Marketing and delivering financial coaching services

Abstract

Marketing and delivering financial coaching services involves sponsoring a website pertaining to financial coaching services, engaging an electronic communications media partner to direct potential customers to the website, and calculating a behavior-based quality rating reflecting the business opportunity value of the potential customer. When the quality rating exceeds a predetermined threshold, the potential customer is associated to an assigned sales agent who determines an interest rating reflecting the importance of the financial coaching services to the potential customer. When the interest rating exceeds a predetermined threshold, the potential customer is associated to an assigned enroller who determines a readiness rating reflecting the willingness of the potential customer to purchase financial coaching services. When the readiness rating for the potential customer exceeds a predetermined rating, the potential customer is enrolled for financial coaching services, oriented by telephone, and receives an ordered sequence of one-on-one financial coaching sessions and financial coaching resources.

1 . A method for marketing financial coaching services, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) sponsoring a website pertaining to the financial coaching services, traffic to said website including potential customers for the financial coaching services;   (b) advancing a potential customer within said website based on data elicited from the potential customer at said website;   (c) calculating a quality rating for the potential customer based on the behavior of the potential customer at said website, said quality rating reflecting the business opportunity value of the potential customer at said web site;   (d) in a telephone conference initiated by marketing personnel, evaluating the readiness of the potential customer to purchase the financial coaching services;   (e) enrolling the potential customer as a buyer of the financial coaching services when the potential customer is evaluated in said telephone conference as being ready to purchase the financial coaching services; and   (f) conducting one-on-one financial coaching with the buyer of the financial coaching services.   
     
     
         2 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said step of evaluating the readiness of the potential customer comprises the steps of:
 (a) assessing the importance of the financial coaching services to the potential customer; and   (b) assessing the willingness of the potential customer to purchase the financial coaching services.   
     
     
         3 . A method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said step of assessing the importance of the financial coaching services to the potential customer occurs when said quality rating for the potential customer exceeds a predetermined threshold quality rating. 
     
     
         4 . A method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein said step of assessing the importance of the financial coaching services to the potential customer comprises the steps of:
 (a) associating the potential customer to an assigned sales agent on the basis of said quality rating determined for the potential customer;   (b) initiating a telephone conference by said assigned sales agent with the potential customer; and   (c) determining an interest rating for the potential customer based on the behavior of the potential customer during said telephone conference initiated by said assigned sales agent, said interest rating reflecting the importance of the financial coaching services to the potential customer.   
     
     
         5 . A method as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said step of assessing the willingness of the potential customer to purchase the financial coaching services occurs when said interest rating determined for the potential customer exceeds a predetermined threshold interest rating. 
     
     
         6 . A method as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said step of assessing the willingness of the potential customer to purchase the financial coaching services comprises the steps of:
 (a) associating the potential customer to an assigned enroller on the basis of said interest rating determined for the potential customer;   (b) initiating a telephone conference by said assigned enroller with the potential customer; and   (c) determining a readiness rating for the potential customer based on the behavior of the potential customer during said telephone conference initiated by said assigned enroller, said readiness rating reflecting the willingness of the potential customer to purchase the financial coaching services.   
     
     
         7 . A method as recited in  claim 4 , further comprising the step of adding data about the potential customer to a remarketing pool when said interest rating determined for the potential customer fails to exceed said predetermined threshold interest rating. 
     
     
         8 . A method as recited in  claim 6 , further comprising the step of adding data about the potential customer to a remarketing pool when said readiness rating determined for the potential customer fails to exceed said predetermined readiness rating. 
     
     
         9 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said step of advancing a potential customer within said website comprises the steps of:
 (a) obtaining initial data from the potential customer at a landing page of said website;   (b) forwarding the potential customer to a follow-up location within said website based on said initial data; and   (c) obtaining further data from the potential customer at said follow-up location.   
     
     
         10 . A method as recited in  claim 9 , wherein said follow-up location within said website is chosen from among the group of follow-up locations including a supplemental landing page, a chat window, a bump offer screen, and a customer consultation page. 
     
     
         11 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein, during said step of calculating a quality rating for the potential customer, consideration is taken of purchases made by the potential customer during said step of advancing the potential customer within said website. 
     
     
         12 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of engaging an electronic communications media partner to direct potential customers to said website for the financial coaching services. 
     
     
         13 . A method as recited in  claim 12 , further comprising the step of remitting to said media partner a referral fee calibrated to said quality rating calculated for the potential customer. 
     
     
         14 . A method for delivering financial coaching services, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) enrolling a potential customer as a buyer of the financial coaching services using electronic communication media;   (b) orienting the customer by telephone to the financial coaching services;   (c) by way of electronic communication media, conducting the buyer through an ordered sequence of one-on-one financial coaching sessions; and   (d) requiring completion by the customer of an assignment between a consecutive pair of said financial coaching sessions.   
     
     
         15 . A method as recited in  claim 14 , further comprising the step of supplying the buyer with financial coaching resources related to a selected of said financial coaching sessions by way of electronic communication media. 
     
     
         16 . A method as recited in  claim 14 , further comprising the step of affording the buyer access to an advanced financial conference by way of electronic communication media after completing said step of conducting the buyer though said sequence of financial coaching sessions. 
     
     
         17 . A method as recited in  claim 14 , further comprising the step of evaluating the interest of the buyer in purchasing supplemental financial coaching services after completing said step of conducting the buyer though said sequence of financial coaching sessions.