The document discusses strategies for convincing business leaders to adopt conversion rate optimization (CRO). It recommends focusing the discussion on CRO rather than broader sales techniques. Key points include knowing the audience and their decision-making process, addressing common objections by mitigating risks, defining success using relevant metrics, making favorable comparisons to other marketing activities, and addressing the human tendency to fear potential losses. The goal is to demonstrate how CRO can deliver significant returns through testing and continuous improvement.

1. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
MATT LACEY
Head of Optimisation
@matt_lacey12
HOW TO CONVINCE YOUR BOSS ON
CONVERSION RATE OPTIMISATION

2. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
Matt Lacey
Head of Optimisation
at PRWD
Dave Cannell
Partner Manager
EMEA at Optimizely
YOUR WEBINAR HOSTS

3. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
Dan Pete
2006:
Dan Siroker and Pete Koomen
— Product Managers at Google
2008:
Dan — Obama Campaign
2008 - 2010:
Carrotsticks,
Spreadly,
and Y Combinator.
2010: Optimizely Founded
2012 (Oct.): 100,000th Experiment, over
1 Billion pages. #1 Website Optimization Platform
Late 2014: Raised $88M to go Global.
100K
$88M
Our Story
6000+ Happy Customers

4. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
Optimising online experiences since 2004.
Certified solutions partner with Optimizely.
Collaborative and open approach to optimisation projects.
Work with brands to analyse, research, test and optimise cross device online
experiences.
ABOUT PRWD

5. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
GETTING
STARTED
Conversion Optimisation is crucial for
innovation, continuous improvement
and business growth
Focus: Selling Conversion Optimisation,
not broader sales techniques.

6. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
HOW WE MAKE
DECISIONS

7. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
DECISION MAKING IS RELATIVE

8. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO

9. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
“WE DON’T HAVE AN INTERNAL VALUE
METER THAT TELLS US HOW MUCH THINGS
ARE WORTH.
RATHER WE FOCUS ON RELATIVE
ADVANTAGE OF ONE THING OVER ANOTHER,
AND ESTIMATE VALUE ACCORDINGLY.”
DAN ARIELY

10. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
WHAT DOES
THIS MEAN
FOR US?
We need to be intentional and clear
about how we present Conversion
Optimisation for consideration within
the business.
We need to think about how our
proposal will be received and what
other factors play a part in the decision-
making process.

11. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
1. KNOW YOUR
AUDIENCE
Identifying who you need to convince and
what they already understand

12. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
“We’ll make the big changes
and you can just do the
optimisation.”
“Conversion Optimisation &
Continuous Improvement are
part of our DNA.”

13. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
CONVERSION
OPTIMISATION IS NOT
JUST TESTING ...
... BUT IT IS AN
ESSENTIAL ELEMENT.

14. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
As marketers, we know how important it
is to know your audience and prepare
messaging accordingly. The same rule
applies here.
Who do you need to convince and who is
the final decision maker?
How do they make decisions? If you
work closely with the person in question
can what do you know about their
personality that might effect how you
present your business case.
KNOW YOUR
AUDIENCE

15. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
2. KNOW
THE FACTS
Tackling Risk and Myth Busting

16. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
“THERE CAN BE NO
GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT
WITHOUT RISK.”
Neil Armstrong

17. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
1. The risk of faulty testsTHREE
COMMON
OBJECTIONS 2. The risk of poor performance
due to sub-optimal A/B test
variations
3. The risk of not testing!
Mitigation: Thorough QA Process
Mitigation: Control traffic. Carefully
monitor performance and react. Start
small and demonstrate value.
Mitigation: Highlight the alternative of
making decisions based on gut feel and
intuition. Lose ground to competitors.

18. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
Speak the language of your company
where possible.
If your senior managers or company
culture dictates that you bring data,
make sure that you do.
It may be that a compelling narrative
backed up with case studies is more
likely to be persuasive for your
audience.
Prepare well and try to anticipate the
type of questions that you will have to
answer.
COMMUNICATION
& DECISION
MAKING STYLES

19. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
3. Defining
Success
How to use numbers &
letting the data do the talking

20. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
5% CONVERSION
RATE IMPROVEMENT

21. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
Use KPIs and metrics that the business
are familiar with and that really matter
to them.
Think about how the figures are framed
and to what they will be compared.
How can they be made to feel tangible?
• Revenue Figures
• Comparison: e.g. more valuable than
opening a new store every month
• Competitors or benchmarking
BUILDING
YOUR CASE

22. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
4. SPEND LESS,
GROW FASTER
How to explain CRO’s impact on your
marketing spend, customer
understanding and innovation

23. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
“WE TEND TO FOCUS ON COMPARING THINGS
THAT ARE EASILY COMPARABLE - AND
AVOID THINGS THAT CANNOT BE EASILY
COMPARED.”
DAN ARIELY

24. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
What is CRO being compared against?
• Search Engine Marketing
• Paid Advertising
• Email
• Remarketing
• A Redesign
COMPARISON
How are competing activities measured?
• ROI
• Conversion Metrics
• Engagement Metrics
How can you create favourable
comparisons?

25. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
Based on a one month period for an ecommerce site, AOV of £60
SCENARIO
ACQ. Spend Sessions CR Revenue CR Lift
Rev
Change
ROI
£100,000 285,000 3% £514,000 - - 514%

26. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
Based on a one month period for an ecommerce site, AOV of £60
What happens if we reduce acquisition costs and reinvest it in improving CR?
SCENARIO
ACQ. Spend Sessions CR Revenue CR Lift
Rev
Change
ROI
£100,000 285,000 3% £514,000 - - 514%
£90,000 257,000 3.45% £532,000 15% +£18,000 532%

27. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
Based on a one month period for an ecommerce site, AOV of £60
What happens if we reduce acquisition costs further to deliver bigger uplifts?
SCENARIO
ACQ. Spend Sessions CR Revenue CR Lift Rev Change ROI
£100,000 285,000 3% £514,000 - - 514%
£90,000 257,000 3.45% £532,000 15% +£18,000 532%
£80,000 228,000 3.9% £600,000 30% +£87,000 600%

28. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
STOP THROWING MONEY AT A POORLY
CONVERTING WEBSITE

29. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
5. THE FEAR
OF LOSS
What stops people from taking action?

30. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
LOSS AVERSION

31. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
1. It explains why senior decision
makers may be acutely aware of
some risks associated with
Conversion Optimisation
HOW LOSS
AVERSION
EFFECTS
BEHAVIOUR 2. It explains why managers may be
rooted in methods that are
currently working even if
performance could be better
3. It makes it hard to rationally
evaluate the value of Conversion
Optimisation

32. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
THE POWER OF
POTENTIAL
LOSS
“What is the risk of not pursuing an
optimisation programme?”
These could be risks to their business,
but also to their personal business
challenges.

33. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
LETS FINISH ON A
POSITIVE NOTE...

34. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
CONVERSION
OPTIMISATION
CAN...
Become a high performing growth lever
in your business
Deliver fantastic ROI
Significantly impact bottom line
Provide insurance against ideas that
turn out to have a negative impact
Improve the performance of your
acquisition efforts
Promote a test and learn culture within
your business
Outgrow your competition
Make you a hero within your business

35. @matt_lacey12 #SellingInCRO
3. EXPECTED IMPACT
2. WHY CRO?
1. OPPORTUNITY

36. PAUL ROUKE
Founder & Director of
Optimisation
@paulrouke
THANK YOU FOR
JOINING THE WEBINAR
MATT LACEY
Head of Optimisation
@matt_lacey12
bit.ly/CROresources
learn.optimizely.com