Our guest for Episode #107 of the WP Elevation Podcast is none other than our very own Mike Killen! Mike, along with being one of our three WP Elevation coaches, is a UK-based lead generation expert with years of marketing funnel expertise to share with us.
He offered us valuable advice on the importance of quality web content, what qualifies as good promotion, and why marketing isn’t more important than generating solid leads.
Mike had a very interesting past before getting into lead generation. At 10-years-old, his stepfather bought home a PC. It enthralled Mike. After learning about Flash, he began to get deep into coding and networking–so deep that he became a de-facto security risk at his secondary school!
Mike had a childhood love for dinosaurs and was close to studying paleontology at University before someone told him how low-paying the field was.
Upon returning to London, taking matters into his own hands was his primary concern. Figuring that crafting his own sites made more sense than paying vendors, he walked into his local chamber of commerce and offered to build websites for small businesses. This was on top of the social media, SEO and e-mail marketing services he already offered.
In 2012, more life changing advice came when Mike Mertens, a man who Mike worked with to host websites, told him that WordPress was easier than building sites from scratch.
Mike was immediately impressed with the relative simplicity of WordPress’ interface and began to use it exclusively for the sites he created. Mike eventually built his Devon Digital Design service into the UK’s number one WordPress marketing automation agency. Competing services weren’t yet dealing with WordPress, which helped him get a step ahead on the field.
Today, he talks to us about lead generation, creating shareable content, and the three things you need to ask yourself about building your marketing funnels.
Q: #1 thing any freelancer needs to know?
A: Charge more straight away.
Q: What’s the best thing you’ve done to find new customers?
A: Stopped buying into people selling me products that say they can find me new customers.
Q: How do you stop competing on price?
A: Charge more than anyone else.
Q: Any tips on writing better proposals?
A: You should be able to sell any product on 5 bullet-points.
Q: Favorite tool/system for CRM?
A: Mailchimp.
Q: What’s the best way to keep a client or project on track?
A: Constant communication. Chase them, don’t let them chase you.
Q: Any ideas for getting referrals from existing customers?
A: Ask for them.
Q: What’s the number one thing you can do to differentiate yourself?
A: Look at the other Ps of marketing beyond Price.
Mike suggests I interview the other WP Elevation Coaches or Ryan Deiss.
To enter the competition, answer this question in the comments below: What is your biggest reason for not building a marketing funnel on your own website?
The winner receives Russell Brunson’s DotCom Secrets and also Quill notebooks!
10 Responses
One of the good reason it’s how to do it properly and you are wasting your time!
I run a WordPress & digital services agency in Tasmania, and that is saying something!
We currently have one marketing funnel up on our site now (thanks to WP Elevation and Troy of course). We started with the “5 Things” funnel from the WP Elevation Course and that definitely made it much easier to get the first one up and going.
Now we are trying to get a few others up and going, but keep getting sidetracked by other things – customers, support issues, fires, etc. It seems like this is one of those “Important but not urgent” items and when the you know what hits the fan it’s always the first thing to get pushed the side. So I guess the issue ends up being time and priority… and now it’s just a matter of making it a top priority and getting it done.
Loved it, Mike. You convinced me to part with some money and promote my most recent blog post. I do blog weekly, but you’re right – it’s all about the work you’re doing to promote it. No point having the best content in the world if nobody knows about it! Hopefully someone will get onto our site and into the lead funnel we have there.
I would have to say the main reason that I don’t currently have a marketing funnel set up on my site is that I hadn’t considered it. It seems completely obvious that I should have now, but when I set it up I thought having a solid portfolio, showing what I had done previously would be enough, even though I would never advise a client to do that!
I must sit down and right one tonight!!
Rich! Loved your comment. Can you shoot me an email to [email protected] and I’ll get your address to send your books!
Matt, that’s a really interesting point. “even though I would never advise a client to do that”. Did you write your funnel in the end?
Promotion man! That’s where the link is often weakest.
Thanks Mike! Will shoot you an email right now.
Haven’t got it up and running yet but I have started work on it. I am planning on enrolling in the next intake of WP Elevation, so that should help the process.
Thanks for a the great Podcast