business would be to get these words above that John. I. Johnson on the main page - Especially the Hard Times words above! Organize it for website with bullets for the key points and then offer a free webinar (online) to all and blog out about this, not just on his blog, but open a few more new blogs with other blog companies. The last words before sign up (the call to action words) should also be from his (John's) Problems faced in his recession post and those were: "Create a plan that allows for quick adjustment when conditions change"
And then Sign Up For This Free 30 minute Webinar Today!
Yes, I said free!
With this, I think they should make a 30 minute webinar with a few useful tips and teaser to the real deal that they want to get paid for. This is addressing almost every business in the United States current curiosity and possible need to revamp for different revenue streams. It gives them a taste of what they want and to know the money they spend on the real webinar course will be put to good use. Why? because in economic turbulence the some of the first budgets to go are marketing and education.
The really important thing is to take this to the 600 people they have in the database NOW and show them the free 30 minute webinar AND offer them a (past preferred client discount) on the enhanced webinar class regarding these issues AND then even more of a discount if they refer 4 other companies! They could do this easily by creating a sign up form on their website that tracked referrals.
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To sell an idea that generates ideas is tricky, and doing it online as a stand alone offer is even more tricky. Moving an idea from a one-to-one solution into a one-to-many solution can easily become a costly endeavor. Online workshops is often more suitable as a complement or a forum for follow-ups than a stand-alone.
I would suggest that the company concentrates on their one-to-one consulting, but focuses on dramatically increasing their number of certified consultants - both regarding geographical spread (more states) and regarding professional level (more variety in their new certified consultants professions).
Make the new certified consultants a part of a franchise/sales representation/license holder system. When the company reaches a pre-defined mass of new consultants, they can start implementing their online workshops as a supporting medium for the consultants as well as their customers.
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Jodi Kaplan from Kaplan Copy
I like Lisa's free webinar idea. A couple of thoughts:
The Web site needs a stronger call to action/benefits. It's called 60 minute strategic plan, but I'm not getting a strong sense of what it will do for me. The products page doesn't really tell me what I'm paying for - why would I want the template pad? It's not really in context. Also, the target audience isn't very clear. Companies yes, but what kind? Large? Small? Particular industries? What results have the people who have gone through the workshop achieved?
Are the pictures actual participants? They seem generic. And why not have names (or at least companies)? Do they have more feedback? Greater detail?
As far as a free webinar, I would encourage past participants to share their stories in more depth - and to share them with friends and colleagues as well. Ask for more feedback on what was great, what not so great about the experience.
The next step is to promote to the list they already have, and then make it grow. Tell your existing contacts about it first - give them the first chance to invite friends and colleagues to attend the webinar. Make them feel good, give them a way to engage their contacts in the process. Activate existing supporters to build more support.
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The product pricing seems out of whack. I would price the softcover plan book at $249, the CD at $25, and the plan template free for signing up to an account for contact.
I would find more products to sell. The online course with a webcast would allow me to partake of the knowledge. See below about CPA site.
Perhaps the webcast could be used (special version for professionals) to allow the professional service providers sponsor an onsite workshop for their clients. The more people you get using the workshop, the more other products you could sell.
The workshops really caught my attention. You could certify workshop trainers (another source of revenue) in far flung corners of the country.
You could find ways to advertise the "service provider sponsored workshops." Two ideas are Mostad and Christensen Inc to advertise to CPAs and also forge an arrangement with CPA Site Solutions (they sell a site that is content rich for CPAs at $50 per month)
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I like the idea. The 3 hour 1 hour plan causes big dissonance. The easy solution is to break it down into chunks. The way to build the business is to get someone started for low or no commitment (like Video Professor). Getting sign ups could actually be done with DRTV. I don't know how ready they are for this; it could get really big really fast, so the problems of scale-ability are real.
Webinars are great and I don't see any reason why this can't be done as a series of lessons for a reasonable price. One idea would be to team up with an established university that does distance learning. Villanova had a good program for 6Sigma and this could be approached the same way. A tradeoff will be, how much do they want this to be like an accredited program versus how broad a market do they want to attract? Bottom line: growing this business on line doesn't have to be done on line & they might be ripe for other media to drive acquisition.
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I've had a good look around the website and I think yes, they can sell the concept online. Short webinars are common as we all know. That said, I tend not to make it to the 'live' events due to time pressures but often will get to them eventually. However, I see no reason why 60MSP can't work with clients in this way. However, it has to be in short and snappy segments; or else delegates will be doing email and IM..! The concept as it stands strikes me as pretty basic, but provides a proven template for clients to work from.
Some suggestions;
1) Welcome video on the site. A intro would be a good idea - this is us and this is what we do.
2) Workshop footage to give a better flavor of what they are going to do for me.
3) Testimonials! Who, when, results? Personally I don't buy in to quotes attributed to 'participants'. 6000 CEO's using this service? Let's have some names and quotes please, video would be wonderful.
4) Is there a follow-up service? We helped you develop a great plan, what did you do with it? Is it still relevant or do we need to re-visit? Etc.
I'm impressed that they have established a thriving business with the plan/workshop concept alone. I'm working with companies right now where there are no shortage of ideas, or willingness to get the plans written down. The issues come with the execution and that's where I earn my fees. There are just too many companies where the excellent plan gets put in a drawer or doesn't get implemented for whatever reason.
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Arne Hulstein from Sales Challenge:
Having gone over your post as well as the site, I am left wondering not just about online, but about their line of products. The main reason for this being, that if their 60 minute strategic plan session takes 3 hours to fully explain it would be hard to push that into an hours' session. I would be looking more at diversifying the companies' products in other ways.
Get the software web enabled. I know, this is a big thing and it will be a great investment, but there are so many ways to have their clients benefit from this. Or to pull new clients in. How about offering it as an ASP service and/or making it able to work with other solutions like salesforce etc. That would give their users the ability to implement plans right away. Not just do your strategic planning, but ensure proper execution as well.
Oh, and I like Lisa's idea on the free webinar, but I would feel they would need more to grow than their 600 happy customers. Now if you could work up a way where the current satisfied customers would be 'rewarded' with a free webinar on something stunning if they would register someone else... That would give new potential.
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I have some general marcom observations feedback.
Their business name "60 Minute Business Plan" is to-the-point and compelling.
The tag line, "better decisions faster" seems a bit too far down the thought chain to be a solid payoff to the true benefit they offer their customers -- turning visions into money-making plans.
The home page is really cluttered and is contrary to the simple, fast positioning they're looking to build/convey.
I suggest they move the "2 stages, 12 steps..." copy to a subsequent page that explains the process in a bit more detail.
Streamline the home page to include the flash-animated 60-minute clock as the focal point (perhaps showing 60 minute evolution of vision to reality, intentions to results and purpose to performance and skipping all the granular details that are currently shown in the animation) alongside a case study example (i would use one that doesn't lead with a skeptical point of view, by the way) and two clear paths for the visitor: learn more about the 60 minute process, or take a quiz to see if you are in market.
I would get rid of the dense intro text and the bulleted lists as they're cluttering the simplistic message; save the details for subsequent pages once you've got someone hooked.
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The Sales Rescue team is a service of Q4 Sales. Our goal is to give back to the entrepreneurs and small businesses that are so vital to our economies (this is an international collaboration). The team here has donated their time and passion to help other companies improve their online sales and marketing presence and efforts. The full discussion and commentary can be found here.
