THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO DRIVING YOUR BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
Where to START and how to attract, convert and manage quality clients.
A guide to tell you where to start
The 4 elements businesses must address to get ahead of the competition
If you want to grow your business, focus on these areas...
SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE
CONVERT BETTER
STAND OUT AMONGST YOUR COMPETITION
REPORT BETTER
Contents of this article
- A common regret for business owners
- The truth about driving performance
- What about YOU and YOUR Business
- The four types of mistakes business will make
- How this one business made a $1M turnaround and how you can too
- The most important thing
- The 4 disciplines of digital execution
- 6 reasons to attend this web event
A COMMON REGRET FOR BUSINESS OWNERS
I wish I had a dollar for every time a business owner has said to me over the years, “I sure wish I spoke to you before we spent all that money” on insert every business widget you can think of. Marketing guru’s guide, off-the-shelf software, and new equipment.
It’s a bittersweet moment for them.
On one hand, they’re excited about what they’ve just learned from following our advice at Stats Lab – driving performance, smoothing out their operations, and increasing sales – leaving them to be able to grow their business more easily…
…but on the other hand, they wish they could go back in a time machine to clarify their marketing strategy and messaging before embarking. They wish they had known how to do all of this from the get-go, from when they started in business. They just want to know WHERE TO START
11
Years
472
Businesses
1
Process
A LOT OF BUSINESS
Before merging into Stats Lab Media – we had to figure out what most businesses are struggling with—and since starting in business we’ve helped over 472 other businesses drive their performance.
We’ve experienced, “I wish I spoke to Stats Lab before we spent any money on experts” many times now.
We are passionate about helping businesses succeed—that’s why Stats Lab Media exists—helping businesses avoid these all-too-common digital pitfalls. We can identify WHERE TO START
THE TRUTH ABOUT DRIVING PERFORMANCE (DIGITALLY)
What I’m about to say is from 11 years in the trenches as a small and medium business owner. Others may disagree. I’m okay with that. The Owners and Directors of small and medium-sized businesses need to know this.
We (business owners) are preyed upon by ‘the one solution’ providers who, sadly, don’t realise how off-target they are. These providers are not malicious; they just don’t know what they don’t know.
The founders of agency businesses typically come from a graphic or web design background or from a previous job where they sold websites or software solutions to businesses. They are not business strategists. They too are unsure WHERE TO START.
In short—and to be blunt—these providers are in the game of selling solutions. And they want to do it fast, and efficiently, and templated and—in effect—be a factory.
And while that’s good for their business, it’s not so good for your business.
WHAT DIGITAL AGENCIES AND TECHNOLOGY FIRMS DON'T 'GET'
In a word, it’s strategy:
- The websites they create are unstrategic. (Yes, that’s a word. 😅)
- These websites are little more than electronic brochures.
- Their marketing is poor — it lacks direction.
- The technology they are using is pedestrian and, to be frank, it’s often quite amateur (cables everywhere).
- The sales solutions they are providing are not designed within the context of a ‘marketing machine’.
- Their operations solutions simply don’t work. They don’t match the overall strategy of the business.
So why bother taking on a more digital approach to your business?
It’s because you know it’s possible for a firm’s operations, sales and marketing and technology to be united.
You just haven’t worked out how. Yet…
ATTEND WEB EVENT
WHAT DIGITAL AGENCIES AND TECHNOLOGY FIRMS DON'T 'GET'
Drew is one of the founders of Stats Lab Media. He has built and sold two accounting and advice businesses (including a 7 figure sale), Implemented both SalesForce and HubSpot, had a property blog that outrank RealEstate.com and Domain for 18 months, a Number 1 Podcast, and has been self-employed since completing an EMBA in 2010.
A self-described marketing nerd who adopted a ‘live by the sea and work remotely’ approach in an effort to be both focussed on business and be present for raising two children in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.
WHAT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS?
Have you ever looked at another business website and felt…
ENVY
“I wish our website was that good”
WONDER
“How did they get so far ahead of us?”
AWE
“Wow. That’s brilliant. I love it.”
CURIOSITY
“Could we have a business like this too?”
OR EVER LOOKED AT YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND ASKED YOURSELF...
- “Why don’t I get leads from our website?” or…
- “Why aren’t I closing on leads?
- “How do I know if my competitors are ahead of us?”
- “Who can I trust to create a better digital footprint?”
If you have, you’re not alone. Getting started can be a daunting project to research, decide upon a solution, and then project manage.
That’s why you might be glad to hear me advise this…don’t START.
PROTECT YOURSELF
DO NOT GET THAT NEW COURSE OR CONSULTANT
If you are thinking about getting a consultant or paying for a course, STOP.
Don’t do it. Not yet, anyway.
Stop researching website providers.
Don’t sign that proposal.
Don’t pay that deposit.
Don’t do any of that until you understand these 4 things…
4 TYPES OF MISTAKES BUSINESSES WILL MAKE
In working with 472+ BUSINESSES, we have identified FOUR types of mistakes they commonly make:
UPSTREAM Marketing Mistakes
DOWNSTREAM Sales Mistakes
INTERNAL Operational Mistakes
ON-SITE Technology Mistakes
1. UPSTREAM MARKETING MISTAKES
UPSTREAM mistakes are those made ON the website and with advertising. They’re observable to the trained digital marketing eye. We see 7 common on-site mistakes that all businesses make.
These include having a slider or carousel at the top of the home page where the image and headline change every 5 seconds or so. This approach has been categorically shown to KILL the effectiveness of a website in generating leads.
There are various reasons a carousel or slider is a SUPER bad idea on most websites. We can’t succinctly cover them all here, so be sure to register for our upcoming web event where I’ll explain why this approach is not only unintelligent, it is a symptom of a flaw affecting all your marketing, not just your website.
There are other common website mistakes relating to design and content—and we’ll address those in the upcoming web event too—but one that tends to surprise owners their website’s primary call-to-action—that is, what the website asks the visitor to do next—is fundamentally flawed, and stops website conversions.
The psychology is all wrong. It’s what I call ‘high gradient’ and it scares away potential leads for your business.
There are also common mistakes made with branding, paid traffic, and how to use a funnel approach to ensure by the time a lead hits your business sales call they are fundamentally ready to buy.
HAVE YOU CHECKED THIS?
When was the last time you checked what your website’s listing looks like in Google? What does the blue title text say? Is it something useful and appealing to your target markets? Something that will make people want to click your listing in the search results? Or something ineffectual like ‘Home’ or ‘Welcome to our website’?
2. DOWNSTREAM SALES MISTAKES
Yes, just as you guessed, downstream mistakes happen after a LEAD comes in from your website or paid traffic.
It is what happens as the lead progresses through the funnel to what most commonly is a human making a sale.
It is certainly ok to get excited once the marketing is working but it’s crucial to realise that this marks the START line, not the FINISH line.
I’ll explain in the upcoming web event downstream errors relating to a sales process, measuring, and testing.
Without understanding the sales process in your business and how to overcome the most common errors you are behind your competition.
3. INTERNAL OPERATIONAL MISTAKES
It’s simply not possible to have effective SALES AND MARKETING if you don’t first have an effective strategy.
And you cannot have an effective strategy unless you first understand the strategic framework.
There are FOUR DISCIPLINES OF DIGITAL EXECUTION and where you lack effort is the start point for every business. You can take our 12 question, 2-minute test here to understand where you should START driving performance.
Other common upstream website mistakes relate to ‘putting the cart before the horse’ in the overall process of creating, planning, writing, designing, and building the website.
In the upcoming web event, I’ll explain these upstream mistakes on-screen, and I’ll also show you the ineptitude of a business without a great CRM (Customer Relationship Management Tool)
ANSWER THESE 12 QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS TO FIND OUT WHERE TO START
4. ON-SITE TECHNOLOGY MISTAKES
A focus on your business without understanding where technology can improve both efficiency and effectiveness is a short-term mindset. But thinking you require the best top-end technology to make your business profitable is just as bad of a mindset.
Software and hardware choices can be overwhelming. So much so it is often overlooked.
A classic example as to why so often hackers get into a business and essentially shut it down via ransom. A quick read of our eBook highlights the three main areas we believe you can concentrate on to ensure you are ahead of the technology curve.
Find out about the best technology for your business at our web event.
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THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WEBSITE?
What would you say, in a sentence, is the purpose of your website?
We get a wide array of answers to this. I’m keenly interested to know your answer.
That’s why we’ll ask you this when you register for the web event.
Would you agree that having total clarity on the primary purpose of your website affects the brief you give, and therefore the design and content of your website?
Of course it does.
It’s a little bit of a shock then, just how small business owners in general (we’re not picking on you)—do not have clarity on this.
By the end of this web event, you will.
Stats Lab Media has increased our annual business turnover by more than $1.2M in three months working with them.
Bill Lowrie
East Coast Asbestos Removal
Would you like a $1M turnaround? See if Bill’s story is anything like yours.
“Drew, my phone isn’t ringing” with a hint of a tremor in his voice the words came down the phone line. I have known Bill for 10 years and those words were not what I expected. You see, we all create pictures in our minds about how business is traveling.
In essence, all small and medium businesses have pain points and Bill found out the hard way. But luckily, we got to the issue in time.
Now, 12 weeks later (written July 2021) the phone, email, opt-in, and word of mouth are better than ever. See how you can turn around your business at our web event.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
If you could learn the one thing that, once you implement it, will make the most profound and lasting positive impact on your business’ performance, you’d want to know it, right?
It’s not technology. It’s not the next Bright Shiny Object! It’s not some passing trend or gimmick. And it’s not “finding your WHY”. (It’s really not. Apologies to break that news to Simon Sinek fans!)
It’s STRATEGY. It is where to START applying the strategy to be pinpoint accurate.
WHY STRATEGY?
Because strategy is how you win. It’s how you stand out. It’s how you out-compete.
And it’s important to understand this: The fundamental questions that a marketing strategy answers are the same questions the overall business strategy answers.
Without an effective strategy, everything in your business is more difficult. Not just your marketing.
Strategy affects EVERYTHING: Knowing what types of clients to target; knowing who to hire; knowing how to price your services; knowing which technology and processes to use; knowing what to say (and how to make it a conversation starter, not a conversation ender!) when you’re asked, “What do you do?”; knowing what your firm should look like online. Everything. It is why we created the 4 Disciplines of Digital Execution (ebook) and when we teach you it, you will stand out from your competition.
ATTEND WEB EVENT
FUNDING THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR
To create a better funding model in the Not For Profit Sector, you must be able to track the level of effort from start to end.
Don’t have a CRM packed with the power to report on effort?
We guarantee your competitors do (or are planning on it) and you are falling behind.
Essentially your future funding arrangements are weakened, and you will have fewer options moving forward.
We showed Kylie where to START applying effort in the business and now they are ahead of the competition. In fact, the new funding they are receiving is forming new projects and programs. “
“With the help of Stats Lab Media, we’re on track to increase our programs from 4 to 20 this financial year.”
Kylie, Programs Manager – Not For Profit Sector
ADDED $100K IN INTERNATIONAL SALES
A client quote that illustrates just how much easier things get once you have a solid digital strategy is Russell Gibbons, founder of Huds and Toke, who said to me, “Drew we’re growing, and we’re not even trying.”
Russell has continually tinkered with our FOUR DISCIPLINES OF DIGITAL EXECUTION framework and subsequently—based on his clear strategy taken this small manufacturing business to the shelves of pet shops around the world.
Russell has built Huds and Toke on the foundation of strategy.
Russell’s “not even trying” comment comes after we have all had to change due to COVID forcing us all to look closer at the way we are doing business. But he needed guidance on WHERE TO START.
It isn’t an over statement – manufacturing and distribution is hard work—what Russell was referring to was the steady stream of inbound orders and repeat purchases coming to them, knocking on their door. We can’t disclose WHO it is but watch out for https://hudsandtoke.com.au/ to partner with a large international corporate sharing branding with their doggy donuts!
DRIVE BUSINESS PERFORMANCEUNITE YOUR TECH MARKETING SALES AND OPERATIONS and START in the right place
DOWNLOAD OUR EBOOK
6 REASONS TO ATTEND THIS WEB EVENT
Reason 1
THE PATH TO CLARITY
Learn how to clarify the single most important thing that will permanently improve your entire business’ performance, not just your website’s effectiveness.
Reason 2
DON’T WASTE MORE $
Avoid wasting thousands of dollars—and many months of frustration—on an unstrategic offer. Get on a path to cover the 4 areas across your business. Know where to START.
Reason 3
AVOID (& FIX) MISTAKES
See real-life examples of the 7 common on-site mistakes on the websites of businesses firms. Work out how many of these mistakes are on your website.
Reason 4
BETTER ROI WEBSITE/PAID TRAFFIC
These are the systems that turn your marketing into new leads, and into sales.
Reason 5
BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
Learn from profound BEFORE AND AFTER examples and case studies. See what separates ordinary from extraordinary.
Reason 6
MARKETING MACHINE
The Four disciplines of Digital Execution framework will explain the role your technology, sales, marketing and operations plays in your business and how to track them in real time. It is an overall business STRATEGY.
TIME TO STOP LISTENING TO ONLINE GURU’S, AND START BASING YOUR BUSINESS ON STRATEGY
BONUS FOR ATTENDING
Woody Allen once said, “80 percent of success in life is just showing up.” So true. You won’t get sent a recording of this web event if you register and then don’t attend. But you will receive a bonus when you register and ‘show up’.
Attend this webinar to receive a complimentary 10-Point Strategic Critique of your business. We call it the Digital Asset Review and we will complete it for free.
This is valued at $994 and is worth every cent of that. Better still, it will tell you WHERE TO START!
The Four Disciplines of Digital Execution will be broken down for you to identify key areas for improvement and you will receive your report, which is created WITH you, to highlight the areas of improvement including how to improve.
