OK everybody. To date this blog has been a reflection of who I am. I post what’s going on in my silly brain and hopefully providing useful information to the regular readers along the way.

Over the last while I’ve met with Marketers and SEO experts and they are saying that what I’m doing is the “slow” way to success. There are much better and more effective ways to do “insert lead generation technique here”.

They all explain the reasons why or time tested techniques that improve anyone’s business. I see what they are doing and understand it (except the pure marketing guys, whom I will never truly understand as my engineering brain just wont get from A-Z without hitting all the letters in-between).

My beef or my issue or main thought when ever I meet one of these guys (after the glow has worn off or my lovely bride asks a few basic questions based in reality) is what they are proposing at the very heart of it, simply stated, isn’t me.

Yes there are many ways to capture peoples email after visiting my site and adding them to a weekly email blast. I know this technique works and my goal is that this email be as quick and painless as possible and just serve as a reminder to people that if you happen to be thinking mortgages don’t forget about me.

Personally, I prefer to form relationships with people not just add them to an email list. I will still add them, but I want them to see me as a person of trust and someone who will do their absolute best to try and solve a problem for them. Not just a “one off” transactional, see you again when your renewal is up, but someone who they can go to and ask a question. “I’m thinking about doing the following. Can you come up with a way to help me solve this problem?”

Is this insanity? Is this the slow way? Or is this just simply me? I’m really happy with what I do and the connections I make. People trust me as I’m not just pushing them along and treating them like another number. I find every client I deal with important and hopefully they get that impression as well.

I’m reminded of my favourite quote, ” Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

I seem to be regularly going against “worldly advice”. “Do this and you will reap the rewards, just like everyone else.” But if everyone else is doing this, then how am I different? Conundrum?

So here I sit and wonder what changes I really need to make to my website. Do I need that “squeeze” page to gather everyone’s email who visits my site (I think of this as quasi-spam, you wanted some info, you got it but now I have your email for life… mwahaha!)

With these changes of course means I no longer offer straight up advice/information on my blog, but rather now have to “fit in” all the key words that will improve my SEO. Benefit to the reader? Zero, unless you happen to be searching for my key words.

Lead generation is the key to this or any business. I also feel that keeping the existing clientelle is probably more important than getting new ones. They already know the advantages of my services, I don’t have to sell them again. I just have to try and stay top of mind when they think financing real estate of all kinds. I’d be happy with solving financial related problems, but that scope is a bit large.

The company I work for seems to get it. Yes, the main focus is lead generation (add 3 new people to your email list daily), but they also know that the existing clients (satisfied ones at least) will return to you. This is one of the main reasons why they invested so heavily into our CRM (client retention management?)  database.  Custom built just for us. Nothing compares in the industry.

The other focus they have is brand awareness or “top of mind” awareness. The idea is to become synonymous, when you think mortgages, you first think Mortgage Alliance.  The goal is to have the same brand awareness as that mattress store does… and their jingle…

“Why get a MORTGAGE any where else?” I have to wonder if the same jingle writers also did the Car Canada ads, which would also be appropriate for this business “think of the money your going to save”.

If I could get my kids to sing my company jingle first rather than that other company who seems to advertise every hockey game I listen to on the radio, I’d be a happy camper. I’ve gone as far as to change the ringtone on my phone to the company jingle to reinforce this, but they still sing the other tune. So much for top of mind in my household.

For now, I will continue to update my website with things I like. I will continue to post to this blog as I regularly do. What I will likely do is create a new website and do all the fancy SEO stuff on that site and watch my new site rise in page rank and get at least 2 or 3 new customers a year.

Now if I could just get that alarm force jingle out of my head…