All posts by Hanju Lee

First, you take a deep breath. It also helps when you close your eyes. Then, internally, you say to yourself, “You are enough.” Also, remind yourself, “Don’t take it personally what others say about you. And don’t be alarmed or surprised when there’s rudeness, rejection, and yelling…remind yourself once again…I am enough”. It even helps to say these sentences out loud that Stuart Smalley taught us on SNL. “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” Ha!

Cold calling is hard.

Have you ever made a cold call? Meaning that you contact a business or general consumer you have never met to pitch your service or product. The truth is, you only have a little time. Everyone is busy and no one wants to be solicited. But, sometimes, you just have to make a cold call for your business, so let’s simplify this interesting activity that can be effective and painless. Here are some essential steps in cold calling.

Prepare for a call:

• Take a deep breath
• Prepare for rejection
• Repeat, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

Start the call:

• Make a human connection. Do not get into the script reading right away; try to talk to them like you just met them in line at a coffee shop.
• Get to the point right away of why you are calling.
• Have the perfect paragraph ready.

End the call:

• Say thank you for your time
• Get their contact info
• Send them a follow-up

Why are we talking about cold calling during our landing page series? If you missed it, one of the bullet points above says, “Have a perfect paragraph ready.” The beauty of a landing page is that you get to avoid the hard steps of rejection because they come to you. But either way, you have to have the perfect pitch ready if you want to sell something. I will help you write that ideal paragraph and explain why and how it will work.

But before we get into the “Perfect Paragraph” writing, let’s go over what we’ve learned so far in our Landing Page Series:

• The difference between the Homepage and the Landing Page – Read it Here
• The Hero Image and Message Design – Read it Here
• The Stakes – Read it Here
• The Value Proposition – Read it Here
• The Guide – Read it Here

The Perfect Paragraph, also known as the “Explanatory Paragraph,” is where you fully explain in a longer text (1-2 paragraphs) how you can genuinely help the customer. This is where you can invite your customers into a story—into a story of complete transformation. This paragraph is a story that your customer can lean into.

The Perfect Paragraph consists of 5 sections.

• Transformation: It’s important to know that your product or service’s core purpose is to provide a transformation. This has to be clear. Help define who they are now vs. who they can be.
• The Problem: What’s their pain? What do they want that they don’t have right now?
• Empathy: Acknowledge and understand their pain
• Solution: Offer how your product or service will help deal with their problem(s).
• Action: Pave a path for them to follow to do business with you. (Try to limit to 3 steps).

Now, this is what you’ve all been waiting for. Let’s write your paragraph. (Just fill in the blanks.)

At __________________________ [your company name], we know you are the kind of people who want to be ____________________________ [what kind of person do they want to become?]. In order to be that way, you need ____________________ [as it relates to your product or services… what does your customer want?]. The problem is _______________________ [what problem is holding them back?], which makes you feel _________________ [how is that problem making them feel?]. We believe ____________________ [why is it just plain wrong that anyone should have to deal with that problem?]. We understand ____________________ [include an empathetic statement].

That’s why we ______________________ [demonstrate your competency to solve their problem]. Here’s how it works _______________________ [what’s your three-step plan: steps 1, 2 & 3] so _____________________________ [call them to action], so you can stop _________________________ [what negative thing will happen or continue to happen if they don’t order?] and start _____________________________ [what will their life look like if they do place an order?].

Here is the perfect paragraph for my own business. The bold words below are the sentences I am filling out from the blanks above.

At BOS Media Group, we know you are the kind of people who want to always help thrive and grow your business with creative ideas, the latest trends, and marketing efforts. In order to be that way, you need a team to help guide your day-to-day efforts in growth. The problem is that as an owner, you are doing and in charge of so many things you become the bottleneck, and you don’t have the energy to be creative or consistent in your marketing. We believe that as entrepreneurs, you should focus more ON your business vs IN your business. View your business from 10 thousand feet, dream out the vision, help execute the plan, and inspire your team along the way. But we understand that everyone falls into this trap, including me, and we get stuck. That’s why we are here. We know what it means to run a business and we understand how to help make it grow through marketing efforts. Here’s how it works, first, contact me directly for a free consultation, second, let us customize a marketing plan specifically for your needs that fits your budget and third, let us help execute the plan and watch your company thrive. So you can stop being exhausted and frustrated about not meeting your growth goals and start being re-energized and excited about the dreams and goals you once had for your business. 

What do you think?

Whether you are cold calling, creating a landing page, or just running a thriving business and living your best life, I think it’s crucial to have these paragraphs written out. They help refine and give more purpose to what you do. They might even give you a different perspective on how you can position your own brand and narrative. I would love to see your Perfect Paragraph. Please feel free to send it to me.

In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the series. I am learning a lot as I teach it. So, thanks for your continuous support and love. Your comments and feedback are always so encouraging to me.

What do these sets of characters have in common? Din Djarin & Grogu, Samba & Rafiki, Harry Potter & Albus Dumbledore, Neo & Morpheus, and finally, Elsa/Anna & Olaf?

If you guessed, one of them is the hero of the story; the other is the guide in the story…you are absolutely right.

If you follow my content, I often talk about “the guide”! I love the idea of a guide. If you want to know more it about a K-Drama story, I wrote about it here, titled “Butler Sung.” it’ll give you a good idea of who the guide is in a story and why they exist. To quickly summarize, as we identified here, every story has a hero and guide. A guide leads the hero into their purpose and transformation.

In business, it’s crucial not to see ourselves as heroes to save the day or our clients from destruction but to see ourselves as guides to help our clients be all they can be. To help lead our clients into their purpose and transformation.

Why are we talking about a guide? Thank you for asking; it’s because we are currently on the “The Power of a Landing Page” series, where I am walking you through each section of the most powerful landing page design and content. Here’s what we’ve covered so far.

• The difference between the Homepage and the Landing Page – Read it Here
• The Hero Image and Message Design – Read it Here
• The Stakes – Read it Here
• The Value Proposition – Read it Here

And now the 5th in the series, “The Guide”. Let’s dive a bit deeper.

In the context of a story, mentorship, or even in a business role, the guide possesses several key characteristics that contribute to their ability to assist and support others. Let’s highlight a few.”

• Empathy: A guide understands and shares the feelings of others, creating a solid emotional connection and fostering trust.
• Wisdom: Guides possess a wealth of knowledge and experience, offering valuable insights, advice, and lessons based on their understanding.
• Patience: Guides exhibit patience, recognizing that personal growth and development take time. They allow individuals to learn and evolve at their own pace.
• Listening Skills: Effective guides are active listeners, paying attention to concerns, questions, and emotions, creating an open and supportive communication environment.
• Encouragement: Guides inspire and motivate others, providing encouragement during challenging moments and fostering a positive mindset.
• Authority: Guides exhibit authority in their guidance, establishing a sense of leadership and expertise. They provide direction and make decisions when necessary, contributing to a structured and effective mentorship.

Out of these six must-have characters, for simplicity and clarity for our visitors on our landing page, let’s pick 2. My best two are EMPATHY AND AUTHORITY.

Empathy:

In “The Lion King,” Simba struggles with feelings of guilt and responsibility after his father’s death, Mufasa. Rafiki recognizes Simba’s emotional turmoil, and instead of simply instructing or advising him, Rafiki uses a moment of empathy. In a scene, Rafiki guides Simba to a reflection pool and encourages him to look into the water. Simba initially sees only his reflection, but Rafiki uses the reflection to show Simba an image of Mufasa in the water. Rafiki helps Simba reconnect with his emotions and understand that Mufasa’s spirit lives within him.

This moment showcases Rafiki’s empathy by understanding Simba’s emotional state, guiding him through a reflective process, and ultimately helping him come to terms with his loss and guilt. Rafiki’s approach goes beyond providing advice; it involves a deep understanding of Simba’s emotions and a compassionate response to support his healing and growth.

Authority:

In “The Matrix,” Morpheus serves as a guide and mentor to Neo. One significant moment that showcases Morpheus’s authority occurs when he offers Neo a choice between two pills – red and blue. The red pill represents a willingness to learn the truth about the Matrix, no matter how challenging. The blue pill represents the choice to remain ignorant, continuing with a false reality.

Morpheus’s authoritative presence is evident in this scene as he presents Neo with a pivotal decision that will significantly impact his understanding of the world. Morpheus’s confidence, knowledge, and conviction convey a sense of authority, guiding Neo toward self-discovery and a deeper understanding of the reality around him. The authoritative guidance sets the tone for Neo’s journey throughout the film.

Let’s put it in a simpler format for your Guide section on your Landing page.

Empathy:

• Website Designing Company: We know how frustrating it is to have a great-looking website that doesn’t result in sales.
• Cyber Security company: We know what it feels like to worry you’re not doing the right thing.

Authority:

• Fitness Coaching Service: This is why we’ve spent the last twenty years helping clients just like you get in shape
• Mattress Company: Join the 100,00+ who have already changed how they sleep at night.
• Tax Attorney: With our 100+ collected years of experience in the industry.

Now, it’s your turn. Please answer these questions for your company and email it back to me. I’ve been enjoying your feedback and comments on these sections.

• What statement can you make to express your empathy regarding your customer’s struggle?
• List some examples of your authority and why they should work with you.

The more I talk about the guide, the more I want to be the guide in my own life. Being a hero is just too stressful and so much pressure. I got to get a cape, wear a body-tight suit, stay in shape, learn to fly..etc. I will just lay low and jump in at a chance to empathize with those struggling in their journey and needing my help in what I am good at so I can speak the truth and help guide them into transformation with authority. How about you?

I was chit-chatting with my friend the other day about his business, and as he kept talking about all the challenges he was facing, I couldn’t help but think to myself… “oh wow, it’s really costing him to live without my products or my services.” Or better yet, a bit more dramatically…” oh wow, he can’t live without me!”

I know we were told in counseling that when someone shares their problems, they are not necessarily asking for solutions. We are to nod, acknowledge, and repeat or summarize their frustration to let them know we are listening.

But, sometimes….we just HAVE to chime in. Especially knowing that it’s costing them money, opportunities, growth, and success if they don’t listen to us. LOL.

In business, we call this scenario “The Stakes”. What are you helping your customers overcome? Or, what are you helping your customers avoid?

We are currently in the “Power of the Landing Page” series. If you missed our last conversation, we talked about the most essential part of the landing page design, the Hero Section. If you missed it, you can check it out here.

After designing your perfect Hero Image and header, you now move on to the next section, “The Stakes.” In this section, you are communicating to your customer that there’s a problem that you are facing, and if you don’t fix it, it will COST you something.

Let’s do an example of a bike shop. The bike shop owner has a store in a cool, touristy beach town, and during the peak season, the traffic gets a bit overwhelming. She hears a lot of her local residents complaining about it. Also, the town is small enough for a lot of people to walk to coffee shops and grocery stores. So, she started an idea, a movement, a campaign to bring a lot of locals interested in purchasing a bike.

On “The Stake” section of her landing page, she wrote, “Life is too short to sit in traffic.” This resonates with the locals who complained about the traffic; they were frustrated because they felt like they were wasting their precious time away from enjoying their day in their beautiful beach town.

Then, in the next line, she wrote, “Traffic is no fun, don’t be held back.” This confirmed their thought on why the traffic made them frustrated. Not having fun, which is important to the locals in a beach town, and being held back, which is what they were feeling as it being a waste of their precious time. This is the COST. 

The final line she chose was, “You were designed for more.” Whoa!! I love the word “design” here because it gives a sense that there’s a better, more creative way that was strategically created specifically for the local residents dealing with the traffic issue. The entire line also gives a positive solution of hope.

So, let’s put it all together for a perfect “The Stakes” section for this bike shop.

LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO SIT IN TRAFFIC
Traffic is no fun, don’t be held back.
You were designed for more.

Here’s the actual designed image.
I hope this gives you a better design sense when you are creating your landing page. This being the second section of the landing page creates an urgency in your message to engage your audience right away, and what better way to do that than to let them know what is COSTING them to not buy your product or to not use your services?

By the way, if you are a good student and want to read ahead on our Landing page series, these resources I am giving you have been well-researched, developed, and tested by the New York Times bestselling author and marketing guru Donald Miller in his book, Marketing Made Simple. You can purchase your book here to dive deeper and learn more about how this format has been derived and the effects it will have on your brand.

So, are you ready to design your landing page? Well, not yet…we have more sections to go over that are essential to finalizing the perfect marketing landing page. In the meantime, what is the cost of someone not doing business with you? What are you helping your customers overcome? What are you helping your customers avoid? I would love to know and help you draft your “THE STAKES” section. Send it to me.

While reading this, I don’t know where you are, but I hope you are cozy, warm, and safe. We’ve been experiencing some unusual amount of rain here in Southern California. It’s raining right now as I write this, and I just heard that it’s in record numbers. Funny rain story: when I was dating Maria (we are now married…lol), I remember driving through the neighborhood in my car during a mid-summer day, and it started pouring…I mean, like crazy pouring…which doesn’t happen often in the Reno Desert where we grew up. She wanted me to stop the car. When I pulled over, she got out and started running, dancing, and jumping up and down in the rain in the middle of the street. She came back into my car, soaked and laughing hysterically. I think she enjoyed herself.

Fast forward 30+ years, she constantly checks the weather forecast and takes her umbrella if there’s even a slight 5% chance of rain…apparently, she does not want to get wet anymore. What happened to the crazy person I married? Hahaha

So, what does rain have to do with our new “The Power of a Landing Page” series? Absolutely nothing. I just wanted to share.

Back to the landing page, let me first remind you again why a landing page is so crucial to your business. If done correctly, it can be one of the most powerful tools for your growth. Your landing page’s primary goal is to convert visitors into leads or customers. How? By focusing on the specific call-to-action (CTA), such as filling out a form, making a purchase, or subscribing to their email communication..etc. You guide your visitors toward taking the desired action. A standard homepage on your website holds an entirely different purpose than what a Landing page can do. You can read more about it here.

Let’s get into the design of your landing page. As you think through how to structure your wireframe, let’s focus on the first thing your visitor will see: the Hero Image and the Message. You only get one chance to make a first impression. The Hero is the top section of your landing page and the first impression a customer will have about your product or service. You need to be very clear on what you are offering so that it will pique their interest and read the rest of the content. To do that, you’ll need these three main components:

• What you offer
• How it will make the customer’s life better
• What they need to do to buy it.

It would help if you tried not to be too “touchy-feely” here by adding a vague and unclear message even though it sounds great. For example, “Imagine the possibilities,” “Unlock Your Potential,” “Experience the Difference,” or “Shape your Destiny.” For your landing page, you need to be direct and precise. Let your visitors know immediately what problem you solve for them. Let them know immediately what you offer, how you improve their life, and what they need to do next.

For example: (CTA is in Bold)

• Injury lawyers committed to helping you get your life back: Give us a call
• Great managers aren’t born, they’re trained: See how we do it
• Surprise and delight your guests with handcrafted desserts: Order now

To take it further, I created this e-book to help you create that perfect first impression. You can download it here. Don’t worry, it’s free.

Here’s a quick homework you can do to get started on your landing page design. Answer this question: What should your hero message say?

Reply with your one-liner message, and I’ll give you some feedback.

I am looking forward to hearing from you. Tell me a funny story about you and the rain if you can’t think of a one-liner message. 🙂

I went to Costco yesterday in the mid-afternoon. It was a bit busy and everyone was beelining to the cart area to claim one for their shopping pleasure/comfort before they ran out. Instead of heading over to the typical area like everyone else, I looked over to the abandoned area. It’s a close vicinity of where the carts are positioned but often you’ll see two tangled carts stuck together on the side. I call this the “abandoned area”. No one goes there. As you can obviously observe, someone struggled with these two carts and they are no longer desirable. And I am sure some choice words were uttered under his breath. The visual makes me giggle.

I am an expert. I started working for a grocery store right when I got my driver’s license. My job was to first make eye contact and say hello to the customer, unload the goods from the carts onto the conveyor, then bag it. I’ll load the bags neatly back into the cart and ask if they need help out to their car. I also had to always be continuously aware of the cart inventory…if we were running low, I needed to run out to the parking lot and gather them back into the store.  So, as you can see, I dealt with carts a bunch. And yes, I also dealt with tangled carts that were abandoned. In fact, I became so good at constantly untangling the stuck carts all day long, I became a “tangled cart whisperer”, yes, that’s right, I became an expert un-tangler. Is that even a word? It is now.

What’s my point? Well, ever since my claim and honor of the title, “tangled cart whisperer” I no longer became afraid. For the last almost 40 years of my life, I walked proudly and confidently towards the tangled carts serving two purposes. One, to untangle and save someone the trouble, and two, to show off. The simple knowledge and experience made me the hero…in my own mind of course. Thus, my conclusion. Knowledge = Power.

I am going to start a new series on digital marketing to help you land more clients, create more leads, and bring more traffic to your website. Let’s call this series “The Power of a Landing Page.” I believe once you understand more in-depth what a landing page is (and is not), and how to structure it, design it, and bring traffic to it, you’ll become powerful. So, here it goes.

First, the biggest question I hear and one of the biggest confusion in the digital marketing world is the difference between a Homepage on your website and a Landing Page on your website.  Let me break it down for you because they serve two different purposes.

• Homepage:

• • The homepage is the main or default page of a website.
  • It typically serves as an entry point to the entire website and provides an overview of the site’s content and navigation options.
  • It often includes a site’s logo, and main navigation menu, and may showcase featured or recent content.
  • The homepage is designed to cater to a broad audience and direct visitors to different sections of the website.

• Landing Page:

• • A landing page is a standalone web page created for a specific marketing or advertising campaign.
  • It is designed with a focused goal, such as promoting a product, service, or event, or capturing leads.
  • Unlike the homepage, a landing page usually lacks extensive navigation options to keep visitors focused on the intended action.
  • Landing pages are often used in online advertising and are optimized for a particular audience or keyword.

In summary, the homepage is the central hub of a website, providing a general overview and navigation to various sections. On the other hand, a landing page is a specialized, standalone page created for a specific purpose, often related to marketing or advertising, with a focused call to action.

So, without this knowledge, what is the number one mistake that people make? They spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars creating an Ad to bring traffic to the WRONG page. In fact, the content on the Ad and the page that the Ad leads to creates more confusion than sales.  So, if you’ve run Ads for your business but don’t have a Landing Page, or you’ve never run an Ad to direct traffic to your content for leads, I am going to help you create and design the most effective landing page. I want to make you powerful and not be afraid of the unknown world of tangled digital marketing.

I’ll take the time to show you how the information should flow and how certain positioning of your narrative can spark someone’s attention and in a quick moment or so be engaged in your company…just by being landed on your landing page. I’ll go over what types of images work and why it’s important to use certain taglines to help connect and be relatable which can lead to an interest in someone in your company.

Are you ready to be powerful? Are you ready to tackle the tangled web of digital mess and confusion that you’ve set aside for abandonment? Let’s get to work. Stay tuned.