Have you hit a frustrating plateau in your business? I hear you. Years ago, my monthly income had stalled at about $5,000. I wasn’t ready to stop there, so I had to make some big changes to my lead generation strategy. And it worked. It was this strategy that took me beyond $10,000 a month.
Don’t get me wrong. $5,000 a month is good. I was grateful… but hungry. Not literally hungry. $5,000 was more than enough for the boxed macaroni and cheese I was eating. (Stop judging me.)
I was hungry metaphorically. Hanging onto clients wasn’t a problem. It was finding the right kinds of clients in the first place — the kinds who wanted to work with me long-term and would pay me what I asked.
Most of the clients I was coming across were the kinds that would say things like, “If we drop the word count of your blogs, will you knock off another $50?”
No.
Anyway…
If you’re running into this, it’s because the foundation of your client acquisition is flawed. And the foundation is lead generation.
So, let’s talk about how I adjusted my lead generation strategy to land bigger and better clients, and ultimately, scale my business’s revenue.
The Lead Generation Strategy That Took Me to $10k/Month
1. I Contacted Businesses in Certain Industries
“Reach out to ALL the leads!!!!!” I used to say.
No more.
Going narrow and getting specific with who you reach out to is one of the best things that you can do for your lead generation strategy.
If you reach out to whoever you can find, then you’re going to attract ALL kinds of clients, including a lot of crappy ones. Why do that if you can avoid them?
Let’s go through an example.
Let’s say that you already have a few clients in the tech industry. You’re in a great position to get more clients in the tech industry.
So, start reaching out to businesses in tech. You can say something like:
“Hi Mary! I’m reaching out because I provide social media services for brands in the tech industry, and I’m interested in working with (company name).”
Copy this. Replace the bolded words with the name of the person you’re reaching out to and your own services, insert the company’s name, and then send it to that person on LinkedIn. Boom! (More on LinkedIn in a moment.)
What if you don’t already have a few clients in the same industry?
Then pick an industry you love or know a lot about, and start reaching out to those businesses. Maybe you’re obsessed with fashion or love cooking. Focus your lead generation on businesses within those fields.
When you try to reach everyone, you end up reaching no one. Get specific.
2. I Contacted Employees Who Worked in My Department
Here’s what I mean.
I’m a writer. So, why would I contact the Director of IT? Makes no sense, right?
And yet I did it, and I see a lot of other professionals doing it too.
The Director of IT doesn’t give a hoot about the company’s blog. You know who does?
The company’s blog editor, or Director of Content, or Marketing Manager.
So those are the employees that I started contacting.
If you’re offering digital marketing services, look for a Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, or CMO.
If you’re a graphic designer, you’ll also probably have luck with someone in the marketing department.
Get what I’m saying?
You need to connect with someone who gets you and what you’re offering. They need to understand the value of your services and what you could bring to the table.
This means you need to talk to someone in the appropriate department.
3. LinkedIn Became the Foundation of My Outreach
I love cold emailing, and I know it works. And I know it works because I’ve made it work.
But I found something that works even better.
Now, my outreach almost always starts on LinkedIn. The results were immediate. More connections, more conversations, more sales calls, more clients.
Here’s why.
The tricky part with cold emailing is that you’re a stranger. You don’t even have a face. You’re one of many emails from other strangers that the lead is getting, trying to sell them something.
That’s not the case with LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is this perfect balance of professional and business-oriented, with a hint of the laid back vibe that traditional social media platforms have. It’s an excellent place to meet people and have casual conversations that eventually lead to business.
Plus, the lead has a chance to get to know you. They can see your picture, check out your work history, and learn more about what you’re all about.
Cold emails can’t do all of those things.
So, let’s recap.
You find a business in the specific industry you want. You search that business on LinkedIn.
You find the specific employee in the right department within that business.
You connect with them and send them the message using the template I gave you.
It might sound simple, but it WORKS.
I stopped reaching out to everyone. Instead, I reached out to specific businesses that I hand-picked, and only after I qualified them so that I was pretty darn sure they’d be open to paying my rates.
I spent more time finding highly-targeted, high-quality leads, instead of taking whatever I could get. This ultimately meant reaching out to fewer people, but with stricter standards. It paid off.
I very heavily leaned on LinkedIn to connect with human beings, and the right human beings, as opposed to sending a generic email to whatever address I could get my hands on.
The results were immediate.
More clients, faster. Clients willing to pay more money. Work I actually enjoyed doing.
I know it might sound like I’m blowing smoke up your bum. But really, there’s no magic trick involved. It’s just having the right process. The process is everything.
I know that in the past, you’ve probably heard people use the word “picky” like it’s a bad thing. It’s not. I hereby grant you permission to be picky.
If you still have a disgust for that word, look at it like this: You’re being specific. You’re improving your targeting. You’re finding the right kinds of clients for you.
Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that!
Want to keep going with this? Here are a few options.
I have a free guide to optimizing your LinkedIn page. It also includes one of my proven templates that you can use for cold or warm emailing.
If you’re really ready to kickstart this thang and get to landing high-paying clients quickly, then book a call with me and let’s talk about getting you enrolled in Revenue Spark. I’ll teach you my exact method for landing clients, from start to finish.
I’m excited. Are you? Let’s go.