Your First 100 Members – Build a High-Converting Join Page

Introduction (00:00:00)

• Yakin Shah is a guest who has been in the BD marketplace, where third-party vetted developers and designers can be hired to customize Brilliant Directory sites, and he has insight into what makes a website succeed and what pitfalls to avoid (00:00:00).
• Yakin Shah works with many customers and clients, and his company, Business Labs, offers a suite of pre-made tools for Brilliant Directory sites, including beautiful and stunning themes built on the Brilliant Directories platform and framework (00:00:11).
• The topic of discussion is how to build a high-converting join page, or signup page, and it is noted that many existing join pages are cluttered and busy, making them hard to understand and read (00:01:07).
• Yakin Shah has a BD Growth Suite site that will be shared, and he will be available to answer questions after the webinar through the comments section (00:00:40).
• The guest, Yakin Shah, is introduced and welcomed, and he expresses his gratitude for being invited to the discussion (00:01:26).

About Yakin (00:01:30)

• The previous webinar addressed the challenge that many entrepreneurs face when trying to move from zero to one, with approximately 90% of them not succeeding or stopping their endeavors, which is why the goal was referred to as getting the first 100 members (00:01:47).
• The current webinar is planned with the same north star goal in mind, which is to help attendees get their first 100 members, and it is expected to cover various topics, including the homepage, as a follow-up to the previous webinar (00:02:08).

Pitfalls You'll Learn to Avoid (00:02:14)

• When launching a business, the first two things to figure out are the homepage and the join page, and unless these are properly set up, no further actions are taken, which is referred to as product thinking (00:02:14).
• The focus of the homepage should be shifted from features to the outcome, as people are more interested in the outcome they will get from a product or service rather than its features (00:02:46).
• The outcome is what matters most, for example, when visiting a doctor, the question is whether the headache will be gone after taking the prescribed medicine, rather than the list of features or medicines to be taken (00:03:04).
• Many sites fail because they focus more on features and less on positioning their outcome, which is a common pitfall that can be avoided by focusing on the outcome (00:03:29).
• There are three main pitfalls to avoid when building a join page, which are: don't list features, don't offer too many plans, and don't confuse prospects, and these will be further discussed in the rest of the presentation (00:03:46).

Clarity Converts (00:03:53)

• When building a join or pricing page, it's easy to get caught up in listing every technical feature, but it's essential to focus on the primary outcome that users want and appeals to them on an emotional level to ultimately get them to convert (00:04:04).
• The goal is to clear away clutter and simplify the offer and messaging, as less is often more beautiful, and this approach can lead to higher conversion rates (00:04:41).
• Launching with a simple plan, such as one or two plans, and using a side-by-side comparison with just a few key features can be very effective, as seen in successful cases where this approach has resulted in great conversion rates (00:05:09).
• Research from Stanford University has been conducted to support this approach, and the findings will be included in future slides, providing a solid foundation for the claim that simplicity is key to conversion (00:05:33).
• Failing to launch or overcomplicating the offer can be a significant reason for failure, as seen in cases where doing too many things has led to poor results, whereas keeping things simple has led to higher successes (00:04:57).

Join Page = Sales Page (00:05:41)

• A join page is essentially a sales page, where people pay for solutions to their problems, not just for membership, as seen in services like Netflix and Uber that solve specific problems for their users (00:05:41).
• The core element that people consider when paying for a service is whether it solves their problem, and this is a key factor in determining the effectiveness of a join page (00:05:50).
• Comparing two pages, one with a red cross and one with a green tick, it is clear that the page with the red cross focuses on technical features such as a $49 plan, premium list, and verified badge, whereas the ideal page focuses on solving a problem, such as guaranteeing five appointments for $49 (00:06:11).
• Prospective members are not concerned with technical features, but rather with the benefits they will receive, such as revenue, inquiries, or appointments, which should be the focus of a join page (00:06:24).
• The key to creating an effective join page is to identify the problem that it solves for the user and highlight the benefits that it provides, rather than just listing technical features (00:06:31).

Tip #1: What is the Goal of a Join Page (00:06:49)

• The goal of a join page is to identify the target audience, such as consumers or business owners, and create a page that caters to their specific needs, with the ultimate goal of converting them into members (00:06:49).
• To create an effective join page, three key questions must be answered: how soon members will see the value, why they should trust the platform, and what will change for them after joining, which can be achieved by adding testimonials and clearly positioning the benefits (00:07:29).
• A successful join page should be able to position the value that members will receive, such as guaranteed appointments, and make it clear what benefits they will get from joining, rather than just listing technical features like phone numbers and unlimited leads (00:09:07).
• The ideal join page should be able to answer the questions of how soon members will see the value, why they should trust the platform, and what will change for them after joining, in a clear and concise manner, which can lead to success even before the official launch (00:08:32).
• Creating an effective join page can be a time-consuming process, requiring multiple attempts and lessons learned from failures, but ultimately leading to a page that can convert users into members by clearly positioning the value and benefits of joining (00:08:04).

Tip #2: Why Join Pages Fail (00:09:30)

• Most join pages fail because they include too many elements, typically 25, when only three core elements are necessary, which are the promise of what members will receive, such as visibility, leads, or appointments, proof of the promise, and a clear plan with simple pricing (00:09:30).
• The promise should be clearly stated at the top of the page, and the proof should be based on actual results, such as the number of members who signed up the previous month, rather than exaggerated claims (00:09:46).
• A clear plan with simple pricing and a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section can help to clarify any questions potential members may have and reduce stress, with examples of clear pricing and FAQ sections provided in previous slides (00:10:25).
• Having too many options on a join page can lead to analysis paralysis and form fatigue, where people become overwhelmed and are less likely to sign up, as seen in the jam study of 2020 by Shenai and Mark at Stanford, which found that reducing options from 24 to six increased conversion rates by 10x (00:12:25).
• Simplifying the join page to have only one or two plans, with clear and simple differences between them, can make the site easier to understand and increase signups, with an example of a simple plan being a listing to promote a company and get leads from a profile page (00:11:17).
• The importance of simplicity on a join page is supported by the jam study, which analyzed 2,000 business launches and failures, and found that simplicity is a key factor in increasing conversion rates (00:12:38).
• If a join page is not getting signups, the first step should be to remove as much clutter as possible and simplify the page to see if that improves results (00:13:21).

Tip #3: What Makes Join Page Convert (00:13:25)

• The key to a high-converting join page is to keep it simple and straightforward, with a clear message that highlights three to four benefits, and does not require scrolling on mobile devices to read the main points, which should include an invitation to be one of the first 100 members (00:13:25).
• When creating a join page, it is essential to focus on a few strong points, such as the benefits of joining, and avoid listing too many options or features, to ensure that the message is clear and easy to understand (00:13:46).
• Using real examples and data, such as the number of people who have already joined or the number of leads generated, can help to build credibility and trust with potential members, and should be used instead of exaggerating or using fake numbers (00:14:05).
• Positioning the join page with clarity and simplicity, and highlighting one or two strong points, such as the opportunity to be one of the first 100 members, can help to win over potential members and has been effective in past launches (00:14:20).
• To create an effective join page, it is recommended to put the most important information, such as the main benefits and the call to action, at the top of the page, where it can be easily seen, and to avoid cluttering the page with too much information (00:14:34).

Wrapping It Up (00:14:44)

• Launching with a single plan, regardless of whether it is free or a specific monthly fee, can be very easy and compelling, as it eliminates confusion for the sales team and allows them to focus on selling one option (00:14:44).
• Having only one plan to sell makes it simpler for the sales team to explain the product to customers or businesses, as they do not have to navigate multiple options or worry about which plan to promote (00:14:52).
• Launching with a single plan can be beneficial, but it may not work for all businesses, and having two or three plans at most can still be a viable option with minimal distractions (00:15:06).
• The sales team's role is simplified when there is only one plan to sell, as they do not have to decide which plan to sell, and this can lead to more effective sales efforts (00:15:12).

BD Growth Suite (00:15:24)

• The BD Growth Suite provides examples to help formulate plans, particularly for those who are overwhelmed by the directory as a business nature, and these examples are more ideal for individuals who are starting up, rather than seasoned entrepreneurs (00:15:24).
• The examples provided include a join page for law firms or attorneys with a title and two plans, which can be easily created using the drag and drop feature of the brilliant directory setup, and another example is for real estate with one plan (00:15:52).
• In the real estate example, there is one plan for agencies, which allows them to connect up to 20 agents, and the goal is to initially target smaller agencies with 10, 5, or 20 agents, rather than large agencies with thousands of agents (00:16:18).
• To create a high-converting join page, it is recommended to describe the ideal users, such as individual agents or agency managers, and identify their real pain points, such as not getting a guaranteed return on investment (00:17:19).
• Once the pain points are identified, the next step is to offer a solution to solve that problem, such as guaranteed appointments, and create one ideal plan for that audience, which can be done in four simple steps (00:17:32).
• The BD Growth Suite provides tools, such as a web page builder, that can be used to emulate the examples shown and create a high-converting join page (00:18:09).