Not every business needs to leverage the internet to be successful. But with millions of potential customers using search engines, social networks, and forums, it makes sense to know how it all works. Here is the first step in learning how to grow your cash flow leveraging the internet.

Step #1. Build a website that will generate leads for you. Later in this series I will explain in detail how to leverage the social networks, forums and online communities. But realize for now that the whole point to social networking is for you to drive traffic to your website. (I know. It’s really cool to find your high school pals on Facebook, but what is that doing to pay your bills?)

What’s the point of driving traffic to your website? If your site is designed correctly with lead generation and conversion in mind, the point of the website is to build your list of contacts and earn permission to market. This enables you to follow up with people after they’ve visited your site and given you permission to follow up with them. And the point of earning permission to follow up by email, phone, etc. is to nurture these leads until they are ready to talk with you, meet with you, hire you and pay you! (Without being a pain in the butt.)

Now back to your website. It really is painful to see entrepreneurs and professionals compromise their entire brand and image by launching a cheesy website. After all, what’s the point of doing this if prospective customers actually find your site? What will they think when they see that you pulled an all-niter to build your own site or hired your kid to do it because you wouldn’t invest a few thousand bucks to do it professionally? I just don’t get this.

So let’s assume you have a well designed website. (And there are millions of pretty websites out there to begin with. Getting your site found is an art unto itself that I will address later in this series.) But for now, let’s assume your site doesn’t look like your kid designed it. What happens when people find your site? Can visitors navigate easily and read professionally copy writing? Will your site design actually entice people to become a lead for you? Is your phone number highly visible so people can call you? Can they chat live with you or someone in your office? Is there a compelling offer such as an eBook or White Paper on your site to encourage people to give you their name and email address and permission to follow up? What kind of web-based contact management system will capture their information and automatically send out a customized email marketing thanking them for visiting?

The point here is it’s not enough just to have a pretty website. Websites need to be designed with purpose. And for our team of designers and developers at WealthNet Partners, the primary purpose is professional website design that generate leads. This helps us build our lists of people to whom we can market and follow up. Which means we have an opportunity to convert them to paying customers who send all their friends and family our way.

For every client we help with professional website design, there is a clear purpose. And to get to this purpose we ask each new client to answer more than forty questions. If they can’t do this well, we usually won’t take on the project until they are crystal clear on how we can effectively build the site and generate leads.
If you haven’t visited the WealthNet website, invest a few minutes now to do so. We practice what we preach. The site is crafted with the intention of making it visually pleasing and easy to navigate. You can find our phone number easily. There are more than three ways to give us permission to follow up with you. And if you do this, our automated email marketing system enables us to follow up as if we are always sitting there waiting for you to engage us.

What does this mean for our clients and us? It means that every day our network is growing because we build websites that generate leads. And every night our network continues to grow because when people find our sites we have integrated custom CRM and email list building systems to communicate with visitors so we can “market while we sleep.”

In closing, the first step to building your network is crafting a professionally designed website. Think of it this way. If you haven’t had a professional website designed for you, and one that also generates leads, why not? How long would it take to recoup a few thousand bucks if you were able to bring on a few more customers or clients? Think in terms of ROI and not in terms of saving money at the risk of looking like you are too cheap to create a professional brand. I know I may sound a bit harsh here. But too many business owners complain about not having enough business these days. And when we look at their websites and other marketing material it’s really no wonder why.

Invest the capital to build a professional website that generates leads. If done correctly, it won’t be long before you’re looking at a hefty return on your investment assuming you follow up in a way that entices your prospects to do business with you.

Next week… Part two of this series, “How to Grow Your Cash Flow Leveraging The Internet: Part Two.”

P.S. For a very limited time we are offering a free website analysis full of tips and strategies to get your site generating more traffic, leads and cash flow for you. Don’t delay. Order your free website analysis now at WealthNetPartners.com.

Clifford Jones, Founder
WealthNet Partners, LLC
“Discover The Art of Business Development”
Scottsdale, Arizona
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