Lead Generation and sales are something I have lately been introduced to. I mean, I obviously had an understanding of the practice before, but the actual terms were foreign. However, the Business Leaders Family and the fact that I spend more and more time with other entrepreneurs have introduced me to this business lingo that I am now using myself.
And Lead Generation and Sales are two of the big ones!
Lead Generation is how to get more sales, customers, or clients. It is the journey from communication, through email marketing, social media, referrals, or partnership, to a “lead” (potential client or customer) which hopefully can progress into a deal (purchase or project).
It is a fickle practice and an ongoing struggle for many business owners.
Two weeks ago, the Business Leaders Family had a workshop talking about exactly this, and we shared our struggles as well as success stories with one another.
I walked into the conversation thinking I’d be lost, whilst others knew exactly what they are doing. This was not the case. I learnt that even the most experienced entrepreneurs struggle with finding long-term solutions, and are often coming up with new and innovative ideas of how to gain new leads.
Some of the most interesting ways included:
Social Media - the ongoing engagement with your audience can lead to you staying at the top of their minds and will automatically think of you if they need your service or product. It is also a good way for them to get to know you - remember, people buy from people.
Blogging - another good way for potential clients or your audience to get to know you. It is also a great way to create content that can up your ranking on Google as you can use SEO to target your audience. What do they want to read more about? What would they google?
Email marketing - if your audience has subscribed to your newsletter or opted into your email list, there’s a good chance that they are interested in what you are doing and what you offer. Don’t be afraid to be in their inbox - they can always unsubscribe if they aren’t interested anymore.
Events - If you and your business can host some kind of event, it’s a great way to gain leads and connect with your ideal clients. You can use these events to promote your service or to teach people about it. It is also good to attend other’s events as you can connect with potential leads or partners.
Partnerships - partnerships might be one of the most fruitful ways to generate leads. It ensures an ongoing stream of conversation about your business through someone else, who believes in you and knows you’d do the same for them. Give and receive - you and your partner are both benefitting from sharing contacts and knowledge and can recommend and promote each other through your networks.
Recommendations - one of my favourite ways to connect with new leads and clients. They will already know of you and your service, and they’ve been told you are good - it can’t get any better than that!
Mentorship - if you are experienced within your industry, it might be a good idea to mentor a fellow entrepreneur. This can, of course, be a service you provide, or it’s a way to help others move forward and they will in return have your back.
Courses and guides - if you are able, courses and guides are a great way to either get people signing up to your email list or for you to connect with more people. You make yourself useful, in ways that might venture outside your original product, service, or concept.
We also discussed how many strategies are sustainable to maintain, and I concluded that it is better to make a long-term plan with a few of these, instead of using up a load of hours establishing plans that might not work.
Consistency is key. Staying on top of your lead generation strategy can ensure that you have potential deals or projects coming up after finishing the work you currently have going on. Check out the wonderful Laura Hannan for more insights on this! I sure wish I would have given it some extra effort a couple of months ago.
As I said, it is a tricky part of entrepreneurship and it is hard to determine what works and what might not.
I will, from now on, focus on regular outreach, interactions, emails, and, maybe most importantly, partnership.
It is the people that I get to work with and interact with that make my freelancing life so great, and partnering up with like-minded people has been both good for business and for my soul.
I am partnering with my dear friend Linn - Linnsej Photography - who I both write for and work with when it comes to photographer’s content. It is such a great way to interact with more people and we make up a great team.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I am back in London and feel a bit stuck in between work, knowing I am going on another holiday in two weeks, and longing for Autumn - my favourite time of the year.
Take care,
Hanna
Lead generation can really feel overwhelming at first. I found that using mailsAI helped me organize outreach efforts without stressing too much. It made keeping in touch with potential clients easier and more consistent over time.
Amazing! So cool to see you write about this topic!! Let me know if you ever need some advice :)