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Yep, that’s your goal, now that you’re building a business around your expertise. Specifically, you want to create a pitcher plant. Sort of. In a tropical rainforest, it looks like this:
 Cool, huh? Imagine being a happy lady beetle, not a care in the world, with a nice hard shell for protection and if that doesn't work, tasting so terrible that you get spit out anyway.
What's that alluring scent? As you fly closer, wow, that big red flag looks quite juicy and tasty! And landing at the edge, you discover a sweet nectar coating on the inside...
Mmm that tastes good! A few more steps... it's a little slippery, but hey, you can bounce or fly so no problem...
Now through these downward pointing hairs that make it hard to back up, but you can see light down there. Surely there's a way out. You must be moving in the right direction because that wonderful smell seems to be coming from that pool of nectar at the bottom.
Whoops! You fell in! Oh well, you've gotten out of water puddles before. But there's no need to get out right away. Floating here is very relaxing. You've found the ultimate solution: unlimited food in liquid form... no need for water. Wonderful! Perhaps it's time for a nap.
And now, DINNER. For the pitcher plant.
Of course, publishers don't actually eat their visitors. But as a smart marketer, you want to use many of the pitcher plant's tricks to attract visitors, entice them into a relationship where you can influence them, and keep them coming back for more. Marketing gurus call this your funnel.
Unlike the pitcher plant, you don't have to evolve through generations to build an effective funnel. You can start today to leverage lots of one-to-many strategies such as public speaking and publishing to build those relationships.
1. Create enticements that attract your ideal client. The pitcher plant sends a scent out on the breeze and waves a pretty leaf. Business builders offer free stuff to a broad audience, like speeches, web sites, blogs and articles, to attract these strangers to investigate further.
2. Give them a taste of what they want and need. A plant offers nectar as an encouragement to curious visitors. When someone expresses interest in you by giving you their contact information, she has entered your funnel and is now a prospect. Give her real solutions in the e-zine, free teleseminar, or special report she requested.
3. Provide steps to success—and collect her gratitude. Some plants just catch-and-release--collecting the pollen off the bee’s back before letting it go, for example--and that’s what you want to do here. Offer inexpensive products that let your customer get to know you and your solutions. An MP3 download, an e-book, an assessment with personalized recommendations--each of these is a low-priced, low risk for your customer to get to know you better.
4. Keep them coming back for more. Plants that mimic pheromones can count on attracting visitors for generations to come. When you tell the story your customer wants to hear in each interaction, customers will return to spend more money with you over time. So be ready with higher-end offerings like training products, events and consulting.
The four-step process of attraction, relationship, value exchange and repetition is simple and proven in the rainforest as well as countless successful businesses.
Understanding the funnel is important because it can help you see the phases your customer goes through as she develops a relationship with you. And once you recognize the phases, you can design and fine-tune each step along the way.
Ever since I learned about the funnel, I've been working on perfecting mine. Call me a girl, but like the pitcher plant, I want my visitors to be happy. But unlike the pitcher plant, I'm going to make sure they experience a happy ending!
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