Fishing, Web site conversion rates and catching qualified sales leads

Before I use an analogy to explain how to control user behavior to acquire sales leads with a Web site, let's take a step back and look at how people (or potential customers) navigate on the Web.The Web is an event-driven medium, meaning people travel from site to site and page to page by reading and clicking. People scan, read, then click on links or other navigation controls that satisfy an immediate need or curiosity.Through countless hours of consumer psychology research, usability metrics and "guerrilla marketing" strategies, I've learned that controlling Web site user behavior is as easy as fishing with the right bait in a crystal-clear pond.On to the analogy...I'm not a fishing expert, but this should help illustrate my point.To increase your chances of "hooking" one, most fishermen will say you need a lure, the right bait, and at least one fish willing to take it. Obviously, the more fish in the pond, the better your chances of success. Let's think of the fish as Web site visitors or constituents of a target market.Let's go fishing...To the best of my knowledge, barring any advanced underwater GPS technology, most fishermen are clueless when it comes to the total number of fish in the pond. They're also unaware of the nearby fish contemplating their bait. Equally frustrating, some might fish with the wrong kind of bait or none at all. It could happen. As a kid, I ignorantly expected to catch bucket-loads of fish with a bare hook!Was I stupid -- or -- just undereducated? (Don't answer that.)Now imagine a savvy fisherman with unlimited below-surface depth perception, a crystal clear pond, a good lure and the right bait. Let's think of his depth perception and the pond as a Web site equipped with metrics and traffic reports. And let's think of using the right lure and bait as understanding the needs, influences and buying behavior of a specific target market.Can you see where this is going?The savvy fisherman leaves nothing to chance. When he lowers his bait, he makes sure it's the right kind and around plenty of fish. Peering down at them from above, he lures the fish closer and closer to his bait. Shake-Shake. Wiggle-Wiggle.With each maneuver, he brings the fish a bit closer to his bait. The closer the fish are, the better his chances of "hooking" one. The savvy fisherman doesn't stop monitoring the activity below until he's caught one. Once he learns the right combinations and tactics, he fishes all day with great success.Now if the fish don't bite, he can easily identify the problem. Maybe the fish ignore the bait because it isn't that attractive. Maybe the fisherman needs to toy with the fish a bit longer, create a stronger desire and earn their trust before they bite. Armed with this intelligence, the savvy fisherman can improve the specific problem areas and adjust his tactics accordingly.So how does this relate to conversion rates and acquiring sales leads?With proper Web site traffic analysis, you can track the rate in which visitors travel towards your contact form. You can also identify the specific points that the majority of visitors stop moving forward. Much like the savvy fisherman, you see how close you are to "catching" a sales lead.For example...Once you've determined monthly Web site visitors, you can track the percent that click past your home page. You can do the same for those who click through to your service or product page and eventually make it to your contact form. And most importantly, you can track the percent of visitors that view your contact form versus those who actually use it.The trick is to lure visitors through each click towards your bait. The closer visitors come to your contact form, the closer you are to "catching" a sales lead. Just make sure you're not like the ignorant kid expecting to catch bucket-loads of fish without a lure or bait.