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

8-Point Lead Magnet Checklist

The purpose of a Lead Magnet is to provide an irresistible bribe that compels your market to give you their contact information. But all Lead Magnets are not created equal, so over the years I’ve developed a checklist to evaluate the effectiveness of a given offer.

Run your Lead Magnet offer through this checklist. The more checkmarks, the better your Lead Magnet will perform:

• Offers an ultra-specific solution to an ultra-specific market
• Promises “one big thing” (as opposed to a lot of little things)
• Speaks to a known desired end result (Shows Interest/Intent)
• Offers immediate gratification (no newsletters, podcasts, etc.)
• Moves prospect down a “continuum of belief” – They might believe in you (if you have proof) but they don’t think THEY can do it
• Has a high perceived value
• Has a high ACTUAL value
• Rapidly Consumable (No books, 30 day courses, etc.)

Offers an Ultra-Specific Solution

Lead magnets should NEVER be vague. They must offer an ultra-specific solution to an ultra-specific market. This is the #1 problem with most Lead Magnets—they simply aren’t specific enough. If you focus on being specific, you’ll find that most of the next 7 factors on this checklist will take care of themselves…

Promises “One Big Thing”    Your prospects want the “silver bullet,” so it’s always better to make and deliver one big promise as opposed to a lot of little ones. If you have a book or a 12-week course or a 50-page report—look for the “One Big Thing” that will really move the needle for that specific segment of the market. That’s your Lead Magnet!

And here’s the great news: If you were about to sit down and crank out a book to give away as a Lead Magnet—you can stop. It’s not necessary and, in fact, our testing shows time and time again that finding the “One Big Thing” and delivering that will outperform that book, long-form white paper or 50-page report every day of the week.

Speaks to a Known Desired End Result  = What does your market REALLY want? If you can figure that out and offer a Lead Magnet that promises it, they’ll gladly give you their contact information.

Consider a Lead Magnet titled, “The Plumbers Guide to Internet Marketing”

Plumbers don’t want to learn Internet marketing. They want the phone to ring. They want more customers. This Lead Magnet will perform poorly because it doesn’t tap into the prospect’s actual desires.

Lastly, when you speak to a specific end result with your Lead Magnet, the act of op ting in indicates interest in the topic of that Lead Magnet, which should trigger a new Engagement Series dedicated to that topic. In other words, the Lead Magnet is the entry-point to your Invisible Selling Machine, but that only works if your lead magnet is SPECIFIC and topical. (NOTE: We discussed this concept back in chapter 6, but it’s important enough that it bears repeating.)

So for example, imagine you have three products in the golf niche, each of which appeals to a different desired end result:

• Product 1– Improves your drive
• Product 2– Improves your “short game”
• Product 3– Improves your putting

Each of these flagship products should have at least one Lead Magnet that speaks to the end result provided by each product. So if a subscriber opts in to receive a Lead Magnet about improving their putting, then they have expressed interest in improving their putting game and are therefore a perfect candidate for an Engagement Series that sells Product 3. In other words…

The topic of the Lead Magnet informs the topic of the Engagement series, which should lead to the sale of a topical product. Make sense?