Facebook Messenger Bots

Need More Time in Your Day? Clone Yourself!

Most people I know wish they had more time in their day to tackle their never-ending to do list. Now there’s a way to work more efficiently while also putting parts of your business on autopilot: using a Facebook Messenger Chatbot.

You may have already experienced this cool technology yourself as a consumer. Internet marketers use this technique to deliver their training materials but bigger companies, such as 1-800-Flowers, Domino’s Pizza, and Whole Foods, also use bots to assist with placing and tracking orders, answering customer service questions, and providing recipes, all in an effort to make their customers’ lives easier.

So if you want to “clone” yourself so you can handle more tasks during your day, using a Facebook Messenger bot is an easy way to do that. Since chatbots can be programmed to do any tasks you want, you can program your bot for customer service. If you need help closing sales, you can program your bot do lead your prospects down your funnel, making recommendations and answering customer questions. So while your bots are at work doing those tasks on autopilot, you can focus on completing your money-making tasks.

Don’t Hide From Your Clients

Using chatbots can help automate your business but some customers are resistant to the latest technology and still prefer to speak to a live person. An important part of programming your bot is listing your contact phone number and your email for those who want a more personal response, or for those whose questions fall outside the realm of what your bot can answer. When those calls or emails come in, your virtual assistant should be able to handle them for you so you can still focus on your coaching clients.

Invest Your Time Upfront to Save Time Later On

Many different companies offer chatbot services and they make it very easy to program your bot without needing any complicated coding experience. But only you can decide what questions to ask and how your bot can best serve your customers, so you’ll need to spend time planning your sequences and predicting what your customers will need.

For instance, if you’re delivering your latest free report to your clients via chatbot, you will need a welcome message with a link to the free report (or training, whatever they agreed to receive). But don’t stop there! Programming a chatbot is much like planning an email sequence: if you are not consistent with your contact, your clients or prospects will stop using the bot and then your contact becomes much more limited.

So your next message may be a follow up, asking if they read the report or asking if they have any questions. You can supply them with some standard questions to choose but now you need to create those responses to the programmed questions. You may feel a little like a mind-reader but the more intuitive you can make your bot, the better your clients will respond. Of course, if at any point in the messaging sequence you feel stuck or feel like there are too many possible answers to program, send a message encouraging them to call your number to speak to a representative.

Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots

If you like the idea of automating parts of your business with the latest technology, you’ll want to purchase my new planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots. This planner goes more in-depth about the technology, how you can implement bots in your business, companies that provide chatbot services, and so much more. There’s plenty of room to take notes and to brainstorm ways to make this idea work for you. I even walk you through the process of creating a welcome message and give examples of funnels you can use for programming. It’s a great starting point if you’re totally new to this technology. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Is a Facebook Messenger Bot Right for Your Business?

Have you heard of these Facebook Messenger bots or seen them in action? It’s a very interesting technology that allows a brand to connect directly with their consumers to help them with a problem. You can order a Domino’s Pizza from their bot or select a bouquet of flowers to be delivered from the 1-800-Flowers bot. Or you can look up a quick recipe on the Whole Foods bot and know which ingredients you need after work. Other big name brands that use bots include Uber, Lowe’s, Volkswagon, and Budweiser.

While you may be intimidated by these big name brands using these chatbots, don’t be. Dozens of companies offer a specialized platform that creates these bots for nominal monthly fees. While they all have basic free accounts you can start with, if you want more robust features you’ll have to pay a monthly fee, anywhere from $10 – $99 per month. These platforms and these costs are also for do-it-yourselfers who will customize their own bots. Each company has a support team waiting to help you and answer questions, but keep in mind this is a DIY project unless you have a larger budget to pay one of their specialists to do it for you.

Analyze If You Need a Bot

Before you sign up for a free chatbot account, determine if a chatbot is necessary for your business. Bots primarily handle customer service and sales inquiries, so first examine how many customer service calls or emails you handle. Do you receive multiple calls a day or just once or twice a month? Do you get other calls or inquiries that are not customer service or sales related? You can probably create a bot to handle those calls.

Can you afford a monthly fee? Again, you can start for free with most of these companies however you’ll have access to fewer features and some companies place a watermark on the messages associated with a free account. So, what features do you really need and how professional will it look to clients or prospects to have another company’s watermark on your chatbot? It appears that each of these companies have tiered pricing and allow you to upgrade as you need it.

Do you have the time to create these conversations? You’ll have to play mind reader a bit to anticipate what questions your prospects will ask and you’ll want to craft a warm welcome message. All this takes time unless you hire a ghostwriter to do it for you. Writing will also take you away from your coaching and marketing tasks so you’ll need to determine if writing your bot conversations is the best use of your time.

Can you see the value in having a bot or is this “bright shiny object syndrome?” In other words, are you drawn to purchasing products or trainings because it’s the latest and greatest thing or because it will add value to your business? Investing in a bot – no matter how big or small the price tag – is only worthwhile if it gets used.

Making a Plan for Your Chatbot

One of the best ways to determine if a chatbot is a good investment for your business is to make a plan of action. With my latest planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots, I’ll walk you through the process of choosing a chatbot company (including recommendations), help you set a goal for your bot, and give you some writing tips for crafting your messages. Every chapter has exercises for you to complete since your business is unique from other coaches and you’ll have a much better understanding of how bots work and how they can work for you. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Reach Rock Star Status with Automated Customer Service!

Ah, automation! Who doesn’t love the ability to put a process on autopilot so it frees up time to spend with coaching clients or marketing tasks? One of the best and easiest tools to automate your customer service is by using a Facebook Messenger bot.

When you first start reading about bots, it sounds like a chapter from a science fiction novel. Bots (also referred to as chatbots) are a form of Artificial Intelligence that can carry on a conversation with your customer or prospect while you’re busy with other things. They can help answer customer service questions, they can place orders for products, they can even book coaching sessions, all online without you physically emailing or speaking to them.

Now, don’t get complacent letting your chatbot take care of ALL your customer service. You should still have a virtual assistant trained to answer important questions because some people don’t like to use technology and prefer speaking to a live person. Or the bot may not have the answer to a particular question. To satisfy those people, always have your phone number or email within the bot messages in case they prefer those options. Otherwise you run the risk of losing that prospect forever.

Why Should I Automate?

Automating your customer service is really a win-win for both you and your prospect. From the prospect’s viewpoint, they receive instant gratification and instant answers to their questions. You will also write your bot messages in your own voice, so they will feel as if they are actually speaking with you (or at least a human) instead of a strange robot.

For you, the win is answering their questions and leading them down your funnel while you focus on marketing, coaching, or creating a signature product. Think about how many customer questions you’ve answered during the last week. If you have a library of products on the market, I’m guessing you get questions every day. Instead of answering the same questions multiple times a day, your bot can do it more quickly and can handle multiple people at once.

Quick Customer Service Equals Rock Star Status

Think about your own customer service experiences as a consumer. When the experience is good, you’re elated; when it’s bad, you’re fuming. One of the most common complaints about bad customer service is how long it took to get an answer or getting lost in a vicious voice mail circle. If you have a bad experience, what are you prone to do? Most complain very loudly on social media.

So instead of making your prospects wait a few hours to get their questions answered (because you don’t have a virtual assistant or because you’re busy with coaching clients), your chatbot can answer their questions for you. Instantaneous responses will make your prospects feel respected and they can make a quicker decision about which of your programs is best for them. If you make them wait for hours for a response, they may have found another product or coach while they were waiting. Quick customer service with a bot will likely get you great reviews and shout outs on social media.

Plan Your Chatbot Messages Carefully with a New Planner

If you’re curious about implementing this technology into your business, planning is essential to avoid missteps. I’m releasing a brand new planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots, in just a few days and it walks you through the whole process, from analyzing if you could use a chatbot through creating your message sequence. Each chapter has its own exercises and space to brainstorm ideas so you are fully prepared to launch this technology and win the hearts of your prospects. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Create a Chatbot the DIY Way

If you don’t have upwards of $150K to hire your own programmer to develop your Facebook Messenger bot, taking the do-it-yourself approach is acceptable to integrate this technology. It’s a win-win situation for both you and your customers. They will receive immediate answers to their questions when they activate the bot on your Facebook page and you will improve your authority status by implementing a fairly new technology into you customer service process.

How to Find a Chatbot Vendor

A simple Google search will give you dozens of companies that offer chatbot services. As always, do your own research and due diligence before signing up with a company. In general, they all appear to offer a free account and then tiered paid accounts as the amount of features increases.

A free account is great to fool around and experiment with before you make a final decision. You can test out multiple companies with free accounts and make a comparison. While you should include price as part of your final analysis, test out their customer service departments. They most likely have bots to help you and you can get a feel for the process based on their own bots.

Look at the fine print with your free account. You will definitely have limited features but you may also have a watermark stamped on your bot, which may not be the professional or sophisticated look you want for your brand.

These companies are affordable because you do all the work but they should also have technical support teams to assist you. Ask if there’s a charge to use their support desk. Support may be free for a couple of questions or there could be a charge to answer very technical questions. Always ask to avoid hidden charges.

Look for recommendations for a vendor, either from your own business associates or mentors. If no one in your circle is using bots yet, check out the company’s referrals or testimonials prior to signing. Look on their site for the company logos of their clients but don’t be swayed; just because large corporations can afford the big bucks for advanced programming doesn’t mean the technology is forbidden to solopreneurs. Hence the reason for providing the DIY, drag-and-drop version.

Upgrade as Your Business Grows

Most programs with tiered plans allow business owners to upgrade as they need instead of waiting until the end of a contract. Always ask, just in case your chosen vendor works differently. Also clarify how many subscribers are allowed at each tier. Bots are much like email opt-ins; your customers need to grant permission to interact with the bot, therefore they become subscribers. The more subscribers you attract, the more expensive the bot becomes.

As you grow and your tier account increases, however, so should your features. Never just “set it and forget it” when it comes to technology; always check your accounts and if you have access to advanced features, use every last one of them to get the most for your money.

Create a Plan Before Creating Your Bot

Even though creating a bot using a drag-and-drop platform is easy, you still need a plan to make your bot useful. Your clients won’t have patience if the bot can’t answer the simplest of questions. Before you begin, check out my planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots. I specifically wrote it for you, coaches who don’t have a $150K budget to spend on technology. I walk you through each of the steps necessary, I have some recommendations of companies offering chatbot platforms, tips for writing your message sequence, and how to judge if you even need a bot in your business. I also included exercises and lots of space for note taking and brainstorming ideas. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Should Your Bot Take the Place of Your Email Marketing Efforts?

Facebook Messenger bots are becoming a popular way to connect with customers and prospects primarily because it’s quick and automated, allowing you to focus on your marketing and client calls. It’s a very cool form of Artificial Intelligence but it is merely another avenue for connecting with your market, not a replacement of other tried and true marketing methods.

Take email marketing, for example. People complain all the time that their inboxes are inundated with emails and some do a bulk delete without even scanning a single message, just to open up some space for the important stuff. But according to recent research, 77% of consumers prefer to receive permission-based emails with promotional offers compared to direct mail, text, or social media. In the business-to-business market, email is the third most influential information source behind colleague recommendations and opinions of industry leaders.

In short, there is room for using both bots and email marketing. Consider it another gear in the marketing machine, meant to get your message out to your public. Relying on simply one marketing method will limit your reach whereas using multiple methods will expand your reach considerably.

Survey Your Target Market

If you’re questioning whether to add a Facebook Messenger Bot to your business, a quick solution is to ask those in your target market how they prefer to be contacted. You may find a good mix between both email and bot replies or you may be surprised that one form is much more popular.

You may also find that those who are not connected to their phones 24/7 prefer email communication because they can check it at their leisure. Maybe those who conduct business with their phones prefer the bot because they can read your offers quickly and make a speedy decision. You truly won’t know the minds of your market until you ask them.

Effective Writing Tips for Wooing Your Audience

Whether you’re using email or bots, your audience will respond kindly to your authenticity. Show your true personality; write your messages as though you’re speaking to your best friend. Casual talk is perfectly acceptable. Focus on one primary topic per message to avoid confusion. Always include alternate ways to contact you because some people just prefer to speak to a live person when they have questions.

For bot messages, make them short and to the point, especially since people will most likely view these on their phones. Make the messages and responses sound human, just like you’re talking to a friend. Chatbots are meant to drive the conversation forward. For example, if your customer asks a simple question about a product, your bot should ideally lead them toward the purchase while answering questions along the way.

The primary difference with email messages is the amount of details. Most consumers won’t want to read a novel in your email but if you’re making a limited time offer on a new product, they will want details before making a decision. Here you can give all the details in one communication as opposed to using a bot and going back and forth with the consumer.

Introduce a Bot to Your Business

In the end, both email and Facebook Messenger bots are beneficial marketing methods. They are meant to work together to reach different segments of your broad target market. If you want to implement a bot into your business, I have a comprehensive planner titled, “Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots.” Each of the six steps highlights an important process, first setting you up for success and then advice for choosing a chatbot platform along with tips for writing your message sequence. Each step has its own exercise to help with brainstorming and planning. Before you know it, you’ll have a chatbot working to bring in more sales! [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Are Facebook Messenger Bots Cost Effective?

So, you want to add a Facebook Messenger bot to your marketing plan. Awesome! This artificial intelligence technology is fairly new and will project a professional, sophisticated image to those who visit your Facebook page and have questions. However, before jumping into the deep end, some financial analysis is in order.

First, what is your main goal in adding a bot to your business? Many coaches will say they want to add faster customer service as well as lead prospects to purchase a product or coaching package; however yours is a unique business so you may have a different end goal.

Identifying that main goal will lead you to the next step, which is mapping out the conversations for your bot. The less complex your needs, the less the cost. For example, if you’re just starting out and want to have a basic customer service feature 24/7, a Facebook Messenger bot may be a great starting place since you’ll be busy marketing. Also a great plan if you don’t have a virtual assistant yet to handle those incoming calls.

Completely customized bots that carry out complex tasks and conversations most often require a programmer for the design, which can cost over $100K. Obviously this cost will vary depending on the complexity of the job which is why you need a detailed plan. Big brand corporations, such as Starbucks, Lyft, Fandango, and Spotify have the budget to hire these types of developers but that doesn’t make bots off limits to solopreneurs.

Pricing Out Your Bot Project

To make this technology accessible to smaller companies, there are a multitude of companies who offer a basic chatbot platform where you can build your own bot; consider it a DIY version of a highly complex technology.

Most of these DIY platforms offer free accounts, which are great for experimenting before committing fully. They also offer tiered monthly packages, all dependent on what types of features your bot needs. Again, refer to your plan. These prices vary considerably, anywhere from $15/month up to $130 per month and more. The number of subscribers to your bot will also determine your monthly fee. Determine how much you can afford to spend each month before proceeding.

Analyzing the Costs

Before you launch your bot, consider how many products or coaching sessions you will have to sell each month to make the bot pay for itself. With the simple DIY platforms, that may sound easy but we all know how fickle sales can be during any given month. Do you have a marketing plan in place to drive traffic to your Facebook page where your bot will activate? Similar to email, your prospects have to subscribe to your bot, so you need a plan for driving that traffic.

Also consider how much time you need to program your bot with messages. You will need to write them and input them into the platform. Or your virtual assistant can do it but then consider her hourly rate as part of the investment. Minimal maintenance is necessary to keep the bot up to date with your information; you should also make changes based on customer feedback. Monitoring the chats is important in case there’s a question the bot can’t answer. That’s when you or your virtual assistant can hop on and fill that void.

Generally speaking, choosing a DIY platform builder is the most cost-effective way to incorporate this technology into your business. There are always exceptions, which is why planning and budgeting is important for this venture.

Embrace Technology with Facebook Messenger Bots

With the advent of chatbot technology, large and small companies alike have the ability to chat with their customers 24/7. With carefully crafted messages, your bot can lead your prospect to the product they need, even outside your business hours. However, technology can be intimidating so I’ve got the perfect guide for you! Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots is my latest planner which walks you through the process of planning how to use your bot, where to look for companies who supply this platform, and how to craft messages that will win over prospects. Each step includes an exercise and space for notes and brainstorming ideas. You’ll have your bot created in no time after using this planner. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

3 Tips for Integrating a Facebook Messenger Bot into Your Sales Funnel

Sales funnels are a visual representation of how you will attract prospects and what products you will offer them, ultimately leading to your highest price product or package. Consider it a step by step guide toward your inner circle.

Funnels can be somewhat fluid in nature, especially if you’re just starting to build your business. Or if you’re creating content, some products may find their way into retirement and replaced with a newer version.

In an effort to not lose people along the way, you need to build in some customer satisfaction communications. You need to nurture this relationship right from the start so customers will come to you when they need advice or when they’re ready to commit to private coaching. Even with smaller purchases, some customers need validation that they truly did purchase the right product. Some people may need help implementing your product or advice into their business. One easy way to cover all these bases is with a Facebook Messenger bot.

Technology Compliments Human Connection

Implementing bots into your sales funnels alleviates the need for a dedicated customer service rep on your team. It also prevents you from getting stuck on long-winded calls which take you away from your other coaching clients. Since you are programming the message sequence, you can write just as you speak, making the bot sound human and caring, even though a real human isn’t involved in the live communication.

Tip 1: Create a message sequence based on your own real life experiences in a retail store. Were you greeted when you walked in the door? Program a warm welcome message into your bot. Not only are you greeting prospects right away, making them feel welcome, you’re making them aware that someone is available to answer questions.

Tip 2: Don’t make your bot hover. Strike a balance in your messages between being helpful and being annoying. We’ve all experienced that pushy salesperson who just can’t back up and let us shop. If you want to make more sales, be helpful, not annoying.

Tip 3: The fortune is in the follow up. Don’t let the purchase be the last time your customer hears from you. If they subscribed to your bot, they want to hear from you, so put that permission to good use. Again, don’t be annoying, but do let your subscribers know when you have new content available or when your signature product launches. If you have nurtured your relationship with these customers, starting with that first time they contacted you, they will be loyal fans and likely to make future purchases. It’s easier to sell to those who already know, like, and trust you, so nurture those relationships.

Can’t I Do All This with Email?

You sure can but the big difference is in the immediacy. Bot messages appear immediately on your phone. In one glance you know who contacted you and the purpose of their message. Emails sit and wait to be opened. Sure, bot subscribers can choose not to read your message or to save it for later but at least it doesn’t get lost in a sea of other emails. Immediate interaction with your bot is far more interactive and engaging than reading emails.

Let Me Walk You through the Steps of Creating a Bot

If this sounds like complete science fiction, I assure you it’s not. It’s cool technology that absolutely anyone with any size company can use. Many companies offer platforms for creating your own bots without needing fancy coding or programming knowledge. However, planning out the best use of your bot is crucial, so grab a copy of my planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots. I walk you through six planning steps, each with brainstorming exercises, so you are completely informed and prepared to welcome your bot into your business. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Bring Your Chatbot to Life with These Writing Tips

Creating a chatbot may be easy with the various platforms available but creating the message sequence that will hold the customer’s attention while guiding them to your final goal is a little trickier and takes some planning.

You want to find the balance between answering questions and guiding them toward the goal while also inserting some personality or humor.

What is a Message Sequence?

Your message sequence is the conversation you’re going to craft for your bot. Your bot needs to ask questions and supply answers but you also need to craft answers for your users to choose from. Keep it simple and offer three or four choices for the user instead of allowing them to type in their answers. It’s quicker and leaves less room for user error.

Have you ever seen the Choose Your Own Adventure Books? At the end of each chapter the reader decides what they want to happen next and your choice brings you to a different page in the book to continue reading. Your chatbot message sequence is similar.

Here are some tips for successful use of chatbot conversations:

Establish credibility early on in the conversation. People should know exactly WHO they are speaking to while reading the first line of the conversation.

Be transparent. Tell users what they can expect from the bot. Although you want the messages to feel sincere and conversational, do not trick people into thinking they’re speaking to a real person.

Validate the user’s response frequently. By repeating the user’s answer in a clarifying manner, the user will feel confident that the bot is working properly and continue on.

Create a simple, conversational tone. Write your messages as if you’re speaking to a friend. Keep the wording concise and clear to avoid confusion. Insert some humor if it feels appropriate, either in the conversation or in the response options.

Add value to the conversation, even if that means giving the user a way to end the conversation. Some conversations may lend themselves to repeating a loop of information but at some point the user will want to leave. Don’t hold them hostage or they will click away frustrated. Maybe you have multiple products you want the user to browse through; that’s an example of a conversational loop.

Always be aware of your goal so your bot can direct the user toward that end result. Somewhere along the way, however, you may run into problems. One such example is asking for too much personal information from the user or asking too early in the conversation. Build up trust before asking for email addresses. Give users a way to decline giving their email while still continuing with the conversation; they may be willing to give it after some more interaction.

For a more engaging customer experience, your bot should ask questions. Not just “is there anything more I can do to help?” but questions that lead the consumer toward your end goal.

Use video, audio, and GIFs. The more interactive the content, the better the experience.

Build a Plan, Then Build Your Bot

Since your bot needs to sound human, like you, creating a conversation without a plan is a waste of time; and a waste of money if you create a chatbot account before examining all your options. Your first step should be to check out my latest planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots. I will walk you through the steps of setting a goal, envisioning your message sequence, and how to find a chatbot platform. Each step of the way I give you exercises plus lots of space in the planner for jotting notes and brainstorming ideas. Check the planner out FIRST, then build your bot. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Improve Your Customer Service Process While Closing Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots

Do you have a customer service process in place or do you just wing it when someone calls with questions? Do you have a smooth and natural way to make product recommendations or upsells while someone is on the phone or do you realize after the fact that you should have offered them something different?

Many coaches miss these opportunities because they never made a comprehensive customer service plan. Creating a chatbot forces you to think about the sequence of events because you have to program the messages into the bots. Now it’s easier to make those offers and really customize your prospect’s shopping experience.

Benefits to Using a Chatbot

1. Every prospect gets their own personal shopper. Higher end retail stores know how to position their sales people so their customers have assistance at a moment’s notice. They are not stalking; they are just on the periphery, watching and waiting to make the customer’s experience more pleasurable.

The same is true for bots. They can act as personal shopping assistants, ready to answer questions about products, advising which product is best for your price range, and assisting with the final purchase. Finding a balance in your messaging between being helpful and being annoying will make the difference in your final sales.

2. Send reminders to prospects who leave items in their shopping carts. We’ve all done it; loaded up our online shopping carts with items and then got distracted or changed our minds and clicked away from the site. How many times have you gone back? Studies show most consumers never go back to those abandoned carts.

Bots can send simple reminders days or weeks after a consumer leaves, urging the prospect to follow through and make a purchase. This will likely lead to the consumer asking questions, which then leads to the bot assisting with choosing the right product for this individual.

3. Encourage repeat purchases with bots. The fortune is in the follow up and your bot can leverage the follow up process and turn it into more sales. One week after the sale, your bot can check on your customer, asking if they’re happy with the purchase. You’re initiating engagement with the customer. Months after the purchase your bot can inform this same customer that your latest product is about to launch or that you have an opening for one-on-one coaching and start a dialogue about that product. These recommendations should be a natural choice based on what they last purchased. You’re making the process very simple for them, which can lead to more sales.

Save Money with Facebook Messenger Bots

Big corporations have the budget to hire multiple salespeople to follow up with their clients and to keep them happy. If you work alone or with a small team, using a Facebook Messenger bot for this exact purpose will save you from going through the hiring process and also the training process. Bots shouldn’t take the place of human interaction 100% but it’s a great starting point, especially when companies offer affordable monthly plans to create your bot.

Plan Your Bot Usage from Beginning to End

A successful bot is a well-planned bot and my latest planner is just the tool you need to ease the process. In “Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots” I walk you through six steps of the bot creation process and each step has exercises to complete. We’ll also analyze what type of bot would be best for your business and how to write a message sequence that makes sense and helps customers. If this technology is new to you, grab this planner today. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]

Improve Your Authority Status by Using a Facebook Messenger Bot in Your Business

“You only have one chance to make a first impression.” We’ve all heard it, especially when it comes to interviewing for a job or meeting a new client. How you present yourself in any professional setting is vital to how this new relationship will progress. Similar judgments are made when it comes to your online presence.

A DIY website won’t have professional flair unless you hire a professional web designer. Your copy won’t convert as well if you don’t hire an experienced wordsmith. These are components of your online presence that can make or break you. Poor design almost always causes people to click away.

The addition of new technology, however, can bump you up some notches as an authority figure, especially if used well. Authority figures are seen as leaders, those who try out new strategies and new technology, and then report their findings back to their followers. One such form of technology is the Facebook Messenger bots.

What the Heck is a Bot?

Bot is short for chatbot, which is a way to automate customer service and close sales. In this case, the bot can be activated when someone visits your Facebook business page and the bot will engage them in a conversation. You program certain questions for the bot to ask along with easy responses for the user to choose. The chosen answer will determine how the bot responds, and it continues until a purchase is made or until the user ends the conversation. It’s a similar concept to Live Chat but you don’t have to be live; the bot takes care of that.

Who Uses Bots?

According to statistics from April 2017, Facebook Messenger had over 100,000 bots. Naturally, that number has likely increased by now. That’s a small number compared to Facebook Messenger’s 1.2 billion monthly users but as with any technology, the chatbot technology continues to change and improve every day, attracting even more brands to its unique ability to connect with their audience.

You’ll find major brands use bots, such as National Geographic, Harper Collins, Marriott International, and Sephora. Engaging with customers increases brand awareness, informs them of new products, and potentially leads them to making a purchase.

How Do Coaches Use Chatbots?

Much like the big brands, your chatbot can answer customer service questions; it can prepare them for a discovery call; or it can guide them toward a product purchase if live coaching is too expensive for them. Chatbots can also deliver training programs via Messenger instead of via email. You can also deliver your newest content directly to the user instead of directing them back to your website. Make it easy for your clients and prospects and they will remain loyal.

Bots Make for a Personal Experience

We all have a desire to be heard and we all have a need for instant gratification, especially when we have a problem or a burning question. We don’t want to wait until the office opens in the morning before we get an answer so using a bot can ease a prospect’s mind and fulfill that need to know quickly. Coupled with the conversational tone of your messages, your authority image solidifies in their minds, as someone who cares about their clients and prospects and who answers their questions quickly and thoroughly. You’re on the way to winning them over!

Finesse Your Chatbot by Making a Plan First

Rather than creating a live experiment with a chatbot, which may not impress the users, finesse the whole experience by using my planner, Close Sales with Facebook Messenger Bots. I took all the guesswork out of the creation process and walk you through each step. You still have to create the messages but you’ll be more prepared than just developing a bot blindly. After each step I give you exercises for planning and brainstorming. When you complete each step, then you’re ready to release your bot to the world! Planning will save you lots of frustration, so check out the planner now. [INSERT PURCHASE LINK HERE]