Know How

Price is just a starting point

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

In this post you'll learn the importance of displaying a basic compliance plan on your website and how it gives you the opportunity to have a conversation about something more…

Most conversations I've had with accountants lately have included a discussion on the pros and cons of showing prices on their websites.

Choosing to publish prices on your website is not an easy decision to make especially when price has typically been something that's been decided on a per client basis, in private, usually over the phone or in person.

Experience tells you that when it comes to delivering accounting services, there is really no 'one size fits all' package, because every situation is different and deserves some consideration in order to provide the the most advantageous solution for the client.

The basic compliance plan is your starting point…

When it comes to showing prices on your website the least you need to do is show a price for a basic compliance plan, it's a starting point – the bare minimum service you're prepared to offer.

This does three things:

The potential client knows immediately whether your services are in their ballpark budget. And if so they may as well give you a call to talk about their situation and what you recommend.
It shows you have nothing to hide, you're open and transparent about pricing and there's unlikely to be any surprise fees at the end of the financial year.
It keeps you in step with the accounting industry trend of showing prices upfront.

What about showing other plans?

If you choose to show other plans beyond the starting plan it's up to you... but be clear on your website that these are not prescriptive and that the best monthly plan is one that you create especially for the client based on their situation.

Remember the key benefits of pricing plans are clear fee expectations from the beginning, transparency about what's included, and better cash flow by paying monthly.

The takeaway…

Try not to get too caught up or paralysed by the process of creating pricing plans or the drama of showing prices or not. Just begin by showing a simple compliance plan that'll get people in the door, this gives you the opportunity to have a conversation, then you can tailor a plan to suit.

PS - A couple of years back we created 3 website packages with prices and displayed them on our website. I had quite a few sign-ups but the problem I had with it is that people would choose a package that didn't quite fit them. And if we didn't take the time to talk to them and tailor the package we'd end up delivering features they didn't really need or miss the opportunity to add other features that could really benefit them.

Now we always start by talking to every potential client then tailor a solution to suit. We do have a basic website package we offer, but it's main purpose is to give us the opportunity have a conversation about something more and also show that we're not outside of their price range.

Why you need to think product, not service.

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:59:00 GMT

Accountants everywhere are starting to fix their fees and show their products & prices on their websites – here's why you should do the same.

When you create bundles (or packages) of services & software for a fixed fee, whether you realise it or not – you actually turn your services into products.

And this a powerful opportunity from a marketing perspective.

Here's why:

Products are easier to sell than services.
Products are more quantifiable - your customer knows exactly what they're getting and how much they'll pay before they buy. Contrasted with a service, it's hard to know exactly what result you're going to get and how much you'll pay at the end.
Products make it possible for you to value price, rather than charging by the hour.
You can create specific processes and software around the product to help you support and deliver it reliably.

Why selling products is easier

This is not just semantics. When you start thinking about your services as products, it forces you to get clear on 3 critical things before you take your offer to market:

The benefit (why someone should buy this product)
The price
The features (what's included, how it works)

When you're this specific with your marketing, the buying decision is made much easier for your prospects because there is less uncertainty (or risk).

But here's the kicker.

It makes finding and talking to prospects a whole lot easier.

Let's say you created a product designed specifically to help businesses who want to grow fast. Your product would need to include things like:

A list of outcomes and benefits
A kick-off meeting to define goals and KPI's
Regular review meetings
Customised reports and dashboards to review progress
Specialty software apps to perform specific functions
And all the regular compliance work too

This is a product, with a specific focus and benefit i.e. rapid business growth. Who among your existing clients would be interested in this product? I'm sure you can immediately think of a few.

And when you talk to them, you've actually got something to say. Instead of the usual "Hey Jim, is there anything more we can do for you?" (that's being not proactive, you need to go to your clients with solutions, not questions!).

The conversation goes more like this:

"Hey Jim, we've been speaking to a few of our clients recently who have businesses that are doing really well, but could benefit from a more structured and proactive approach to managing their growth and making the most of the opportunities in front of them. I know you're flat out busy, but that's even more reason to consider this new service we've created which allows us to get more onboard, sharing the load and helping you to manage your growth.

The new service is called 'Max'. We called it Max because it's all about maximising your profits and the effectiveness of you and your team. It includes [list of features] and costs $900/mth... and while it's quite a bit more than what you're currently paying I'm confident you'll be impressed with the results. For example, another client we're working with has seen 20% sales growth over the past 4 months, equating to $60k in additional profit. It's a direct result of us helping them getting focused on what matters most, and regularly reviewing progress – that's what Max is all about, we help you stay on track and hit your targets, and help you manage any bumps along the way.

What do you think? Keen to give it a try? We need a minimum 6 month commitment... etc, etc..."

Some of you might call the product above "Virtual CFO" - but that term's been overused, and I'm not sure many business owners understand the benefits a Virtual CFO offers. Also when every other accounting firm is offering VCFO services, you're much better to come up with your own product... you could even trademark it, creating a unique and defendable point of differentiation.

The 'product not service' approach can work for all sorts of services. They can be as varied as the number of services and software add-ons you can think of. Here's some examples:

Monthly Debtor Management
Accounts + Bookkeeping bundle
One-off record keeping standards check up
Benchmarking
Tax minimisation review

You're only limited by your imagination. Seth Godin said in his book The Idea Virus that there are no new ideas, but rather new configurations of existing ideas that result in new products and services.

How can you reconfigure your old boring service list into products with far greater appeal? Then how can you get them in front of your clients?

This blog was written by Matt McFedries, founder of PracticePlus. Matt's worked in software and marketing for over 13 years, focusing specifically on accountants for the past 3 years. His mission is to equip accountants with the software and thinking that helps them compete in the digital age. You can get in touch with him here or add your comments below.

Accountants & Bookkeepers - 3 Steps To Choosing Your Marketing Channels

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Accountants and Bookkeepers don't have a lot of time for marketing.

That's exactly why you need to choose your marketing channels wisely and not dilly-dally about with marketing that doesn't add value to your business.

It comes down to ROI.

Nothing beats good solid return on investment. True marketing is setting goals, choosing the channels you want to focus on, measuring your ROI for each of your marketing efforts, and continuing to pursue the channels that are yielding results for your business.

1. Setting Goals

First up you need to decide what you want to achieve. Set a marketing goal. Realistic, but a slight stretch. These will normally fall under new client lead generation or up-selling to existing clients.
If you don't currently have any leads coming in from your online marketing efforts, then perhaps 3 leads per month is your first goal.

2. Choose your Channels

Where are these leads coming from? Your website contact page? From direct messages through social media channels? Radio campaigns that push traffic to your website/ landing page? Email marketing campaigns? Direct mail (letterbox) campaigns?

A few tips:

To start with, we recommend choosing only 3 channels to focus on. Choose them based on where your customers are and how they like to be contacted. This means not committing to every social media channel under the sun!! Learn about your chosen channels, and start out by running low-cost campaigns to test your efforts.
Start with channels that you and your team are passionate about and have the time/capacity to follow through on.

3. ROI

How do you know which channels worked? If you do marketing like most business owners, you don't. Taking shortcuts doesn't help in the long run. When creating your campaign, think of the questions that you need to answer. (e.g. at which page did my visitors leave my website? or, how many phone calls from new leads did my website generate?).

For each channel, you should know exactly how far along the conversion process each visitor got to becoming a lead. Once you know the numbers, you can fix the parts of your conversion process that aren't working (e.g. does everyone leave your website from your pricing page?).

If the results aren't where they should be you may need to cut your losses and focus on a different channel. Rinse and repeat until you are able to settle on a few channels which deliver results!

Be sure to plan your online marketing investment and strategy as part of your overall marketing budget and strategy.

When done right, online marketing has the potential to give you a great return on your investment. If you're not sure how your online marketing measures up, feel free to contact us for a chat.

Repeat after me: 'Blog, tweet, tweet, hashtag'

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 12:00:00 GMT

If the title of this blog makes no sense to you, then I might forgive you... but I might not, because if you're at all interested in generating new business from your website, then you must acquaint yourself with these terms.

Take a look at the following graph. It's the traffic from last week for the PracticePlus+ blog (the blog you're reading right now).

See the top blog post from last week:

It had a good Average Time on Page (00:03:22) meaning that it was readable & useful to its audience.
An ok amount of unique visitors (21) - we're still building our online audience.
60% of the readers had never been to our website before.

In my mind, that's a successful blog post. It was useful and attracted a number of readers - and in my experience it will continue to attract readers over the coming weeks... as you can see from other blog posts in the list that continue to drive traffic to our website.

Why this blog post worked...

Well to let you in on a secret, we used three techniques that are working very well for us:

When you blog, make sure you tweet.
Tweet more than once at different times for the same blog post.
Use hashtags in your tweets that are relevant to your audience.

Here's the two tweets that were sent (using Hootsuite):

Note the tweets were on two different days and at different times. The second tweet at 11:55am on the 27th was scheduled to go out at a time when a lot of our followers are online and on Twitter (according to Tweriod)
Note the #Accountant hashtag that was used which spreads our reach across twitter and associated services i.e. it resulted in us automatically being included on this website: http://paper.li/forestsoftware/1319472489 and likely others too that automatically show content from certain hashtags on twitter.

The last piece of the puzzle is to set up a weekly analytics report so you get feedback (like the graph above) each week on how your blogging and tweeting is going. Without constant feedback your inspiration and momentum for blogging and tweeting will wane, but once you see you're getting traction it encourages you to keep going and refining your approach.

Happy to discuss any of the above in more detail. Skype me or email me.

And remember: "Blog, tweet, tweet, hashtag!!"

Gluing the clouds together

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Or are we just chasing rainbows?

For me, my cloud journey started with Hotmail (way back in the day) then on to online banking, Gmail, then eventually Xero. Which really was the game changer for my business life (and I suppose Facebook for my social life - although my wife and I still prefer to meet in person).

Since Xero Accounting Software, I've been able to take our business 100% into the cloud -adding numerous other apps over the years to create further efficiencies, or were they!?

The big downside of creating your own app-suite-in-the-cloud is the lack of integration between the various apps to create an overall efficient business system right through from lead generation to ongoing romancing.

Enter the integrators.

The people and/or software that glue your cloud apps together so you don't end up with a mess of invoices and contacts in multiple systems.

To help save you some time. Here's a list of the people and software I've come across in recent months that can help you glue your clouds together. Yes, it's a short list.

Cloud Integration Software

www.onesaas.com
www.zapier.com
www.ifttt.com (this one is more consumer than business)

Cloud Integration People

Cloud Integration People (Specifically for Accountants)

That's by no means an exhaustive list. If you know of others, please drop me a line and i'll update the list.

Are your proposals taking too long to write?

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:00:00 GMT

We recently started using QuoteRoller to template & streamline our quoting and client engagement process (yep it's tough being so popular!).

One interesting feature is the built-in analytics, which give you a nice breakdown of how long a prospect spent reading each section in your proposal (plus an email notification when they open it).

Here's the stats for a recent proposal I sent:

From the stats you'd think there were only two sections in the proposal but there's actually 3 more sections of carefully crafted verbage from needs analysis, client testimonials to terms & conditions. Hopefully this was just a first glance, and they'll be back later on to have a closer look.

If you've spent any time in sales, you'll know that proposals can take a LOT of time. I suggest you consider using a product like QuoteRoller (or Proposable, or SocketApp) to template your proposals (and even your products & services).

This is an easy and obvious way to reduce the time you spend proposing plus get insightful analytics on which sections of your proposals are most read.

TIP - If you're smart you'll link the line items in your proposal to the tasks in your job tracking software... then you can more easily track the tasks that cause time or budget blowouts and then increase the time quoted in your proposals.

PS - We've tried all 3 of the online proposal solutions above. We favour QuoteRoller for our purposes, mainly because they've done a great job of allowing you to create a catalogue of services, products & subscriptions so you easily drop them into your quotes as required.

Accounting Website Case Study: Ogier's Fresh New Website!

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:29:00 GMT

Ogier Chartered Accountants are all about adding value to their clients, but their old website wasn't keeping up with where they were heading. Hear from Debbie Ogier below about the Ogier website revamp.

"Our existing website was typical of many accountants' websites. It said a lot about what we do but didn’t differentiate us. We wanted to engage our clients in a discussion about the level of service they needed and give them some certainty around fees with monthly pricing plans. And we wanted a website that better reflected our desire to help clients grow their businesses rather than just handle the compliance issues. We discovered Practice Plus at a Xero roadshow and were impressed by the quality and feel of their websites. They were modern and appealing to a younger breed of client.

The Practice Plus team understand the accounting industry and worked with us to define how we were different. Because Practice Plus approach the design from a marketing angle, we have achieved “our” website aimed at “our market”. We are very happy with the result and we look forward to continued development with Practice Plus in this ever evolving space."

If you need an answer to your online problem, feel free to contact us for a chat about how we can help.

Thought for the week...

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 05:48:00 GMT

"As the web becomes ever more relentless in separating the average from the exceptional, the simple idea this book uncovers (being the best in the world at your little niche) becomes ever more important." (From Seth's Blog.)

The point above stood out to me because it hits home on what cloud software is doing in the Accounting industry i.e. it's creating practices with citywide, nationwide & global reach that are coming after YOUR clients. However you need not fear. You can protect your patch (your niche) if you focus on being exceptional at understanding and serving it better than the rest.

What does being exceptional look like?

Be proactive by offering advice & additional services your clients hadn't thought of
Get up to speed with cloud accounting - it's the game changer and it's not going away
Start communicating the value you actually offer (growth, profit, a better night's sleep)

Enjoy your weekend!

Matt

What happens when 10,000 more businesses get online?

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 22:16:00 GMT

Yesterday Westpac & MYOB launched a FREE* website solution aimed at small businesses in New Zealand. Why? Because according to the statistics only 32% of New Zealand businesses have a website.

(*FREE for 12 months, then from $5/mth for the most basic plan)

According to Stuff.co.nz the solution is powered by Google and includes built in tools to help them get found online.

So what happens when 10,000 more businesses get online and start competing for the top 3 positions in Google search for "hairdresser wellington", "accountants auckland", "florist christchurch"?

The basis of competitive advantage shifts.

Currently if you have a website, you have a competitive advantage over those that don't. You stand to win new customers simply because you're online and your competitors aren't.

But once EVERYONE is online. How will you compete? How will you stand out from the crowd? How will you stay ahead of the curve now that the early majority are starting to get on board.

Here's my tips to stay ahead of the curve:

Master social media - it's where the people are. Start educating yourself (each month) - watch what the leaders are doing, click on their ads, enter their competitions, Like their pages. Start to get a feel for the social media landscape, then when you're ready dip your toe in the water.
Master inbound marketing - many believe that this is the "new marketing". Think eBooks, think blogging, think webinars. By providing quality content (mostly for free) you create a gaggle of loyal followers who trust you and start to hang on your every word.
Position yourself as a thought leader - as a starting point you could read "Six Pixels of Separation" to help you understand the dynamics of how this works. Thought leadership is a long term strategy that will pay dividends in 5 years time when online real estate looks more like a ghetto than the lush gated members-only sub-division it is now.
Build your brand - yes, heard that one before, but what does it mean? Know yourself, know why you exist, then work with a brand strategist to help you clarify it & communicate it. Your brand could be YOU or your practice or both. Think about Coke, they have a brand that means something to people - what will your brand mean to people?

The 5th point is "Go Mobile" - spend 5 minutes on Mashable Mobile and you'll agree.

The Takeaway

Whilst the early majority & late majority are busy getting their websites sorted for $5, you should be getting busy learning & mastering what's coming next (mobile, social, inbound). There's always going to be a curve, it's up to you choose the segment in which you will operate.

Google Places is out, Google+ Local is in. Is your business listed correctly?

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 21:57:00 GMT

There's been a change. You may want to check your business' listing in Google Places.

At the end of May 2012 (a few short days ago), Google released Google+ Local, which replaces and reshapes the way Google displays businesses Google Places listings. Some are saying this move makes it competitive to Facebook pages for business.

Google Places listings were transferred to Google+ Local listings, 80 million of them, whether they were Google-created or created by business owners.

While some listings have been transferred, it doesn't seem to have been a full switchover just yet.. or perhaps Google Places just hasn't been turned off. Regardless, if people are looking for you on Google, you need to check what they will find. Our listing has been messed up (thanks Google!), so we thought we'd give you a quick warning to double-check yours.

Key Points

You can continue to manage your business listing through Google Places for Business
There's a new rating system in town (Zagat reviews), which instead of one rating, breaks it down to categories like service, atmosphere, food, etc.
Unlike Google Places pages, the new Google+ Local pages will be indexed (found in search engines).

What You Should Do

Check how your business is portrayed in Google+ Local (which will also affect search, Maps, and mobile).
Update your business profile as necessary.
Encourage your clients and customers to engage and leave positive reviews for the excellent service you have provided them!

If you want a hand understanding how search engines work, and changing how your business ranks in search engines for your targeted keywords, get in touch and we can figure out a strategy to help you get more business online.

In a click, I'm gone. Why being credible matters.

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 02:17:00 GMT

Visitors to your website are fickle. When they land on your home page they will draw an INSTANT impression (or conclusion) of your Accounting practice purely from the way it looks and the first words they read.

Think about your own behaviour when you're searching for a product or service online.

If a website is cluttered, hard to use, or looks like it was designed by a 5 year old (i.e. not credible) - chances are you'll dismiss it in a few seconds and be on to the next search result - because there's plenty of better options out there. Why waste your time with an offer that is clearly below standard?

Here's an example.

I was searching for alternatives to GoToWebinar. So I searched Google for "Webinar Software". Here's the two I chose from the search results (mostly because their names sounded credible and didn't include the word FREE, which I assumed would mean inferior).

The one on the left (Zentation), I dismissed almost instantly in less than 5 seconds because the design was sub-par and the screenshot of the software makes it look like it was designed in 1982.
The one on the right (ClickWebinar) captured my attention and is guaranteed worth a closer look. It's design & message were simple & clear, including a nice screenshot of the software & 3 bullet points summarising the top features. They gave me confidence right from the get-go PLUS made my searching job much easier by having a well designed website. Thanks ClickWebinar you made my life easier by not wasting my time!!

Whether you like it or not, the bar has been raised for what makes a website 'acceptable'.

The level of design & simplicity displayed in ClickWebinar is what I have come to expect from credible software company websites. Anything less, I am highly likely to click away because there's a world of other options out there, why should I waste my precious time with one that clearly looks sub-par right from the beginning.

Now, back to you...

Take a look at these two Accountant websites from the Xero Advisor directory:

The one on the left (Laurenson) is fairly typical of traditional Accountant websites. Lots of small text, something about "50 years of experience", a list of generic Accounting services. If Laurenson are in-fact proactive, forward-thinking Accountants, they're not getting that message across with their website.
The one on the right (Bradley Walker), recently redesigned by a local Whangarei designer, is much more inviting. The imagery is fresh, the words are all about wealth, freedom & the great service I can expect from them as my "new" Accountant.

46% of daily web searches are for information on products or services.*

So... even if you get found, will you be chosen? Is your website even in contention for a click?

In short. The bar has been raised for Accountant websites (& we're playing a part to make it happen). If you're going to continue compete, then you'll need to be sure your website is up to the new standard.

There's a new generation of 20-something entrepreneurs that are going to need your help to start & grow their businesses - but they'll dismiss you in a second if your website's using the old school methods.

At PracticePlus+ we're about teaching the old school how to be cool in the new school - it's completely possible & we can help you get there. Talk to us.

(* SOURCE: SRI, OCTOBER 2010)

Accountants more trusted than Taxi Drivers and Lawyers?

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

The Readers Digest 2011 Most Trusted Professions poll placed Accountants at #31 compared to #22 in 2010. According to the poll Accountants are considered more trusted than Taxi Drivers & Lawyers, Journalists, CEO's and Financial Planners, but less trusted than Waiters, Plumbers & Dentists.

The measure of trustworthiness in the poll appeared to be based on whether the profession could be trusted to deliver on the services promised. However the professions we trust with saving our lives (or our pets) overall scored more highly than those we trust with our money.

While I would tend not to place to much bearing on Readers Digest poll I do think it raises an interesting point.

In the new paradigm of cloud computing, there is much that is unknown for business owners. It's not like running down to my local tech store and picking up a copy of MYOB, installing it and I'm in business. Cloud computing raises a few questions especially around security and reliance on an internet connection. It also raises questions about what other cloud software I might need beyond my accounting software to run my business in the cloud.

So, who can I trust to guide me on my journey from desktop computing to cloud computing?

THE ANSWER IS YOU. My proactive Accountant. My trusted advisor. You are in the best position to help me make decisions around software selection & setup as you already understand what drives my business and what information I will need from my software to in order to make decisions moving forward.

If you don't believe me, take a look at these Accountants, the early adopters and pioneers of the new cloud software paradigm. They understand that cloud accounting software creates a foundation on which to build a more profitable, easier to run business - and they are helping to make it happen.

ACTION...

Take a look at the myriad of software add-ons that are available for Xero. Think about the end-to-end business solutions you could create using these solutions - from timesheets through to invoicing to credit control.

For a business owner having access to the right information at the right time across their core business applications can literally mean the difference between success & failure; a good decision or a bad decision. You as their proactive Accountant can help make it happen.

PS - You might be thinking that you don't have the time or headspace to learn about all these add-ons, let alone implement them. How about partnering with a specialist cloud software implementer to help you do it e.g. Ponde, YourBC or hire someone in-house to help get you up to speed.

Does your website answer the most important question?

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Most Accountant websites answer one question very well.

That question is "What do you do?". But that's the not the most important question because most people already know what an Accountant does.

The most important question is actually "Why you?".

Are you cheaper? Are you better? Are you faster? Are you more tech savvy? Are you easier to work with?

3 years ago people might have chosen you because you were "down the road". But now, thanks to modern software like Xero & Skype my Accountant can be based anywhere.

This means as a business owner I now have the luxury of selecting an Accountant based on "fit" not "location".

What this means for you as an Accountant is that you need to become highly accomplished at showing me why I should choose your practice over hundreds or thousands of alternatives around the country.

ACTION POINT...

Read through your website and ask yourself whether it creates a compelling case as to why I should choose you, or does it merely explain what you do. If the latter then I suggest you have a ponder or do some asking around as to why your current clients chose you & continue to work with you. Once you're clear on the "why", start to introduce that story into your website and blog. It makes much more compelling reading than a list of services.

PS...

In case you're wondering, this is not a new idea. In fact it's a growing trend with marketing professionals worldwide. Here's a good example from a man that has done a lot of pondering on the topic called Simon Sinek, read his website: "Start with Why"

Wish you had a P&L for your website? - you can.

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:16:00 GMT

As an Accountant you know how to improve a business.

You know that it requires more than a once-a-year review. In fact leaving things to an annual review is probably one reason why the failure rate of businesses worldwide is so high.

In an ideal world - you'll have a business plan in place with monthly or quarterly reviews to measure progress and make decisions about what to do next. That just makes good sense.

QUESTION.

What's your next step with your website? Re-design? Re-write? Integrate Social Media? Start a blog? The answer to all those questions might be yes. It might be no. But how can you really know?

The key is to inform your decisions with numbers

Like a business has a Profit & Loss and a Balance Sheet - there are similar types of reports you can use to measure the success and health of your website.

Once you understand the numbers you can take informed action. Rather than crossing your fingers and hoping for better results.

Like a business, the key to better performance is regular review with your trusted advisor followed by regular informed action. It's not rocket science. But often it doesn't happen because either the data is not there or there is no regular review of progress against your plan.

The top performing Accounting firms are winning leads and engaging with their clients online - they know what's working, why it's working and what to do next. Do you?

No? Talk to us about getting a P&L and regular review setup for your website so you know what's really going on and what do to next.

Accountants! Convert Website Visitors Without Distractions

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:31:00 GMT

Do you get the ROI you want from your website? If your website is an integral part of your marketing strategy, or even acting as a home base for your radio, e-newsletter, print, and direct mail campaigns, then you need to make sure it is pulling its' weight by warming up visitors and turning them into leads, without distractions.

Where do your website visitors come from? Are they finding you through search engines or directories? Are you running Google Ads, doing radio advertising, or handing out flyers at events?

For any specific campaign, or any big shiny call-to-action on your site, you should be directing those visitors to a Landing Page to convert them or generate a lead as soon as possible, without distractions. Take a look at this example which is Step 1 in a landing page sequence:

No distractions, main navigation has been removed
Clear headline and relevant image
Short and simple
The content focuses on the value provided to the site visitor
There is only one field to make engaging with the form simple
The design is simple and everything (including where the people are looking) leads you to filling out the form.

Because we're all about making your website easier and cost effective to manage, we built a nice tool for creating landing pages really fast on your site. Send us an email if you want to find out more or try it for yourself.