Onward Nation

Dorie Clark is an Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the author of “Reinventing You” and “Stand Out”. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, TIME, and Entrepreneur. Recognized as a branding expert by the Associated Press, Inc., and Fortune, Clark is a marketing strategy consultant and speaker for clients including Google, Microsoft, Yale University, Fidelity, and the World Bank. You can download her free 42-page Stand Out Self-Assessment Workbook at dorieclark.com.

Dorie uses ScheduleOnce – have an online calendar that allows people to book time with you. ONWARD!

Stay informed – Dorie reads the newspaper everyday, and it helps her business relationships.

Dorie suddenly wasn’t getting any new business – and Dorie tells the whole story here.

“Form positive relationships with customers – and seek out those relationships.”

Current relationships lead to future relationships – be cordial to those around you.

I would have built up my email list – you own those relationships.

Keep in touch with your most important professional relationships – and use Contactually to do it.

An individual will succeed – but you need to spend dozens of hours to allow them success.

1. Establish what you’re going to be known for – then work on getting known for it
2. Get inside peer groups – they’ll help you grow your business

• dorieclark.com

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Kara Ronin is an Australian entrepreneur, social skills expert, and founder of Executive Impressions. Passionate about teaching people the social skills to thrive in any business or social situation, and in any country, Kara created Executive Impressions, an online education platform that receives thousands of visits every month. Kara has spent over 10-years living an international life in Japan, the United States, and Europe including Tokyo, New York, and Lyon, and speaks Japanese as well as French. At one stage, Kara moved countries or cities every year for 10 years straight. Now she lives in France, just two hours from the French Alps, where she took a leap of faith and created her own business.

Kara checks her email and social only twice a day – it’s too easy to waste time. ONWARD!

Go for a run three times a week – Kara finds that exercise helps her motivation and energy.

Kara’s business wasn’t growing at all – and Kara tells the whole story here.

“Persevere – things aren’t going to work immediately.”

“You can only grow as far as your biggest fear – there’s always going to be fear that will limit you if you let it.”

I would have made a schedule for my blog – my non-plan didn’t work.

Refine and polish your appearance and your interpersonal skills – this soft skill needs to be polished.

An individual would persevere – they need to keep their eyes on the end goal.

1. Don’t give into your own self-doubt – come up with a strategy and a plan
2. Don’t give into other people’s self-doubt – don’t let other people stop your dreams

• www.executive-impressions.com/

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Amber Lambke is the president of Maine Grains located in Skowhegan, Maine. The company is housed at the Somerset Grist Mill. The Mill provides a space for farmers, entrepreneurs, and community members to assemble and operate a variety of programs and businesses. The Somerset Grist Mill is nationally recognized as one of the country's emerging rural “food hubs.” Amber is also the executive director of the Maine Grain Alliance Market, a mom, wife, former speech-language pathologist, home baker and passionate gardener.

Amber surrounds herself with mentors – find those with experiences you haven’t had. ONWARD!

Engage in self-talk – Amber encourages herself through the rough times.

Amber had grain that wasn't performing for her customers – and Amber tells the whole story here.

“Overcome your self-doubt and fear of failure – try new things.”

“Don’t be afraid to think large – analyze your competitors and see your strengths.”

I would have imagined five years out – imagine what your dream team looks like.

Communicate with your team – be clear with you mission.

An individual would be one with our goal – they need to be heading the same direction we are.

1. Solve problems one step at a time – every step forward is a step forward
2. Celebrate the small successes – these successes are the way forward

• mainegrains.com

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Mitch Matthews is a keynote speaker, a success coach, and a best-selling author. His new podcast, “DREAM. THINK. DO.” is at the top of the iTunes charts. Mitch has worked with leaders and teams from organizations like NASA, Disney, Booking.com, and the Principal Financial Group. Plus, Mitch speaks on college campuses around the country.

He’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs and leaders to dream bigger, think better, and do more of the stuff they were put on the planet to do! Mitch has built three successful businesses himself including one fully automated online training-based business that has helped coaches around the world and brought in over a million dollars in revenue.

Most importantly, Mitch lives a “highly-caffeinated” lifestyle in Des Moines, Iowa with his wife, Melissa and their two sons. And for those animal lovers… the Matthews also currently have 1 dog, 1 “cat with OCD,” 8 fish and a snail named “Steve Dangerous.”

Mitch has a calendar driven to-do list – don’t put things on your list that you don’t have time for.ONWARD!

Ask yourself affirming questions – Mitch searches for the answers to the most important questions.

Mitch had very low turnout to a big live event – and Mitch tells the whole story here.

“Be intentional in directing your thinking – our outcomes come first through our thoughts.”

“Be interested, not interesting – you have to connect with customers.”

I would have started the “Dream. Think. Do.” process earlier – dream first, think second, and then do it.

Get clear on success – and have effective feedback loops.

An individual would learn fast and limit risk – they need to be good communicators.

1. Ask yourself what success looks like for you personally – focus on yourself and you business
2. Direct your thinking – ask yourself what you want to do today
3. Ask yourself who you’re going to learn from – and answer the question every single day

• mitchmatthews.com

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

Good Morning Onward Nation…Stephen Woessner here.

We all know that building and scaling a business is hard work…but when you have the right strategy — the right recipe for success to follow — the action steps become more like “ingredients” and can be added systematically into your business — one ingredient at a time.

After 20+ years of owning five companies, and having an opportunity to work with and interview some of today’s top business owners here on Onward Nation, I’ve noticed 12 reoccurring themes – or master success strategies — that come up over and over again because they have contributed to the success of our amazing and incredible guests at Onward Nation.

During today’s solocast, I am going to share the 5 of the 12 strategies with you. Unfortunately, I cannot cover all 12 due to time constraints — but — we created a free eBook to go along with today’s episode that covers all 12 strategies and how to apply them right away. You can download the 12 Success Strategies eBook here.

Some of the strategies are simple and will only take a minute or two to cover, which also makes them pretty easy to put into practice inside your business.

And there are several strategies that will require a long explanation. But I will guide you through the step-by-step to putting each strategy into practice.

I decided to dedicate today’s solocast to these Success Strategies because during each episode of Onward Nation — our guests share lessons with you on how to make your business more systematic, repeatable, measurable – and successful!

But, as Onward Nation has grown and enjoyed some success — and thank you for listening and being part of the ever-growing nation — the amount of data and recommendations is starting to grow rapidly. The eBook represents a distillation of some of the best strategies shared by our incredible guests — from episode 1 to episode 92.

So let me know what you think of this solocast — please download the 12 Success Strategies eBook — and drop me a line.

I recognize that getting better is a process. As Vince Lombardi said,

“The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”

So I would greatly appreciate your feedback — thumbs up or thumbs down. Your feedback helps us get better every day so please keep it coming.

Okay, Onward Nation…here we go…the 5 Success Strategies of Today’s Top Business Owners.

Way back in episode #1, Scott McKain shocked me when he said,

“Stephen, a business owner will find success if they are willing to fire the ‘destructive customer’.”

Which if you have studied Scott’s books and curriculum — you know this is a rather counterintuitive thing for him to say. Scott is all about exceeding a customer’s expectations — creating that distinctive experience so customers are compelled to come back instead of visiting your competition.

So firing a customer — where did that come from?

Scott when on to explain to me that destructive customers want to buy products or services outside of your company’s core offering. And they push you to deliver.

Destructive customers are demanding and time-consuming.

Oftentimes, this becomes detrimental to your company’s ability to serve other customers because you are spending so much time trying to satisfy one set of needs.

And when he said that…I thought… “Oohhhh. Darn it. Been there. Scott is so right.”

But Scott took it deeper by also sharing how each of us can protect or business from The Destructive Customer.

According to Scott…most business owners aren’t willing to say “no” to a destructive customer.

Why?

Because the fear of losing those sales is a near and present danger to cash flow. And by the way, Onward Nation…the fear of losing sales is the Fear of Poverty creeping back in. If you are listening for the first time, the Fear of Poverty is one of the 6 fears we all struggle with from time to time — sometimes consistently — throughout our business and life.

All 6 Fears are documented and explained in depth by Napoleon Hill in his groundbreaking book, Think & Grow Rich, published in 1937 and still just a relevant today. I also do a deep dive into the Fear of Poverty in episode 65 of Onward Nation.

So how do we protect ourselves?

You as the business owner have to be bold and courageous enough to go an “Inch wide and a mile deep” with your company’s expertise instead of trying to be everything to everyone.

Developing deep expertise will give you the ability to command a premium price for what you do at your company – and in the process – you will attract the right customers.

And then you will be better equipped to say no to the destructive customer because you will no longer be in a position of need to take on whatever business you can get.

Business owners will find success if they become master storytellers through mentorship…and that is another powerful lesson I learned from one of my mentors, Don Yaeger.

You hear me talk about Don and his influence on nearly every episode of Onward Nation. AndDon is the one who said during episode #2,

“Stephen, the reality is…whoever tells the best story wins.”

Onward Nation, learning the principles of storytelling will help you clearly articulate your journey to yourself, to your employees, to customers, and to all of the stakeholders in your business.

Mentorship is an invaluable asset that directly correlates and strengthens your ability to storytell because of the experience sharing and growth you will go through when you find the right mentor.

ROADBLOCK…don’t get stuck in the mental trap of thinking you need to find mentors exclusively from within your industry.

One of my closest and most trusted advisors at Predictive ROI is John Lyche — and he does not come from the digital marketing space. He has built a career in excellent in manufacturing, distribution, and product innovation.

And he is an expert in scaling a small company into a large company.

Oh, awesome — I want to learn those things…and he has been an incredible mentor and teacher. Because the lessons of how to scale effectively transcend industry — so don’t make the mistake — don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your business — your industry is so unique and different and no one outside of it could offer valuable insights.

And that is why Don shared that oftentimes the most enlightening lessons are learned from those who can offer you a completely different perspective.

1. Think about your own talents and the skills you would like to strengthen – areas of your business you would like to improve, etc.
2. This process will help you identify the person you need to become to take your business to the next level.
3. This is really hard because you have to take a critical look at yourself. Most people are not willing to get honest with themselves and that is one of the major reasons they never grow.
4. Once you have the list — look for people who are crushing it in these areas. The same areas where you need to grow.
5. Contact those people. Invite them to lunch. Let them know you are packed full of questions for them. Be very prepared — and they will love the fact you took the time with them seriously enough to do your homework.
6. Interview them and put what they share with you into practice.
7. Turn it into a blog post and your clients will love you for it because you just shared some critical insights with them, too.
8. Then loop back to your mentors and share your success.
9. When you do, they will invite you to sit down so they can share more with you.
10. Soak it all up — then put more of it into practice.

Remember Onward Nation…a good mentee takes action on what is learned!

So many of our Onward Nation guests have this strategy in common.

The reality is Onward Nation, we will find success by eating rejection for lunch and ignoring the naysayers. Ignore the doubters. Ignore the people who say you’re not good enough — that you can’t do it — that you don’t have the pedigree, the education, the background to get it done.

My grandfather immigrated to this country from Istanbul, Turkey in 1920…couldn’t speak the language and he had $10 in his pocket. He cut lettuce and washed dishes on the night shift at a Canton, Ohio restaurant…gritted it out…then moved to the day shift as a cook so he could make more money. And in 6 years…he had saved enough money to open his own restaurant…that he ran for over 40 years…including running the business through the Great Depression.

Onward Nation…you have to refuse to take “NO” for an answer — you have to break through the fears, doubts, worries, struggles – those pits in your stomach.

And as Stacey Alcorn shared with us in episode #3….she said…

“Stephen, when you feel that fear and doubt are creeping in – let them be your signs – that you are headed in the right direction – and it is time to slam the gas down on the floor!”

One of my favorite quotes of all time is “Fear and procrastination are the enemies of success”.

My cousin, Dean Bacopoulos shared that with me when he and I were partners in a dot com together back in the late nineties. And I never forgot it. I have it now framed in my office as a constant reminder to the great wisdom in those words.

So how do we break through the fear of rejection?

Here are three simple steps.

Step #1: Refuse to accept “NO” as an answer.

Step #2: See step 1. Rinse and repeat.

Breaking through the initial stage of dismay will allow you to pursue your biggest dreams.

Success, Onward Nation, will come to those who refuse to accept “NO” as an answer.

You will overcome your apprehension and gain the freedom to decide that NOW is your time — it’s time to take action toward your dreams.

It’s not rocket science. The only way to truly ensure success is to “work your face off”. As Gary Vaynerchuk likes to say.

There are no shortcuts. This is not an easy way to conquer and achieve your biggest goals. It takes persistence and tenacity.

Success takes GRIT, Onward Nation.

Surround yourself with mentors, books, training resources, and trusted networks will be invaluable to getting the feedback you need to grow your business.

Owning a business is not always pretty — but everyone has to start somewhere – so don’t compare yourself to others who have been doing it longer than you.

In the interest of time…I’m going to fast forward to Strategy #9: Good Execution Ensures Success.

[Remember…we will email you the entire eBook that has all 12 Success Strategies. You can request it here.]

Steve Olson, our guest on episode 15 said to me, “Good execution ensures success. Plain and simple.”

A simple but very powerful lesson.

Onward Nation…you can read all the books, craft an incredibly detailed business plan, and put all of the pieces into place for that product launch…but unless you execute and do the good work…you will not be successful.

Jerry Rice, the hall of fame NFL wide receiver famously said…

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.”

And yes to say, it’s all about commitment to sound cliche — but it is the truth.

So should we approach this — what are the tactical steps to ensure success? Here are four to put into practice right away?

1. Seek out advisors who are specialized and can help support the development of the most vital functions in your company.
2. Continually evaluate your business plan because conditions are changing in our rapidly evolving business environment.
3. Take rapid action, find a way to get results, and be able to learn from the mistakes.
4. Ask your clients how to improve a product because they know best.

Remember, your success depends upon your ability to convert the recommendations from your advisors, and the strategies you develop, into actionable items.

Two really amazing guests, Stacey Alcorn…episode #3 and Nancy Marshall…episode 19 are the queens of building impressive networks!

Both Stacey and Nancy shared how business owners can and will find success by building their network of personal relationships — and — by being strategic about who you meet and who you spend your time with.

During my interview with Nancy…she shared a very powerful story about how when her agency, Nancy Marshall Communications had lost a key account, it was her network that pulled her through those dark times. And now that once lost client — is back at her agency — and business is better than ever. But without a strong network in place — the temporary loss could have been devastating.

So how should we go about building a network?

Pay close attention to the little details, show gratitude, and make sure to nurture your relationships over time.

Focus on clients, vendors, and most importantly family.

Keep a gratitude journal to remain consistent with your relationship building.

Plan strategically, identify your goals, and then measure your success along the way and then follow the interview and publish the recipe that Stacey Alcorn mapped out for you in episode 3. Put that into practice and you will see your network, your platform, and your influence grow…nearly exponentially.

Please drop me a line and let me know what you thought. You can share your comments at the bottom of the show notes for this episode – or – you can email me anytime at Stephen @ onwardnation.com and yes – that is my actual email address – comes directly to me – no fancy filter, routing, or sorting…comes right to my Inbox.

Feel free to use it anytime.

Let me know…thumbs up or thumbs down?

I will be back tomorrow with my interview with Mitch Matthews — and oh my word — it is a conversation you don’t want to miss.

Until then…onward with gusto!

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

John Gumas is a veteran of the advertising and interactive marketing industry. John founded GUMAS in 1984. Today, the award-winning firm is consistently named as one of the top branding and interactive marketing firms by the San Francisco Business Times.

John is recognized as one of the country’s foremost authorities on challenger brand marketing. He is the author of the popular book “Marketing Smart”, which describes how challenger brands can effectively develop marketing strategies to take on their larger competitors. John is an adjunct professor of branding, advertising and interactive marketing, a sought-after speaker and a regular columnist for several publications and blogs.

John was recently inducted into the San Francisco State University Hall of Fame, recognized for his community service and leadership by the U.S. Senate, the San Francisco Giants, and was selected as the Man of the Year by The Elios Society.

John sets one goal a day – accomplishing the daily keeps him positive and moving forward. ONWARD!

Engage with your key employees – John keeps his team motivated.

John had to make tough employment decisions – and John tells the whole story here.

“Create the right company culture – your employees need to be proud to come to work each day.”

“Don’t get burnt out – delegate what you don’t like to do.”

I would have had a realistic business plan – stay focused on realistic goals.

Have a perfect elevator pitch – you can’t be everything to everyone.

An individual would have a good heart – they need to be caring individuals.

1. Think like a challenger brand – focus on what makes you unique
2. Create a concise, compelling message – and make sure everyone in the company knows it
3. Love what you do – make your job not feel like work

• [email protected]
• gumas.com

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Eric Douay started his career in the hospitality industry, for the French multi-national hotels company, Accor Group, in Paris and progressed quickly to open their first sales & marketing office in Canada.

In 1997, he created D-TOUR MARKETING Inc., a company specialized in sales & marketing for international hotels chains that wanted to be present in Canada, without all the headaches of opening their own Canadian offices. The company was also involved in property development in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean.

In 2007, Eric created a new core business, on top of his existing business, by offering payments solutions to the hospitality, travel and tourism industry. His company now optimizes payment processing systems for private clients and has helped hundreds of merchants collectively generate over $1 billion of accumulated transactions volume, while saving serious money in the process.

Eric visualizes his two or three actions – be productive. ONWARD!

Express gratefulness – Eric thanks God everyday for giving him the new breath of life.

Eric lost 50% of his business – and Eric tells the whole story here.

“Reinvest in knowledge – school only prepares you to be on the team – get on the field and score.”

I would have delegated, automated, and eliminated – learn what you need to take off your plate.

You can find us here: ------OnwardNation.com------

Olie Jentzsch is the president of Flitz International, a family-owned business based in Wisconsin. Flitz serves customers around the world by supplying a variety of high-quality cleaners, polishes, and protectants for applications in automotive, marine, sporting goods, aviation, and household-related industries. Over the last 37 years, Flitz has made a name for themselves with customers who want to do it the right way — the first time. Olie and his team have steadily grown the company into an international leader within their industry.

Olie uses a day-timer – stay organized. ONWARD!

Review your goals – Olie writes out his goals at least biweekly.

Olie made a mistake – and Olie tells the whole story here.

“Get to know your customers – and listen.”

“Make the right introduction – be a chameleon.”

I would have had a formal education – learn the foundations of business.

Change – you either grow or you die.

An individual would pick up new rocks – they think outside the box.

1. Surround yourself with the best – and trust those you surround yourself with
2. Stick with it – don’t give up
3. It takes money – there are ways to get money

• [email protected]

You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.

Good Morning Onward Nation – I am so excited for today’s solocast!

I’m excited because we are going to continue the momentum we have been building over the last several solocasts where we have begun to uncover what I call the Money Draining Mistakes.

These are the mistakes that we all make – yes, everyone one of us from time to time – have made these mistakes in our business – and the net result is that cash has been literally sucked right out of our companies.

Very expensive.

And yes, I know that sounds a bit overly dramatic but when I share today’s Money Draining Mistake with you – by the end of this episode – my hope for you is that you will see why I consider this one – this mistake – to be one of the most expensive.

But before we jump into this one – I want to go back to the two biggest challenges that are preventing you from moving your business onward to that next level because those challenges – those barriers to your success have nothing to do the business climate, the economy, the skill level of your employees, the location of your business, your pricing strategy, your current customer base, the size of your marketing budget, the quality of your products, your distribution channels, or the myriad of other reasons we are given today by the media and government as to why businesses fail at such a staggering rate in this country.

The obstacles in your way have nothing to do with any of those things.

I am not going to dissect both of these Fears here – instead, I encourage you to go back and re-listen to episode 65 to understand both fears more deeply – but what I will say is that the Fear of Criticism will directly impact your ability to stay plugged in to this episode and push forward to really want to master the recipe that I share with you during our time together this morning.

I guarantee you...if you are like most business owners…as soon as I say the words “Bounce Rate” as part of today’s recipe – you will begin to tune out and lose interest.

Or, as I share “data points”...as I discuss things like the “psychology of your customer”, or need to create “clear calls-to-action.”

It will be real easy for you to say something like, “I have someone on my team who does that, Stephen...I don’t have to know it.”

Why do I think you will say or at least think that?

Because you – me – we are all afraid of the unknown. We are uncertain – we are afraid we might fail to understand the concept – the lesson. And so the best way for us to defend against that fear – to protect ourselves – is for us to say, “Oh Stephen, I don’t need to know that because someone on my team gets it...they have it down. I’m all set.”

Do they?

Do they really?

And if you don’t understand it – how can you possibly hope to measure their success in it?

Discounting the potential knowledge without really understanding the value of the knowledge is sort of like when we were all back in high school and it came time for Algebra or Biology class – or insert the name of your scary class here – and we tried to convince ourselves that we would never need to have access to that knowledge in our lifetime. Somehow we felt prepared to make that decision at 16 or 17 years old.

And yet, if you were to sit down with someone like Mark Cuban, one of the acclaimed investors from Shark Tank and ask him what he wishes he would have done a better job of learning along the way…he readily admits…that he would have done a better job studying those things that he quickly discounted – that he told himself he would never need – and now he wishes he had mastered those skills early on…things like Algebra, Biology, and so forth.

So this episode – episode 89 – you need to know that I am likely going to push you...to push your Fear of Criticism.

But in full transparency – I think that is part of my job to help you grow – to help you become more certain – to help you reach that next level.

And as my drill instructor said to me once – well, he actually shouted it to me one morning – I think he just wanted to be sure I heard him and never forgot the message – he stood over top of me as I was doing sit ups during PT one morning in basic training…it was June of 1990 at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas...5:00 in the morning and it was already about 90 degrees – how was that even possible – and as I was doing each repetition – St. Hodge looked down at me and yelled, “Airman Woessner, you are required to perform 25 repetitions of this exercise.

HOWEVER...you are encouraged to do more.” He set the standard of excellent for me that morning. The standard was not the bare minimum of doing what was required – knowing what you had to know – or doing the least possible with as little effort as necessary.

No, the standard was more – a lot more – and undefined – my standard – my bar was to do the most repetitions that I could possibly do – my personal best – to pursue excellence – and I never forgot the message – and now I pass it on to you.

So to get that next level – you need to learn things you didn’t think you needed to learn – to master skills that someone on your team may also know – and to execute and implement with a standard of excellence – not the bare minimum.

You Onward Nation are not average.

You Onward Nation have a different standard.

You Onward Nation are moving your business to that next level. And you do that by pushing past the Fear of Criticism – the fear of failure – the fear of not thinking you are worthy or smart enough.

Are you ready to move onward with gusto?

Let’s start this off with a scenario that happens every day within a typical business…

Someone visits the website’s home page, a product page, or perhaps a blog post the business owner wrote.

The person quickly scans the page from top to bottom, left to right, and after a second or two, they decide they hate it. They puke in a bucket and then immediately leave.

And they continuing searching...except they continue searching SOMEPLACE ELSE.

That person “bounced” because he or she was not motivated enough to make one single click within the site.

Bounce rate is one of the most powerful metrics we have because it gives us insight into whether or not our customers believe we are delivering the value they want and need.

Most un-optimized websites have a bounce rate between 50 to 60 percent (this represents huge opportunity for you if you apply steps 1-2-3 below).

In other words, after all of the hard work you put toward building traffic through trade shows, advertising, public relations, email campaigns, content development, social media, and search engine optimization, between 50 and 60 percent of the people you attract will immediately leave without making one single click.

And that is why I called this mistake the silent killer way back in my introduction to this episode.

Let’s do a quick test. Pause this episode, open your Google Analytics dashboard, and check your bounce rate.

If it 30 percent or less, give yourself a pat on the back because that is the target you should strive to reach.

But if your bounce rate is above 50 percent, then the rest of this article will provide you with three steps you can apply to drive down bounce rate while converting more of your traffic into leads and sales.

Let’s first calculate the dollar value that bounce rate is currently costing you.

Say your website attracted 12,539 unique visitors during the past 12-months.

And let’s say your website bounce rate is currently right in the middle of the 50 to 60 percent range (54.88 percent to be exact).

That means 6,881 site visitors immediately bounced from your website during those 12-months (12,539 x .5488 = 6,881).

The remaining 5,659 were the suspects you could attempt to convert into a lead or sale through some form of call-to-action, such as a phone call, visit to your store, etc.

Now, let’s say your call-to-action process has been fine-tuned over the years so 4.77 percent of your suspects are converted into leads (between 2 to 4 percent is the global standard).

This means 270 leads, phone calls, store visits, etc. were generated during the 12-months (5,659 suspects x .0477 conversion rate = 270).

And lastly, let’s assume you have a history of converting 50 percent of your leads, such as inquiries, phone calls, store visits, etc. into sales, and each sale has an average value of $500.

The revenue generated via your website should have been approximately $67,500 (270 x .5000 = 135 sales x $500 value = $67,500).

Now, let’s lower bounce rate to the target level of 30 percent.

I first learned about the 30 percent target from my friend and mentor, Avinash Kaushik, digital marketing evangelist for Google and co-founder of Market Motive.

You can learn more about Avinash in episode 40 of Onward Nation.

Now only 3,761 of the visitors bounce during the same 12-month time period (12,539 x .3000 = 3,761).

You now have 8,778 suspects instead of 5,659. Big difference.

Let’s also assume you maintained your 4.77 percent conversion rate into leads and your average order remained at $500.

Your 8,778 suspects would convert into 418 leads, and those leads would convert into 209 sales, which would result in $104,500 in revenue (418 x .0477 = 418 x .5000 = 209 x $500 = $104,500).

This represents a 54.81 percent increase in sales. Awesome.

And the only thing that changed was bounce rate.

Here’s the good news...any business owner can apply three simple steps to reduce bounce rate.

At the bottom of this today’s Show Notes you will find a mini-class I recorded to provide some additional bounce rate insights. Free video training resource – I hope you find it valuable.

So what is the first step?

Now, distinction is not just about being different.

Distinction creates loyal customers who continue coming back to you over and over again.

If you want to learn more about distinction – go back to episode 1 and listen to the words of wisdom from Scott McKain, the leading authority on the topic of distinction and its importance in your business.

And one of the very best recipes for how to create distinction is one that I learned from Darren Hardy, publisher of SUCCESS Magazine.

Darren calls it the X-Y-Z Exercise and there are 3 simple steps.

Just answer three questions and blend the answers into a clear and concise statement. Caution: the questions are simple but they are not easy to answer. It will likely take you and your team about 60 to 90-minutes to complete this exercise with excellence.

1. We do X (X equals the products and services your business provides to customers)
2. For Y (Y equals the profile of your typical customer)
3. So that they can Z (Z equals the result outcomes your customers receive from your products or services)

Then place your X-Y-Z statement on your website above the fold – meaning – so the visitors to your website do not need to scroll in order to read it. Why above the fold?

So your visitors will see it right away and they will know they are in the right place.

When that happens, bounce rate goes down.

The January-February 2013 issue of the Harvard Business Review reported the results of a study on consumer choice, which confirmed that providing more options did not increase choice. In fact, more options actually decreased choice.

So instead of having 15 options on your website, i.e. photos, copy blocks, or calls-to-action, just have three easy-to-understand options and eliminate all the rest. Your customers see a multitude of options as visual clutter and that encourages bounce.

Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, director of Marketing Experiments once said to me, “Clarity always trumps persuasion.”

So are you being clear with customers regarding the steps they need to take along the decision-making path?

Have a clear and concise path to purchase. That’s all you need.

Okay, Onward Nation – that was Money Draining Mistake #3…High Bounce Rate.

Now, if you if you are hearing those voices in your head – if you are having thoughts that are even remotely similar to what I described at the beginning of this episode – don’t run -- let those thoughts be your litmus test – they are telling you that you are heading in the right direction.

Push forward – don’t stop – don’t let your fear hold you back from breaking through to that next level.

And remember, you are the average of the people you spend the most time with…and look who Stacey Alcorn from episode #3 is spending the most time with.

She refers to herself as “A billionaire in the making.” And in order for that vision for her life to become a reality – she knows that she needs to spend as much time as possible with other billionaires.

Well, I will let you in on a secret she told me during our interview – Stacey didn’t have those connections several years ago.

But she DECIDED that was going to change and then she took action to make it happen.

I hope that makes sense.

Okay, Onward Nation – I hope this solocast was valuable to you.

Please drop me a line and let me know what you thought. You can share your comments at the bottom of the show notes for this episode – or – you can email me anytime at Stephen @ onwardnation.com and yes – that is my actual email address – comes directly to me – no fancy filter, routing, or sorting…comes right to my Inbox. Feel free to use it anytime.

Let me know…thumbs up or thumbs down?

Drop me a line.

I will be back tomorrow with another amazing interview with one of today’s top business owners.

Until then…onward with gusto!

Stephen

You can find us at: -----OnwardNation.com------

Todd Kim has helped personal clients, business owners, professionals and financial institutions reach and maximize their financial goals for over 20-years. As a trusted financial advisor, Todd has worked with many retirees and pre-retirees in the construction and implementation of secure retirement income plans avoiding risks and maximizing full income potentials. Todd is considered a specialist in his field, coaching and training other advisors and financial and legal professionals seeking direction in the design and execution of well-crafted, defined benefit plans.

Todd visualizes what will happen each day – focus on the outcome. ONWARD!

Separate your negative energy – Todd uses visualization to achieve objectivity.

Todd lost 70-80% of his business fast – and Todd tells the whole story here.

“Have a good succession plan in place – have a strong retirement cash flow.”

“Do the job right the first time – put yourself in the place of the business owner.”

I would have put in a higher quality system of checks and accountability – define roles and responsibilities.

Consistently survey your clients – find out what they’re interested in.

An individual would focus, focus, focus – and give them a permission slip to give complaints without penalty.

1. Keep your overhead low – don’t dream too big
2. Be focused on your marketing – market your product in a way that’s not expensive
3. Be in tune with what your clients want – what they want may be different than what they say they want

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You can also find us here: ------ OnwardNation.com ------