The unscientific approach to Conversion Optimization and why it works

Of late I have come in contact with few 7 - 8 figures per month solo entrepreneurs who run their own marketing campaigns and conversion optimization programs. Yes the kind of guys you often seen on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube flaunting their cars and luxury lifestyle.

Their approach to conversion optimization is very different from the one you hear in conferences or read in blogs. First of all they do not read any conversion optimization blog or attend CRO conferences. Let that sink in a for a moment.

They do believe in testing. But what they call testing may sound like a joke to you. Almost all of them practice ‘throw and see what sticks’ approach to testing. They do what they call ‘rapid testing’.

They test 5 to 10 new products per week (sometimes even more). Run ads for each product for a week and see how much ROAS (return on ad spend) it generates. If the product promotion is profitable (good ROAS), they gradually increase ad budget over time. Otherwise they kill the ad / product and move on.

No A/B testing, no multivariate testing or testing CTA or ad copies or worrying about sample size, button color, headings etc... And you can’t say that their approach doesn’t work.

They have been running multi million dollar businesses with less than 5 employees for years. And if you get the chance to see their websites, you are likely to pull your hair and won’t believe that their website can generate that much level of sales. But it does.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that you should abandon all scientific approach to testing and just follow the ‘throw and see what sticks’ approach. I am presenting to you the other side of the coin.

No approach is inherently good or bad. Just keep your mind open for new experiences and understand that entrepreneurs ‘walk the talk’ and they do not always rely on data to make decisions. They often make faith based decisions. This is something many optimizers just don’t get it. I think you need to be an entrepreneur to be on the wavelength of an entrepreneur.

If an entrepreneur tell you something doesn’t work then pay attention to it. They pay from their own pocket (lost sales, ad wastage) for every mistake they make. Do not dismiss the claim just because it is not backed up with scientific data or just because it does not follow industry best practices.

This is what really creates friction between entrepreneurs and optimizers. Entrepreneurs think they are right because they tried it and it didn’t work. Optimizers think no, it need to be tested first and that too in the way they have been taught over the years (collecting enough sample size, via A/B testing, MVT etc) by internet gurus and conference speakers.

There is a good reason, why majority of conversion optimizers out there are not millionaires. That is because they are not Entrepreneurs. It is one thing to optimize a website for conversions. But it is totally a different ball game, running a profitable online business which consistently make 6-7 figures, month after month . Your client is not an idiot. So do not take your client’s advice for granted and be open to new ideas and experiences.