How NOT to Impress Offline Prospects

by Dan C. Rinnert

Posted: 13 years ago 15 replies

OFFLINE MARKETING

I have a couple websites that sell products online and offline. This apparently makes me a prospect for marketers offering services to offline businesses. I frequently receive offers for various SEO services. These offers are fun for their entertainment value.

So, I received one this morning.

The seller writes that they were searching for businesses in my area using three main keywords, and my site didn't rank as well for my competitors for those keywords. I am apparently missing those relevant keywords on my site, so my site isn't ranking as highly as it should.

Of course, they can help me with that.

The thing is that none of those three keywords are related to what I do.

None of them!

So, obviously, those keywords aren't present on my site. If you're planning on offering SEO services or whatever to a business with an existing website, maybe you ought to actually look at their website.

I assume they were using some kind of bot or something to generate the eMail, but, if so, something is really wrong with it.

Anyway, so the eMail has a link where I can view the report they put together on my business and the keywords I should be targeting.

Normally, I've deleted the eMail by this point, but I wanted to see how much more entertainment I could get out of this one, so I clicked the link.

There's a little pitch at the top highlighting the benefits of SEO, and that high rankings means more customers for me. Yay!

So, it lists the relevant keywords on my site that people would be searching for. Apparently, my site doesn't have any relevant keywords. I must really suck at SEO.

Next, it lists the relevant keywords my site should contain. Fifteen of them anyway. These are keywords my competitors are using. People can find my competitors, but not me, using these keywords. The report stresses that.

It also gives each keyword a percentage relevancy ranking. The keyword that is 100% relevant to my site has, um, nothing to do with the services I offer. Same for the 85% relevant keyword and so on down the line. So, maybe the least relevant keyword, rated at 20% relevance, is the closest match to what my site offers? Nope.

Not a single one of them is a match. None of them are relevant to what I offer.

Next, I can get a free quote for how much it will cost to get my site ranked higher for those search terms.

I think I'll pass on that.

I have to assume this eMail and report was generated using automation, because I cannot imagine anyone would be this stupid. Anyone who looked at the site would be left scratching their heads wondering how any automation tool came up with the keywords that came up for it.

So, beware. Automation is convenient but can sometimes make you look like an idiot.

#impress #offline #prospects

spesialis 13 years ago

May I ask, did the email arrive at your inbox?

And what was the title?
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AnitaCross

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert

I only sell my physical product online, and I still get the same type of offers. I generally ignore them. More difficult to ignore are the cold calls. Some idiot calls me up and tells me how my site isn't showing up in Google for my most important keywords... Come to think of it, I don't recall finding out what keywords they think are important. I'll have to ask next time.

Anyway, I know they're full of it. I check my keyword phrases using scroogle from time to time, and I dominate the front page.

The emails may have some entertainment value, I never thought of them that way before. But the phone calls are simply annoying. I must admit, I'm seldom very nice to those people. And I don't even feel guilty for being rude.

-Anita

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tpw 13 years ago

As they say, Automation can be your friend, but when used badly, it could also be your downfall.
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- TracyNeedham 13 years ago
  
  Well, Dan, maybe your site would rank higher if you took their advice and tried to rank for those unrelevant keywords! Did you even think to try it? Maybe it's time you think outside the box!
  
  After all, maybe there's some secret sauce upcoming change to Google that's going to kill sites ranking on relevant words so they can boost the fortunes of all those link farms?
  
  Maybe this person has a crystal ball and was offering you the chance of a lifetime to get ahead of the G-man?!
  
  I sure hope you weren't wrong...
  
  LOL
  
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  RandyRandola 13 years ago
  
  I help my clients rank well in city / service / product in both organic and Google Places. Once they rank well, they have all said the same thing...
  
  They get inundated with phone calls about how this SEO company can help them rank even better using their service.
  
  We laugh because we already rank great on the keywords my clients want to rank well for.
  
  I didn't think to ask which keywords they were talking about. Probably "underwater basket weaving for dummies". We rank terrible for that phrase ...
  
  It's amazing how the majority of these so called businesses don't do their basic homework.
  
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Dr Dan 13 years ago

I no only get those kinds of emails, but tons of automated phone calls as well. They usually say, congratulations! my site is now ready to be submitted to the top search engines...blah...blah...blah... Here is my private code to get this done, but will only work for the next 24 hours! Oh my god! I gotta jump on this or I will miss out!

Its funny because all those sites are already ranking all over the place! I know it is an automated call, but I just wanna call them and tell them they are stupid because I am already taking up 5-11 first page spots on many search terms for my site. But that would be a waste of my time!

For those that are interested. I uploaded the voicemail they left me here: http://offlinerockstaracademy.com/search-engine-ready/

Be a RockStar in Your Business,
& In Your Life!

Dr. Dan
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Bruce NewMedia

13 years ago

Dan, I have received essentially the same thing, though perhaps not from the same vendor. The funny part was, the site they referenced is and was #1 in Google for the best, most relevant search term I could find. It has to be some automated script, as none of their 'research' made any sense.

More evidence of why SEO work can have a bad rep amongst prospects.
_____
Bruce

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Dr Dan

13 years ago

Originally Posted by brucerby

That is so true Bruce. Its getting to the point that its just noise in the prospects eyes.

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Amir Luis 13 years ago

Originally Posted by rockstarinlife

That is so true Bruce. Its getting to the point that its just noise in the prospects eyes.

Right....

So what I have done to combat this is rephrase the subject.

I NEVER say SEO or anything of the like...

I say things like... Online Marketing, Online Presence,Lead Generation, etc.
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- LisaSchwartz 13 years ago
  
  @Amir Luis I could not agree with you more. Here. Here. I have almost abandoned the term SEO, which is somewhat of a shame (well I do use it in certain cases, like one on one after my main topics are addressed), but really there is so much of this stuff out there as you all say, that when I attend network events and give them my introduction of myself and the company, a prospect's first reply is "oh, so is that like SEO". Which of course you want to complement them on their prowess and say, why yes, you smart prospect...blah blah, but you have to be cautious because, like you are all saying here, they might categorize you as "one of them".
  
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Cliff_OBA 13 years ago

I also have gotten similar emails, and my sites were not even close to what they were talking about. One was not even related to commerce in any form.
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SamyE 13 years ago

Yep I get them, they go right to my trash bin.
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clickforseo 13 years ago

I get similar mails, mostly they are written so badly in terms of grammar that I am left with a sore head and blurred vision at the mail's end.... I give them their dues and do read some but mostly they are bounced into space...
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bateati 13 years ago

I think SEO is crap anyways.

It's all about word of mouth/viral
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Amir Luis 13 years ago

Professionalism and an established Unique Selling Proposition is what gets you results in ANY marketing arena, whether it be direct sales, direct marketing, whatever....

Part of my USP is that I don't offer them a service. I offer them a value.

My offer, "Makes a Thud" when it hits the table. It is so value ridden at such a good price and I don't have to use words like SEO, I can deliver in a format in which they understand.

I mean think about it.... You want to be perceived as, "on the same team" with you client right? So stay away from those words that classify you with the rest of the internet marketing community.

Seperate yourself from the IM community and join the Potential Client. Act like they act... (to an extent) They more forward, you move forward... they step back, you step back.

You are a like therefor on the same team.

All that and you didn't have to disrespect your integrity and/or change who you are for a sale.

You are a Marketing Professional. You don't need terms like SEO or Website.

You have a better way of putting things that set you apart from the competition and it also makes you a member of "Team Client" at the same time.

You will close more sales this way than saying, "Hey.... I do SEO."

Believe it or not... a lot of people are thinking, "What the hell is SEO?", when approached that way. That term is only common knowledge to us.

We have to learn how to speak the language of the people we are communicating to, to be able to effectively communicate.
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How NOT to Impress Offline Prospects

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