Whenever I think about Lead Generation, I get excited. The thought of connecting with others and building long lasting relationships, just lights my soul on fire. But when I try to express that passion to others, they don’t get it. Too many feel, spending the time connecting and getting to know others is a waste of time.

It has been ingrained in our minds that growing a business is all about getting clients and money fast. And that taking the time to get to know someone, is just stalling and keeping you from seeing that fast growth in your business. 

But here’s the thing, real, true connections, ya, that’s the glue that holds your business together. While all of your other tasks are important pieces as well, it’s the relationship that is going to make you see sustainable growth in your business.

In this article I am going to share with you why Lead Generation is your business backbone and why it isn’t just a waste of your time. 

So Why Is Lead Generation Important?

Lead generation is so important because this is the part where your audience and future clients get to REALLY know you and vice versa. Think about it this way, someone comes to your social media account whom you have never spoken to before. They right away ask you for information about your services or offer. It sounds good to them so they say yes and sign up.

You are overly excited about it and you’re heading into the first day to work with them. They have paid, signed the contract and it just seems like a dream. But then, you start working with them and it turns out, they are FAR from a dream. In fact, they are definitely not aligned with who your ideal client avatar even is. 

And that is why Lead Generation is important, friend. 

If you aren’t taking the time to get to know someone first and allow them to get to know you too, you could be heading into a disaster just like the one above. Building that relationship and connection, lets you both better understand whether or not you truly align and fit well together. It can be very easy to believe someone is the perfect client when they are coming to you right away excited to join your offers. The excitement of someone being interested, signing on a new client and things happening so fast, can blind side you. 

You forget that not every single person out there is made or meant to work with you. 

But why Lead Generation is REALLY Important...

We are human. We crave human connection. Making those deep connections with your leads, shows them you truly care and have their best interest at heart. They want to feel loved, seen and heard. They don’t want to feel like another dollar sign or post-it-note that you are anxiously waiting to write their name in sharpie on to stick on the wall. They want to feel that love from you. 

When you start to shift your focus on to lead generation you will start to see, 

• More genuine connections and relationships being built. Including trust in who you are as a business owner and how you can help. 
• Your audience fills up with ideal clients that align with you and less accounts that don’t align with you. 
• Simplicity in being able to sell your offers once relationships are built. 
• More eyes and interest on your offers and services. 

And let me tell you, all of that is a good feeling.

How Do You Go About Starting a conversation? 

I get this question all the time. Many hear the word lead generation and sending messages and automatically think ICK, I don’t want to cold DM someone. But it is FAR from that. As long as you do it right. We tend to want to overcomplicate things and Lead Generation is far from being complicated! So here are a few tips on how to go about starting conversations with your leads! 

1. Stop the scripts. The copy and paste messages are absolutely noticeable. When I am sending messages, I like to personalize each one. Use their name. Share your opinion about a post they recently posted, tell them how you relate or how it helped you. 
2. Release that sales only thought. Yes, maybe this person will become a client, but that isn’t what you are focusing on right now. Right now, all you should be thinking about is a genuine connection and conversation! Look at them as just another friend you are trying to get to know. 
3. People like to talk about themselves, ask them simple questions. Steer away from your basics: how long have you been in business or what made you start your business questions. Get creative. Most people roll their eyes when they see those business questions because they know the intentions coming after it. 
4. If your conversation fizzles out, let it. Don’t force it. Don’t stress about it. The conversation will spark back up again when the time is right. 

And most importantly, just remember to be YOU. Whether you are weird, corky, loud, let yourself shine. Your ideal lead will LOVE you for it and will feel more comfortable talking with you and like they too, can be themselves. 

Why You Should Stop Relying Just on Your Content to Bring in Leads 

We all know the importance of content. It is a HUGE part of our business strategy. It’s the way we share our offers, sell, share our stories, experiences, how we help others and why we are the one people need to work with. We share wins, results, life. It’s key, but it isn’t the only thing we need to be doing. 

When you add in Lead Generation, you are striking up conversations and interest in people who may not have even seen your page before. You may think your hashtags and amazing content will be shown to all your ideal leads, but the fact of the matter is, that’s just not how it works. In order to make sure you are being seen, you NEED to be making yourself seen. And the best way to do that is through Lead Generation. 

But it is more than just being seen and getting more eyes on your content. It’s about the human connection too. That 1:1 connection in the DM’s is so much more meaningful than that like on your post or simple comment left on your post. 

You are able to build that trust in the DM’s and create that emotional connection. It’s a place where that person you are talking to, may have felt scared to ask or share something in the comments and can feel more comfortable asking you or telling you now. 

So What Can You Do Next to Start Bringing in Leads?

Honestly? It’s time to start prioritizing Lead Generation and adding it into your strategy. It doesn’t have to be a grueling task either. You are already on your social media, I am assuming most likely daily, so it is absolutely possible to get some Lead Generation in on those days. Here are my thoughts for you to get started: 

1. It isn’t about quantity. We have been told and taught numerous times to engage for hours a day, like 10 posts, comment on 5, and all these other soul sucking tasks. But, Lead Generation does NOT have to be like that. It’s about quality. It always has been about quality. Think about it this way- taking just a few minutes to reach out to ONE new lead a day, brings you FIVE new leads a week and TWENTY for the whole month. That’s a lot. And when you focus on just that one a day, you are focused on truly connecting with them. You are focused on if they truly even align with you! Instead of randomly scrolling and liking accounts hoping they will come message you first, when most likely, they probably don’t even align. 

2. Put yourself out there. Yes this means content and showing up in your stories BUT it also means putting yourself in someone’s DMs instead of waiting around for them to make the first move. 

3. Be clear on the vibes you want to send your leads when you message them first. Get rid of that sale only mindset, because they will feel it as soon as you message them. They want to feel love and nurtured. Not like another dollar sign. 

4. Check your DM’s! Make sure you are setting time aside whether it is a few minutes each day or at the end of the week or every other day, whatever it may be- to check your DM’s and respond to your messages! Don’t leave your dream leads on read or unread. Your dream leads want your attention, otherwise, they will go elsewhere. 

5. Get clear on who you want to even be connecting with. No, you don’t have to niche down if you don’t want to, but you do need to have a good idea who it is you want to connect with. This will make it easier for you to find their accounts to connect with.  

6. Have fun and be yourself. Like I said, Lead Generation doesn’t have to be miserable or time consuming. It should be fun truly connecting with people you want to eventually serve or work with. Don’t feel like you have to change who you are in the DM’s to try to sound like this or that. Just be you. How would you normally start a conversation with someone in person? It’s the same in the DM’s!

Lead Generation can be a game changer for you and your business and is certainly worth implementing! For more Lead Generation tips and how to get started utilizing Lead Gen- grab my 5 Day Lead Gen Challenge Workbook HERE!!

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