CONTENT
FRESHNESS
USEFULNESS
A condensed sales and marketing system that any small business can benefit from.
In my most recent search for fresh, new marketing reads, I ran into The Conversion Code: Stop Chasing Leads and Start Attracting Clients by Chris Smith.
This book was originally published in 2016 and has just be completely updated and released. Here’s what caught my attention.
The Author’s Background
Chris Smith cut his teeth in the mortgage industry when it was tough to be in the mortgage industry.
He’s worked for Quicken Loans and Rocket Mortgage selling different types of real estate financing products such as “No Income, No Assets” mortgages. With a background like that, he’s had to sell to people who didn’t know him, who didn’t like him and who didn’t trust him. I can relate to this type of experience and for that, I salute him.
In other words, he’s a nice guy who knows how to connect and convert when he has to.
Chris Smith is the co-founder of Curaytor, company that makes sales and marketing tools for the real estate industry. In less than five years, he used the blueprint in his book The Conversion Code to grow Curaytor to nearly $15 million in annual recurring revenue, without raising any venture capital. Prior, Chris worked for two billionaires, a billion dollar publicly traded company and a startup that was acquired for $108 million by Zillow. He speaks live in front of more than 50,000 people a year.
People used to say that sales was a “numbers game”, that no matter what you do, if you get enough prospects, you’ll convert some of them. This type of approach is wasteful. Like in most things, it’s all about the quality of your prospects and not the quantity of your prospects.
The Updates in “The Conversion Code” Might Be Better Than The Original
Imagine if you found out that the foundation of your house was cracking or leaking — this is NOT good news. In fact, it’s expensive news and requires and immediate fix.
This is why I think the most recent release of “The Conversion Code” is even better than the original. It addresses some of the most profound shifts in marketing infrastructure that you absolutely have to deal with right now.
Here are just a few elements that will show you what I mean:
Inbound is everything: In essence, this book is about content marketing. Consumers have been showing us that they hate intrusive messages, they’re tired of our ads and they simply want more control of their buying experience,
This updated Conversion Code is basically a content marketing, digital marketing course in under 250 pages.
- Websites
- Landing Pages
- Blogs
- Optimizing Content
- Email marketing
- Social Media (How to use audio, podcasts, videos, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn)
- Advertising (Facebook Ads, Google Ads
- Sales Tools (Chat bots, text messaging, sales process, sales meetings, referrals)
I’m not going to go into any more detail here because there’s simply too much to cover and it wouldn’t fit. I simply want to show you that The Conversion Code is a condensed sales and marketing system that any small business can benefit from.
A new level of privacy: Maybe you’ve seen the news, but consumers around the world have clamped down on privacy and are saying “Stay out!”.
Did you know that 96% of all Apple users who are asked about sharing data say NO! Nearly 90% of all people avoid cookies or have stopped sharing cookies. Oh, and you can’t even trust your email open rates since Apple asks users if they want to tell you that they opened the email.
The Conversion Code contains new tips, tricks, tools, templates, platforms, research, data, and best practices to help you deal with this new world or privacy.
A focus on engagement: I mentioned inbound marketing — that’s just customers finding you. What’s even more important is having your potential customers engage with you.
Here’s an example of Chris Smith inviting people to engage (pulling them in) rather than just pushing out.
Practical, Doable and Consumable
The Conversion Code is my kind of marketing book. I love how digestible it is. You already know how simply searching Google and reading articles can get overwhelming. The advice is either too vague or everyone is simply rehashing the same vapid advice over and over.
This book is practical. Inside, Smith has added these “DO THIS RIGHT NOW” challenges that you can do at your own pace, see what results you get and keep learning and growing.
I do want to give a word of warning. Smith mentions A LOT of options. Don’t think you have to do everything all at once. Be sure to pick and choose those marketing options that best match your strengths and resources.
Overall, The Conversion Code is a must read — hurry up before something changes again!
Image: Depositphotos
