The process of converting a normal everyday civilian into a customer is not 1 or 2 steps. It is a process.  You must get their attention.   It all starts with attention.  Nobody has ever bought something from someone (or company) that they didn’t know existed.

There is a definable process to cultivating these customers.  To be able to convert someone from going-about-their-life into wanting-to-do-business-with-you will require you to build an Invisible Selling Machine.

It starts with a LEAD MAGNET

Here’s an example mind map used as a Lead Magnet…

Notice how the mind map is blurred out to build curiosity.

In one case, we actually used a NAPKIN (or the image of it) as a Lead Magnet, and to date it’s one of our most effective campaigns…

Toolkit/Resource List –  A Toolkit or Resource List can make a great Lead Magnet for the right business and market. This company is offering a Time Management Toolkit in exchange for contact information…

…and this is one of the tools that is delivered after the Lead Magnet is taken by the prospective lead.

It doesn’t have to be  a lengthy report or video. It’s just a simple spreadsheet that anyone interested in time management will find valuable.

Software Download/Free Trial. = Software companies often offer a Free Trial of their software as a Lead Magnet. Here’s how Bidsketch, a SAAS proposal building application, asks for an opt in to start a free trial…

Shopify.com is even more sophisticated with their trial offer Lead Magnets. As an ecommerce store builder, they have a number of different features and can build many different types of stores. But rather than highlight all their features when asking for a trial, they instead create multiple Lead Magnets…one for each feature.

For example, here’s a Shopify trial page offering a “Facebook Store” as a Lead Magnet:

In both cases, the user is actually signing up for a complete trial to Shopify, but by creating multiple, SPECIFIC Lead Magnets, they are able to appeal to different user subsets which increases conversions.

Discount/Free Shipping= For those selling physical products on or off-line, discount clubs or Free Shipping offers can be an effective Lead Magnet type. Here’s how NewEgg generates new leads using an offer of Promo Codes sent to the email inbox. (See the bar at the very top of the page and down at the bottom of the page.)