The Conversion Code, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1The Biggest Challenges Facing Marketing and Sales (Plus What Happens When You Crack The Conversion Code)

Do you want the good news or the bad news? I always like the bad news first so let's start there.

Here's the harsh reality of what marketing and sales are up against:

• Nearly 90% of people won't answer the phone anymore.¹
• Across every generation, people are 3–8× more likely to prefer a text from you than to talk to you.²
• More than 40% of people between the ages of 30 and 50 are “almost constantly” online.³
• Only 3% of people trust marketers and salespeople (Figure 1.1).⁴
• 25% of companies have absolutely no idea if their social media advertising is working.⁵
• More than 50% of companies do not have a documented social media strategy.
• 90% of sales and marketing professionals say they are misaligned across strategy, process, content, and culture.⁶
• Only 12% of marketers are very satisfied with their lead conversion rate (Figure 1.2).⁷

Do any of those pain points resonate with you?

I spend most of my time researching and teaching lead conversion. When it comes to successfully converting leads into customers, the most significant challenges companies face right now are (in order) not collecting enough data on the leads, following up with leads quickly, making initial contact with the leads, maintaining contact with leads, filtering leads, and setting appointments with leads (Figure 1.3).

Figure 1.1 Most and Least Trusted Professions

Are any of those challenges your ...