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Being your own boss seems like heaven on earth. You can reply to your emails in the morning with your PJs on. Create your own schedule. Take a day off anytime you want.

No more long commutes, micromanaging bosses, and everything about the corporate world.

But on the flip side, working on your own can be really stressful. Not only do you need to juggle a lot of tasks, but you also need to motivate yourself daily.

Not sure if you should build your team or not?

I have three major reasons why you should leave the role as a solopreneur and hire more people to your team.

1. Be Consistent

Marketing is a process, not an event. It doesn't happen in a day where you launch with a big splash or spend a ton of money on ads. This is why consistency is the key. And this doesn't mean that all marketing activities (like building out your marketing plan) are supposed to be on your plate.

In the real world, business is a team sport. It's not something you have to do on your own.

As opposed to being a solopreneur, you actually need three types of people in your business.

Entrepreneur

So this is the “ideas person” or the visionary who is always working to come up with great ideas to solve a problem or bridge a gap in the market. They're also willing to take risks for a profit.

If you're a business owner, this is probably the category where you belong.

Specialist

A specialist implements the entrepreneur's vision. They could be an engineer, a venture capitalist, a graphic designer. So they take the vision and make it happen.

Manager

You've obviously got the entrepreneur, which is likely you as a business owner, and you've got someone that can deliver what you want. So now you need somebody to manage your marketing.

So a manager comes in every day to make sure that things are getting done, work gets delivered, and the vision is on track.

It's typical for the solopreneur to become either the entrepreneur or the specialist, or both, but rarely the manager. And you need to have three roles in your organization. Remember, consistency beats creative genius every time.

2. Focus On Your Speciality

A lot of business owners try to fit a square peg in a round hole. I’ll give you an example.

Perhaps you’ve spent countless hours trying to write, design, and run your Facebook ads, monitor your KPIs, and fill out financial spreadsheets all at once. But these are things you don’t  enjoy doing.

Essentially, you’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

So instead of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades, think about what your strengths are in the business. Then, focus on them. More importantly, hire somebody who can take over the tasks you can't do or don't like doing.

3. Upscale Your Business

I started as a solopreneur. But after a couple of years of fielding contractors’ and client questions, I realized that if I wanted to scale rapidly I needed help. So I hired and trained my internal team, and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Having a good team will skyrocket your business. Your team can be your eyes, ears and nose in the industry—they can help you uncover great opportunities and create new ones.

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Propel Your Business Growth

Think about elite sports persons. They’ve got a dedicated nutritionist, fitness coach, physiotherapist, tactical coach, doctor, manager, PR rep, whatever. It takes a team of specialists to keep them at the top of their game. They may have talent, but without the right people to harness that talent, they’d never reach their full potential.

And this also applies to business owners. It takes more than one person to grow a business. Stop trying to do everything yourself. When it comes to marketing, it's important that things are consistent, and there are designated roles for every responsibility.

So the takeaway here: Hire more people to your team. You need them to amplify your efforts. And later on, you'll see exponential business growth.

It's no secret that more people are transitioning from office to a work-from-home setup.

Remote work isn’t a trend. It's here to stay.

In fact, Buffer’s “2021 State of Remote Work” report found that 97% of workers would like to work at least some of the time remotely throughout their entire career.

And the biggest benefit they see is the flexibility it offers. Being able to pick up and go to a remote location while still being able to work is a massive game-changer for people.

But it’s also a game-changer for businesses. You get access to a wealth of talent. You reduce overheads, and it allows you to build a lifestyle business. You can wear whatever you want, live anywhere you choose, and work at your own pace. So virtual teams are a must. Great. Now what?

If you've got team members living in different places, you need tools to run your entire remote team effectively. This is really important to get right, so I’m going to share the tools you’ll need daily to successfully run a virtual business.

Team Toolbox

The best tool is the tool everyone can use.

Don't get me wrong. There are a ton of tools meant for to-do lists, time management, and other areas. But I’m going to focus on the essential tools that will keep your remote team productive and connected.

1. Asana

Remote work also presents a whole bunch of challenges.

As your team works remotely, you can't just go to a colleague's desk and ask for an update. It's hard to organize documents if they're all coming from emails being sent to you. And, there's no guarantee that you can schedule emergency meetings because your team might be in different time zones.

Thankfully, everything becomes possible with a project management tool.

There are a few popular tools to choose from, but Asana is my team’s favorite (and we’ve taken a few for a spin). We’ve found that it’s a great platform to manage even the largest and most complex projects.

Systems play an integral role in running a remote team successfully. And project management tools like Asana are the right solution for creating and managing a centralized system. With your team, you can collaborate in one space. Its main features allow you to:

• Create multiple project boards designated for different tasks
• Build a hierarchy of tasks for a seamless workflow
• Assign tasks to different people
• Monitor tasks that are either completed, in progress, or blocked
• Store documents and other files

2. Slack

Slack is a virtual messaging tool that remote workers love. It's a communication platform that helps your teammates collaborate—to share ideas, comments, and other real-time updates.

It also takes away the necessity for email within your organization, which is not really that bad, but communication tools like Slack notify you when someone sends you a message. It has other integration features too.

Slack basically allows you to:

• Create multiple channels for different team members
• Send personal messages
• Have an audio and video call with someone

3. G-Suite

I still see a lot of people using Microsoft Office, and while it’s the best tool for office set-ups, it won't work when running a team remotely.

It can feel daunting switching from MS Office to G-Suite, but it will be the cornerstone of your team's ability to create assets, share files, and keep everything centralized. And once you’re up to speed on how to use it, you’ll never go back.

These are the G-Suite (now known as Google Workforce) applications my team uses and loves:

• Gmail is the world’s most popular email service with a user-friendly interface and additional features that make it a great choice for business and personal use.
• Google Meet is a popular video communication and collaboration tool you can use to set up weekly or monthly meetings with your team.
• Google Docs allows you to create and edit text documents. Instead of attaching files to your emails, you can simply share an accessible link with your team.
• Google Sheets is a free, web-based spreadsheet application that allows you to create spreadsheets. It has a lot of awesome features, such as colorful charts and graphs, built-in formulas, tables, and other formatting options.
• Google Drive is a cloud storage platform that keeps all your files in one secure, centralized location. Remote workers can store and share documents, spreadsheets, and slide presentations.
• Google Slides allows you to make both online and offline presentations for business use.
• Google Calendar is a time-management and scheduling calendar service so you can keep track of meetings, events, and get notifications about upcoming activities.

Since G-Suite is cloud-based, every single application under it allows your remote team to:

• Share files and projects
• Make changes in real-time
• Maintain a full version history of files and track changes
• Integrate with third-party applications

4. Zoom

Since in-person meetings are not possible when working remotely, Zoom is a great tool for scheduling weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings with your virtual team. On these calls you can:

• Check on each team member's roles and responsibilities
• Track the progress of various projectsSet a plan of action
• Discuss other concerns or issues
• Catch up with each other

Even if you haven't met your team members in person yet (or may never if you live oceans apart), virtual meetings bring the human element to the remote workplace.

So aside from talking about work, allot time for some chit chat—this will help cultivate relationships and build trust within your team.

And don't forget to put together business systems for your team. These are step-by-step instructions on how to use each of the tools mentioned above. You'll thank me for it. Learn what is a business system here.

Other Remote Work Tools:

1. World Time Buddy

If you have to schedule a meeting or event with anyone from the team, you can use World Time Buddy. This is a popular world clock and time converter. It's the perfect solution for dealing with time across multiple time zones.

My team is spread across multiple time zones. I also have clients from other parts of the world, so I keep this open at all times to ensure I’m not scheduling calls for 3 am.

2. Loom

Loom is a Chrome extension that enables you to record your screen and share the video through a link in just a few clicks. It's basically a video messaging platform for work.

So for example, if you want to train someone from your team, you can simply record yourself while doing a specific task then share the link and they can access it anytime. This is also helpful for addressing urgent matters, especially among teams working across different time zones.

3. Calendly

Gone are the days when you have to manually write emails to each team member about the upcoming meeting schedule. Calendly offers a powerful and versatile set of features that allow you to schedule one-on-one appointments, group events, and team meetings.

It’s also great for setting up meetings with clients, consultants, vendors, media, whatever. You can just share your link and they’re able to choose a time that suits them and you.

Tools For Your Home Studio

As an influencer, podcaster, content creator or expert authority, you're required to jump on to Zoom calls or put out new content weekly.

How you present yourself online matters.

If you're using a crappy camera, or audio that crackles, it’s the equivalent of you showing up to speak at a stadium with a big stain on your shirt. That would be really distracting to your audience.

So you need to level up your audio and visual game, and that requires thinking about your home studio setup.

You can find everything you need to know about setting up your home studio in this article.

Using Remote Work Tools to Get Things Done

These remote work tools are a necessity for your business's success. They enable:

• A productive, motivated and happy team
• A collaborative work environment
• Strategic planning with achievable objectives
• Seamless workflow
• High-quality project deliverables that make clients happy and convert to real ROI

It's up to you to try them out. And don't hesitate to explore more options. Use what's best for your team. The good news is, most of them are free, and some have free trial versions, so you can decide before committing to them.

But giving your team the tools they need to do a great job won't guarantee they deliver the goods. You also need to build a strong work culture. Here's how.

Now I'd like to know what you're currently using. Did some of your favorites make the list? Is there anything you want to try?

Defining and understanding your target market are two different things. When I say defining, you have to know who they are.

On the other hand, understanding digs deeper into the question, “Who is your target market?” and identifies, “What makes these people part of your audience?”

This is where you become a spy.

Imagine you’re James Bond or Salt on a mission to uncover where your target market lives in the digital space. Where are they active? Who are the trusted figures in their communities? What are their goals, dreams, pain points?

To help you infiltrate your industry, I’m going to share my top five ways to get into the mindset of your target market.

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Defining your target market

Suppose you want your marketing efforts to yield positive returns. You need to clearly define your target audience. Your niche target audience is a specific group of people who are likely to buy your products and services. So they're potential customers.

Once you identify your target market, you then need to understand who your target audience is.

Market research is a great way to do it. Research reveals demographic information, common characteristics you target audience share, income level, marital status, age, sex, interesting data, and much more.

• It tells you what their needs are?
• What keeps them up at night?
• What are their interests?
• Which social media networks they follow?
• Why your products or services would improve their lives?
• Do you have more than one market segment?

This data informs any marketing campaign or advertising you create for your business. But how do you gather this data?

Well, you can survey your customer base to understand your target customers. You can organize a focus group. However, often current customers will tell you what they think you want to hear, which may impact the marketing campaigns you create.

I prefer to follow these five tried and trusted methods.

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5 Ways to identify your target markets needs

1. Identify trade journals

Trade journals are reliable resources that can keep you updated with the industry trends, news, and other necessary information. They can tell you a world of information about your target audience.

For example, if you want to become a vendor in the dentistry industry, trade journals provide valuable insight into what’s happening in the industry, what changes are occurring, where the gaps are and how you can fill them.

You can google them. Just make sure to be very specific with your search term. So don’t just search for “Dentistry Trade Journals.” Search for “American Dentistry Trade Journals.”

List at least five trade journals that you can opt-in or subscribe to get the latest news, updates, and relevant information.

2. Find out where industry chatter happens

Do you know where your target audience hangs out online? If not, you have to start monitoring the industry chatter.

Find out where they interact with one another. Where do they ask questions, spill secrets, and share their experiences?

Depending on the industry, it can be in a number of different sources. For example, it can be in Facebook groups, Reddit forums, and even old-school mailing lists.

That's for you to find out.

Again, think of yourself as a spy who's been hired to infiltrate the industry. Facebook Insights and SparkToro are excellent tools to help you track down your target market and identify their strong and weak points.

The better you get to know them, the easier it is to recognize how you can add value to their lives. How can you help them?

3. Join industry associations

The great thing about industry associations is you can join for free, or for a small cost.

Besides filling out your LinkedIn profile, having a list of memberships from different associations gives you access to invaluable data—an industry insider primed to share all their secrets. You also look forward to the following perks:

• Get invited to industry events and trade shows.
• Meet vendors and find out what they're selling and who’s buying the stock.
• Grow your network.
• Get more opportunities to grow and upscale in the industry.
• Broaden your industry knowledge.

A quick online search can give you a list of associations under your industry. I'd say choose wisely. Make sure they're legitimate and they have a good reputation.

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4. Identify potential industry blogs

Aside from journals, industry blogs are also great resources for understanding your target market because they provide a more human perspective. Again, an online search can provide you with several recommendations, as long as you're specific with your search terms.

When looking for industry blogs, you have to consider the following:

• Does the site have a high domain authority score? This tells you how high it ranks on search engines like Google and how relevant it is to your search query. You can use free tools like Moz to get this information.
• Are they publishing content regularly?
• Do they engage with their target audience—featuring people's lives and experiences—and respond to them?
• Do their blogs have social shares?

5. Create a list of industry podcasts to listen to.

No one consumes content the same way. Think of your target audience as a mixture of both readers and listeners. While I love to read books and blogs, you might prefer to listen to podcasts.

It's a wonderfully productive pastime. You can immerse yourself in knowledgeable, engaging conversations about the industry you want to be part of while driving, exercising, or doing chores around the house. You also get to hear from owners and their customers so it’s a great way to get a holistic view of the industry.

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So in the end, a little espionage goes a long way

It’s important to get your market research correct upfront. It has a domino effect on everything you do thereafter. If you don’t have a clear picture of whom makes up your target market, your messaging will be off, your media won’t be the right fit, and in the end, you won’t reach the right people.

So defining your target audience is supercritical. It'll significantly impact your marketing efforts.

Market research takes time. Expect to invest a couple of hours on research, tracking down solid leads and getting to know your demographics. Learning which market segment you want to create target marketing for. How best to sell your product or service? Whether digital marketing or social media is necessary. Do you need to update your brand, whatever?

See what your competitors are doing. How can your business produce better advertising and marketing campaigns?

Once you’ve gathered your data start filling out your 1-Page Marketing Plan. This will make identifying your target audience, creating target marketing, nurturing and converting leads to customers much easier.

To help you get started, we’ve shared a few completed 1PMP examples here.

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Advertising is one of the most misunderstood and expensive parts of the marketing process. Time again I speak to business owners who:

• Have no idea if their marketing actually works
• Use one media to reach their target audience
• Manually handle nurturing their prospects

Does this sound like you? I'm not saying you're doing everything wrong. I just think you can head in a better direction if you know what good advertising is and how to leverage the right media strategies.

So, I’m going to break down common misconceptions about advertising media, and share powerful tips on how you can get the most from your spend.

What Makes Advertising Effective?

I don't know about you, but most businesses want to get as much exposure from the media as possible. It feels good to be seen on billboards, TV commercials, in publications, online, whatever.

Dmitry Dragilev likens this to lights over Broadway. But the thing is, your target audience is at home watching Netflix. So wasting your money on media which your prospect never consumes is bad for business and your bank account.

It feels good to be able to say, “I’ve been featured in Forbes or The New York Times.” But that’s just feeding your ego.

You really want to be making money in the shadows, and you do this through targeted advertising. This has worked for me.

I'm pretty sure 99.99% of people on Earth have no idea who Allan Dib is, and that's fine with me. I don't mind it, as long as the remaining 0.01% are my target audience—who know me, connect with me, and do business with me.

So what makes advertising effective?

It's not about getting your name out to a wider audience. It's about connecting to the right audience and getting them to opt for your product or service. This means having a very clear picture of whom you audience is and what makes them tick. This blog shows you how to infiltrate your market.

4 Tips for Reaching Prospects with Advertising Media

1. Track your numbers.

From a marketing perspective, you should adapt the "money at a discount" mindset.

Let's think about it this way...

You're actually buying customers. And you should buy them at a lower cost, so once they buy from you, you can earn a profit.

How much would you pay for a $10,000 or $100,000 prospect?

It’s hard to come up with a figure until you start tracking your metrics.

No matter what advertising media you use, here are the key metrics that you should track:

• Leads: How many leads do you have?
• Conversion Rate: Based on the number of leads you have, how many decided to buy from you?
• Cost of Customer Acquisition: How much did you spend for acquiring a customer or client? Average
• Transaction Value (front-end): This is calculated by dividing the total value of all sales by the total number of sales.
• Lifetime Value (back-end): This is the average amount of money your customers will spend on your business over the entire span of your relationship.

The first two key metrics are easy to understand. But do you know what front-end and back-end mean?

• Front-end: This could be a customer's first purchase from your ad.
• Back-end: This is the amount of money you gain from subsequent purchases. You either have a subscription or an ongoing type of service.

The goal is to make money on both the front- and back-end. It’s not unusual to lose money on the front-end, and earn from the back-end, but ideally you want a return on investment upfront.

Over time, your numbers will fluctuate. They’ll go up or down. A slight increase in each number makes a huge difference to the overall results you're going to get. That's why it’s crucial you know your numbers. Don't rely on estimates because they're purely guesswork.

As long as you track your key metrics regularly, you'll know how much you're gaining and losing. And most importantly, this will help you figure out the  platforms that work best for your business right media platforms that work best for your business.

2. Don't be single-source dependent.

So, being single-source dependent is a very dangerous approach in marketing.

Don't be that person who's getting all their leads from one place, whether it be Google, Facebook, or Amazon. All you need is for one person to complain and you can lose your Facebook account over night. Every one of your followers—gone. You’ll have no way of contacting them.

While a single platform can be very good for you, it’s still important to diversify your media.

I personally recommend you use at least five different media platforms to build connections, advertise in, get leads from, and gain revenue from. For example, media pitching is a great way to gain free press for your business and generate leads.

For marketing newbies, you want to have a mix of digital media and offline media. They’re really not that complicated. Here, I’ll unpack them for you...

Digital Media

You can build your opt-in list and grow your customer base through digital media. The main reason why my website exists is to have people opt-in to my mailing list. It's one of my key digital assets that drives my business growth.

There are a bunch of different places where someone can opt-in, whether it’s on the home page, product page, and even on the blog site.

Aside from your website, you can also use:

• Social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
• Media sharing platforms: TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify
• Shopping and e-commerce platforms: Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, Etsy
• Public relations: Contributing content to publishers through press releases or pitching.

Offline Media

Also known as traditional channels, it’s how businesses advertised in the good old days. And your business can still benefit from:

• Radio
• TV
• Billboards
• Direct mail (snail mail)

Like I said, I don't think that offline media is dead. I personally get hundreds of emails a day, but I might get one or two packages delivered to my home. So if you're sending me a package through physical mail, it's going to get more of my attention because I rarely get one.

Now, if both digital and offline media works, I want you to take a multimedia approach. I'm not saying that you should be on every platform you come across, but choose media where you can connect with people on an ongoing basis.

Do You Want to Grow Your Business Rapidly?

Then you need to market it. But not just any marketing will do. In my new 1-Page Marketing Plan Course, I show you the exact techniques I've used to start, grow, and exit several multi-million dollar businesses, so you can too.

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3. Hire experts.

Your advertising media is the most expensive part of your marketing. Why? Because it's the bridge between you and your target market.  

A common mistake people make is getting paid for herding cats.

If they want something done right, they're pretty much hands-on to do everything on their own. They pull together all the right tools and resources to make sure everything's working properly.

If you're doing the same thing, think twice. Don't overburden yourself, trying to make everything work. If you're not an expert in a certain area, hire someone else to do the job for you.

Business is a team sport. So if you don't know how Facebook Ads work, hire a Facebook ads expert. If you're new to email marketing and you're struggling to craft the perfect email, bring in an email marketing specialist, and so on.

Like any team sport, you need different skills within the team. So here's what you should do:

• List all the media platforms you'd like to use for your marketing. But first make sure that your target market is active on these platforms.
• Contract specialists to bring your team up to speed.
• Bring your specialists in-house.

4. Use different tools.

There is no all-in-one tool. Well, there are some, but they’re nowhere near as sophisticated as specialist tools.

It might sound funny, but I really wish that there was one tool that would make our lives easier. I've seen some that attempt to do this, but the problem is they tend to be mediocre at everything.

It's similar when hiring a carpenter to build a cupboard or shelving for my room. I expect him to bring a toolbox with different kinds of tools inside. Now, if he comes with an all-in-one tool, I would definitely question whether he's a professional or not.

Same thing applies to the tools you're using for your media strategy. You need a variety of tools for team communication, taking payments, CRM, and so on.

Here are 5 tools I’d recommend:

1. Team Communication

• G-Suite
• Slack
• Zoom

If you’re building a virtual business, these tools are a must. My team uses G-Suite mainly for sending and receiving emails, organizing documents, and so on. We communicate daily through Slack. Whether you're working with a big or small team, it's a good communication platform. You’ll also need a separate tool for team meetings like Zoom.

2. Calendar and Scheduling

• Google Calendar
• Calendly

Google Calendar gives your team an overview of how your schedule looks.

And for Calendly, you can plot dates when you're available and allow people to book themselves. And it works across time zones as well. Say you have a client in a different time zone, it automatically converts the time based on where you live, making scheduling calls super simple—and it’s really saved me and my team so many headaches.

3. CRM Systems

• Ontraport's
• ActiveCampaign
• ConvertKit

Ontraport's my personal favorite. It works best for mailing lists with more than 10,000 subscribers. ActiveCampaign and ConvertKit are also really popular CRM systems. They’re ideal for smaller lists.

If you're looking for a system, think about how it can help you take opt-ins from your website. Look for a CRM that can segment, has automation capabilities, and allows you to free up your time to work on other important matters.

4. Online Training

• Zoom Webinars
• GoToWebinar
• Vimeo

I run a webinar at least once a week, and I currently use Zoom Webinars. It records in HD and has all these fancy features like Q&A and polling.

You can also keep an eye on GoToWebinar and Vimeo. They're both excellent. Online training and webinars are such a powerful medium for converting leads in the middle of the funnel.

5. Payment Channels

• ThriveCart
• SamCart
• Shopify
• Magento
• WooCommerce

I personally use ThriveCart. There are other competing systems like SamCart. If you're an e-commerce business, try Shopify, Magento or WooCommerce.

Whatever system you choose, make sure it integrates with your CRM system. For example, when someone buys from you, you should be able to tag them as a buyer, so you're no longer sending prospect-style emails. There's no point in sending marketing emails if someone has already bought from you.

And of course, you need a simple and clean interface. Some checkout pages just make things complicated. Don't add irrelevant fields, direct someone to create an account, and all of this sort of stuff. Make the payment process smooth and seamless for everyone.

Building Your Media Strategy

To wrap it up, building your media strategy starts with:

• Knowing your numbers
• Diversifying your media
• Hiring experts
• Using different tools

There are a lot of ways to reach prospects through the media. Don't rely on one particular media. It takes time to try new things and see if they work for your marketing, but your numbers will give you the answers. Use it to your advantage and come up with a great strategy that converts prospects to customers.

Media is a vital stage in your marketing plan, so you really want to get it right. To learn more about how to build out your marketing plan, check out this post.

Everyone is in sales. You may have zero experience in sales. Doesn’t matter, it’s still your responsibility and the responsibility of your team to sell your business.

What you don’t want to be is a talkative, annoying, and pushy salesperson who upsells to every prospect you come across.

That’s the old way of selling.

You need to embrace the new way of selling. It requires a mindset shift and a new marketing strategy. So I’m going to help you get into the new groove of selling your products or services.

Just follow these seven tried and true sales tips...

1. Focus on the customer

At times, you probably talk too much about the business and the product you sell, but not enough about your prospect or customer.

This has to stop. Think about it. Put yourself in their shoes.

Would you buy from a brand whose marketing is too self-absorbed? Would you be encouraged to buy from a one-size-fits-all marketing approach? I don't think so. In fact, it turns people off quickly.

Your target audience should be your top priority. Know who they are—their wants, needs, pain points. Everything that will help you to understand and connect with them.

2. Consult

Think of yourself as a doctor who's giving a diagnosis.

Really 80% of the talking should come from your customers, while 20% should come from you. This is what a consultative sales approach looks like.

When reaching out to your prospects or customers, you need to:

• Listen to your prospects’ pain points
• Ask the right questions
• Offer advice or solutions that match their needs

And the key here is to make sure the solutions match what you offer or sell. In case they’re not the right match, it’s best to look for alternatives.

3. Educate

The hard sell is old news. It doesn’t fly anymore. If you want your prospects to trust you, they have to see you as an expert in your field. Not just any other entrepreneur out there.

So to start, you have to educate yourself. Being a non-sales person is not an excuse. You don't have to become a bookworm or the next Seth Godin to understand how marketing works.

You can start by:

• Familiarizing yourself with how the industry works
• Interacting with your target audience
• Reading resources related to your business

Then, prepare tools and resources to educate your prospects, such as:

• How-to guides
• Videos
• Books
• Webinars
• Introductory consulting sessions

4. Always start with a question

You might wonder what's the right way to approach a prospect you've just met for the first time.

Should you pitch right away? Or ask a question?

I'd say it's better to ask a question first. It's an effective conversation starter. It sparks a connection and helps you to know and understand your prospect initially.

Just make sure to raise the right questions, one at a time. Whether it's about selling or getting referrals, make sure your prospect is comfortable communicating with you.‍

Do You Want to Grow Your Business Rapidly?

Then you need to market it. But not just any marketing will do. In my new 1-Page Marketing Plan Course, I show you the exact techniques I've used to start, grow, and exit several multi-million dollar businesses, so you can too.

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5. Tell a story

Facts help, but stories sell.

Sure, there are interesting facts. But if you're just going to present a bunch of numbers and statistics to a prospect, you'll barely close a sale.

Stories evoke emotions and drive people to decide whether to buy or not to buy. This explains why prospects would rather read customer reviews than a bunch of statistics.

So instead of saying, “Nine out of ten people love your product,” you can simply share a customer testimonial.

6. Be persistent

Do you know it takes five contacts with your prospect to show up on their radar? Surprisingly, most salespeople give up after the first one to two contacts.

So persistence is key when it comes to following up with your prospects.

I'm not saying you should be pushy. But you always have to be available when your prospects need help—when they want to ask questions.

You have to be someone they can email or call at any given time.

This is why you have to learn how to nurture your leads and prospects. It might be time-consuming and tiring initially. But in time, they'll learn to trust you. And this will turn into conversions—because conversations lead to conversions.

7. Overcome objections

As a non-salesperson, hearing, “no,” is probably one of the biggest challenges you have to overcome. Even sales people struggle with this. You're not alone.

It might take time for you to become comfortable with rejections and regain your confidence, but it's part of the sales process and it will lose its sting.

Now aside from accepting the NOs, ask why people say, “no.” This will help you understand why you get rejections and what you can do to overcome them.

You have unlimited chances to pick yourself up. Use this to your advantage. Learn more about how to convert leads to sales here.

‍

Key Takeaway

Sales are the lifeblood of business. Everyone is in sales.

So whether you're a business owner, a manager, an accountant, or whatever, it's important to learn basic sales skills. Follow these seven tips and start closing more sales.

If you got any value from this article, you might be interested in our blog on How To Set Up Your Sales Funnel. Check it out.

So someone saw your email in their inbox, clicked on it, and read it. Great, right?

Now, what? What do you want that subscriber to do next?

I recently talked about how to get your emails opened and read. You can check it out here. The next challenge is tackling your click through rate. Getting your mailing list to take some sort of action. Whether that's opting into a paid membership, requesting a quote, or booking a call—what's the next step?

But before I dive in, let's look at two common mistakes businesses make when sending marketing emails:

1. Sending newsletters: Newsletters are purely informational. There's nothing for a subscriber to do with them. So don't limit yourself to sending newsletters.
2. Using a no-reply email address: This is one of the biggest mistakes in email marketing. Never use a no-reply email address. You're blocking your prospects and customers from replying to you. If someone replies and it goes unanswered, you just missed connecting with a potential customer. And it's your loss, not theirs. So don't do it.

What Is A Click-Through Rate?

Your email click-through rate is the total number of recipients in your email list who clicked on the call-to-action in your email.

For example, if you have an email list of 30,000 subscribers. And you send an email upselling your course (click the link to learn how). If 100 of those subscribers click on the call-to-action link in your email, your CTR is 0.33%.

What Is the Average Email Click-Through Rate?

According to HubSpot's 2023 Research, the average click-through rate from an email is about 2.6-3%. If your email CTR is lower than that, you might want to prune your email list or relook your writing strategy.

Perhaps your subject lines need to be more intriguing. Maybe your copy needs to be livened up.

But often low CTR is a result of a bloated email list, some of which are not your ideal target market.

Why Email Responses Matter

People worry too much about getting a ton of emails and spending hours replying to them.

You're worrying about the wrong things. Email marketing is not a broadcast medium where you just blast newsletters here and there.

It's a two-way street. Think about owning a physical store. When someone comes in, a salesperson (you) will ask them if they need assistance, and then you'll walk them through. Give them a tour, get asked a few questions, and answer them. Now, this is the concept of email responses.

Allow your subscribers to reply to your emails. And don't ignore their messages. Write back within a day or so. Engaging with your readers in this manner is super powerful. It's how you begin to nurture relationships, build trust, and steadily move subscribers towards a sale.

Do You Want to Grow Your Business Rapidly?

Then you need to market it. But not just any marketing will do. In my new 1-Page Marketing Plan Course, I show you the exact techniques I've used to start, grow, and exit several multi-million dollar businesses, so you can too.

Tell Me More

How to Get Your Leads to Click Through

Now that you know why responses are an essential component of your email marketing strategy, here are some tips on getting your mailing list to take action and click through to your offer.

Have a super signature.

If you're subscribed to my mailing list, you'll know I have a super signature. This is a low-pressure sales tactic that ends my emails. It's a P.S. that I use to promote my audiobook, course, and a chance to work with me one-on-one.

You can also use a super signature to promote anything.

But here's a friendly reminder: It has to be a soft sell. Just list products and services you offer in your super signature, tell more about them and encourage your readers to reply.

Your Super Signature Must Include

• Link to products
• A free downloadable asset - you should be giving away your best stuff for free, such as a helpful checklist or a template
• Invitation to sign up for an event or a webinar
• Invitation to join your community or group
• Link to social proof, as you want people to trust you. Link to Google reviews or testimonials.
• Link to a video, as you can show people how your services are done. Also, people get to see you and that’s very important for relationship building.
• Invitation to connect

My Formula For A Super Signature

• P. S. - that’s important because in general when you see it, it’s something extra that catches your eye and it’s usually something personal.
• PLUS: Here you want to be talking directly to you reader. It suggests you're adding more value.
• 1-3 relevant actions:
• A compelling headline
• 2-3 sentences summarizing why they should be paying attention
• Call to action

Below is an example of my super signature.

Send a personal reply.

Most people think of call-to-action as a click to a blog or sales page. I don't mind if you do this, especially if you have a particular offer on your site.

But try sending personal replies too. It's quick, simple, and easy.

Instead of sending a subscriber to a web page—which requires more effort on their part—start the conversation through email.

The reply button is there for a reason.

Key point: Use a P.S. that says you personally read and answer emails from your subscribers. This reminds people that a real person is ready to reply on the other end.

Send emails regularly.

Not everyone's ready to buy from you or work with you. Some prospects take weeks, months, and even years to take the next step to become your customer.

Regularly sending emails can be a powerful way to build a relationship with your readers. First, it will help you establish yourself as a thought leader and a trusted confidante. And this also helps to encourage your prospects to reply and connect with you.

If you ask me how often you should send your emails, it depends on many factors. But a good rule of thumb is to send one email every week.

Remember, you don't want to have long breaks between emails. Absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder when it comes to email marketing; it results in amnesia. And if your prospects haven't heard from you in, say, three months or so, they'll forget they willingly opted into your emails. Many will unsubscribe.

So make sure you're emailing your list regularly.

Key Takeaway

Getting your subscribers to take action from your marketing emails starts with having a clear call-to-action (CTA).

Do you want your subscribers to:

• Hit reply?
• Call you?
• Visit your website?
• Click a link?

Include your CTA in your super signature, and send at least weekly emails. Personalize your emails so people know they're coming from you. Do all of these regularly, and you'll build and deepen relationships with your target audience.

Do you have other ways to drive your subscribers to take action from emails? I'd love to know!

Have you given up on email marketing? If it feels like email is a strategy that just doesn’t work for your business, you’re not alone. I often get complaints from clients who can’t crack the email marketing code.

But as soon as I start to delve a little deeper into their efforts, I notice common mistakes that are affecting the success of their email campaigns.

Email marketing is an excellent investment if you know what you're doing. It's key to building your inbound strategy and hitting target numbers.

And you can course correct. Don't give up because you haven't had the success you were hoping for.

Email delivers a massive return on investment. In fact, it has the best return out of any marketing tactic. For every $1 you spend on email marketing, expect to get an average return of $42. That's why it needs to be part of your business's marketing plan.

So how can you start to write emails your prospects want to receive and respond to?

To improve your delivery and open rate, get more responses, and grow your sales, try these email marketing DOs and DON’Ts.

The 9 Do's of Email Marketing

1. Start with an intriguing statement.

You want something that will draw your reader in and make them think, I’ve got to see where this is going. Every word counts. I’ll give you a few examples:

• You’ll never believe what happened to me yesterday. It was simply too good not to share.
• Imagine for a moment…you’ve just closed a major deal.
• What if I told you that I'm quitting?
• I just met the richest guy in the world.
• 2020 is the most challenging year of my life. I thought I was right until...

2. Keep it short.

I don’t know about you, but for me, walls of text are a major turn off. It feels like I’m reading a school paper and that’s just not something I want to see in my inbox. Big chunks of text are intimidating, and most people won't read them.

Instead, you want to break your sentences up. Write shorter paragraphs. Make it easy for them to read and follow.

Another top tip is to leave out fluff and unnecessary content. If it doesn’t add to the story, it doesn’t need to be there.

So, once you've written your draft, start cutting and pruning your work.

3. Stick to plain text.

Unless you have an e-commerce or fashion site, forget about creating a fancy designed template. Text-based emails work because they feel more personal. It’s like an email from a friend.

Make sure it’s in a readable format. For example, if you want to emphasize an idea or a thought, bold or italicize it.

If you're listing steps, use numbers. And bullet points are perfect for highlighting benefits or ideas. Best of all, they make it easy for your subscribers to digest your content.

Leave the bells and whistles for programmatic advertising. Overload your emails with ads and you’ll come across as pushy or worse, desperate.

4. Make it personal.

Even if you have a database of 20,000 subscribers, write as if you're talking to one person. So always use 1st and 2nd singular subjects. This means no "y’all" or "you guys." Instead, use words like:

• You - This one is very powerful.
• Hey, Hi, or Yo! [NAME]
• Use their name in the body of the text when possible.

And if you want to boost your open rate, you can add the recipient's name in the subject line. For example, instead of writing "Can you help me decide?" ask "Which would you pick, [NAME]?" It’s a clever marketing hack that makes the reader feel important and valued. It also comes across like you wrote the email specifically for them.

5. Give actionable value.

Email marketing is more than getting your emails opened and read. That's just the tip of the iceberg. People need to know what to do next after reading your emails.

So, what actionable steps can you give to support your content?

• Do you want them to hit reply?
• Do you want them to click a link to your blog article, a product you’re selling, or a webinar you’re hosting?
• Do you want them to call you now?

Whatever it is, always include a call-to-action (CTA). Give them clear and direct instructions. For more info on how to get your emails actioned read this blog.

6. Test before you send.

What does your email look like on your mobile phone? What does it look like on your desktop?

Always test your email before sending it out to your list. This way, you can fix any typos, broken links, strange wording, unnecessary fluff, and poor imagery. Here’s why.

Imagine your email is Brad Pitt—Achilles himself. He’s one of the best looking dudes in the world, but if he’s got a piece of lettuce stuck in his teeth, you’re not going to notice those gorgeous blonde locks or dazzling white teeth. You’re going to be fixated on that annoying bit of green.

So small mistakes leave bad impressions. They draw our attention away from all the good stuff in your email, and you don't want that to happen.

Here’s how you can avoid this from happening:

• Run your email through something like Grammarly or Hemingway.
• Send a test email to your phone.
• Ask a colleague to give it a once-over before sending it to your list.

7. Find a way to tell a personal story.

Readers want to know that they're talking to an actual person, and they can smell a white lie a mile off. So, personalize it. Share a story about yourself or something that recently happened to you. It can be anything funny, embarrassing, or memorable, as long as it's connected to the topic.

Stories draw your readers in. They establish kinship, for lack of a better word. Use them to your advantage.

8. Add an emoji in your subject line.

Emojis are a great way to express what you’re feeling, and you probably use them all the time. So why not add one to your subject line?

They’re attention-grabbing, friendly, and can even boost your open rate.

But here’s a word of caution. Don’t overuse them. Only use an emoji if it adds to your message. Slapping in an exploding fireball or a dancing fairy might not work if you’re sending an email about the Dow Jones.

9. Use a CRM.

Every business needs a CRM. It’s an essential email marketing tool, and it’s going to make nurturing relationships with your customers and leads so much easier.

You can use CRMs to do any of the following:

• Send automated emails
• Handle opt-in and opt-out mechanisms
• Track your spam score
• Find out if you're using a lot of links or phrases that are going to trip up spam filters

Most importantly, it helps you to track what emails are performing well and which failed. This way, you can figure out what works and what to avoid in the future.

So now that we know what you need to be doing in your emails, let’s talk about what you absolutely shouldn’t be doing.

‍‍

The 6 Don’ts of Email Marketing

1. Don’t use email as a broadcast medium.

A lot of media is essentially used as a broadcast medium—ads on TV, YouTube, banner advertising, radio—you get the idea. You don’t want your emails to fall into this category.

But email marketing, when done right, is not a broadcast medium. It’s really a two-way street. It’s about talking to your audience and getting to know them. You want to deliver value, educate, and entertain.

Blasting a bunch of promotional messages like, Hey, buy my stuff, gets old quickly. My rule of thumb is two to three value-building emails to one hard sell.

2. Don’t spam.

I’m not talking about the tinned food. Spam is unsolicited, overly promotional email that's unexpected. I’d go so far as to say unwanted.

There are a few things that can make your emails look like spam.

• Spammy keywords: “Make money” and “Get rich quick” are examples of keywords not to use.
• Too many links: Calls to action are essential, but you want to limit the number.
• Over capitalization: Limit the use of all caps in emails, especially in subject lines (using the words “DOs” and “DON’Ts” are an exception).
• Too many images: Make sure you’re using a reasonable amount of tasteful images.
• Your email reputation: If web providers get an indication that when you send emails, people hit the spam button, you’ll get flagged, and your emails will automatically start filtering to promotions tabs or spam folders.

So if you don’t want your emails to be classified as spam, you need to send emails that are actually wanted and needed. Don’t forget to check if your email security protocols are activated.

3. Don't buy mailing lists.

This is an absolute no-no. A lot of businesses think buying mailing lists is a sure-fire solution to getting customers quickly. Frankly, you might as well start flushing your dollars down the drain.

Your customers and prospects aren’t idiots. They know when they’ve opted into a mailing list. So if your business suddenly starts appearing in their inbox, that’s going to make them mad.

This can lead to bad-mouthing online, which can definitely affect your brand reputation.

And let’s not forget, there’s no guarantee that the list you buy will be full of qualified leads. You really MUST have people's permission to email them; it’s the law.

So instead of wasting your time, money and resources on buying mailing lists, put that effort into building a must-have lead magnet. You’ll build your list slower, but you’ll have a greater chance of converting these leads into customers.

4. Don't send too many emails in a week.

Do you want to receive five to six emails a week from the same brand? I know I don’t.

You want to be seen as a welcome guest in your prospects’ lives, not a pest. Emailing too often can quickly turn you into the friend that people avoid by silencing their phones when you call.

So don’t overwhelm your readers. Limit the number of emails you send.

5. Don’t go straight for the hard sell.

No one likes a pushy salesperson.

If you only ever send "buy my stuff" emails, your unsubscribe rate will be pretty high. Remember, email is about building reciprocal relationships. Everyone needs to win.

But if you don’t educate, entertain, or deliver value, you’ll quickly become a parasite that needs to be exterminated. So stick to the 3:1 ratio. Three value-building emails to one promotional email.

6. Don't use spammy trigger words.

These are the words that spam filters send straight to spam folders. Your email could genuinely be a wealth of good advice, but if you’ve used a spammy word in your subject line or the body of your email, your subscriber will probably never see it.

Here are a few words to avoid.

• Make money
• Get rich
• Earn extra money
• Limited time
• Order now
• No fees
• Free
• Bonus
• Urgent
• Unlimited
• Exclusive deals
• Instant
• For instant access
• Once-in-a-lifetime
• Join millions of
• Americans
• What are you waiting for?
• Congratulations!
• Double your income
• Message contains
• This isn’t spam

And that’s the six DON’Ts of email marketing. Make sure you’re not making these mistakes.

Wrapping Up...

Email marketing is a powerful strategy when done the right way. Follow the steps listed above, and your list of subscribers will actually look forward to receiving your emails. Your open rate and click-through rate will improve, and you’ll close sales more often.

What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to email marketing? I’d love to know.

If you enjoyed this article, you might want to check out our post on How to Set Up Your Sales Funnel. Check it out and let me know if you found it helpful.

There are four major challenges of email marketing. I’ve already covered how to guarantee your email gets delivered here. That’s the first challenge. Now we’re going to talk about getting your emails opened and read.

Inboxes are typically cluttered. You know that. Yours is. I know mine is. If you’re writing overly promotional copy, your emails will be buried in your recipient's crowded inbox, unanswered and worse, tossed into the garbage.

A successful email marketing campaign starts with a good email open rate. This will get you more click-throughs, more conversions, and more revenue.

In this post, I’m going to talk about the three key elements of getting your email opened, then I’ll explain what you need to ensure your email gets read.

How to Get Your Email Opened

1. Use Your Name as the Sender.

People are more likely to open an email from a person, instead of a brand. Let me ask you this, what’s the first thing you think of when you see a brand name in your inbox? Probably that it’s going to be some sort of sales pitch. Maybe you open it. Maybe you don’t.

But getting an email from a name is different.

If you're subscribed to my email list, you’ll know my marketing emails show up with my personal name as the sender. So, you can see "Allan Dib" and not "Lean Marketing." It's coming from allan@, not info@ or sales@.

This helps my subscribers to know they’re getting a personal email from me, Allan Dib. So they know I wrote it.

Whereas, using "info" or "sales," or whatever role-based email address is too generic. Aim to stand out. You want people to feel like they’re getting a personal note from you. That’s massively powerful.

2. Use a Domain Name.

Aside from using your name, your email should be signed by a legitimate website. As you can see, the "Show Details" box lets you check that my emails are signed by leanmarketing.com, which is our outgoing mail server.

Why is this important? I've seen a lot of phishing emails over the years and they're becoming more and more identical to the real ones. People need to know that they’re getting a legitimate email from you.

3. Use a Compelling Subject Line.

Like any good book, a title can draw you in or leave you wanting. I want you to think of your subject line like the title of a book. What’s going to pique the interest of your subscribers? What’s going to make them think, I have to know what this is about.

You can take in a subject line at a glance, so you literally have milliseconds to grab their attention.

But here's the tricky part: creating a compelling subject line. Unfortunately, there's no secret formula to crafting a great subject line. Instead, I like to keep it simple and catchy. Let your personality come through. Ask a question or make it the lead for a story you’ll tell in the email.

Here’s a few other handy tips to try:

• Keep it short and sweet.
• Don't use title case.
• Leave the punctuation out.
• Keep it personal and add the recipient's name.
• Add an emoji if it's appropriate.
• Tease the reader by creating some sort of intrigue.

So we’ve covered how to ensure your email gets opened, now let’s look at three key elements to getting your emails read.

How to Get Your Email Read

1. Keep It Plainly Formatted.

Format your email like how you'd write it to a friend. As you can see, I don't use heaps of links, graphics, logos, and things like that. It's done on purpose because I want people (and spam filters) to feel like it's an email coming from a human being.

And think about it—emails from friends tend to be plainly formatted. No fancy, colorful visuals. No logos. Just text.  

Now if you're selling something visual, like food or clothing, it makes sense to add images because your business is imagery-based. But generally speaking, text-based emails are the way to go.

2. Personalize Your Email.

I have 40,000 people on my mailing list and this figure continues to grow. But I write my emails like they’re just going to one person.

This is the best way to build a connection with a reader. Words like "you all" or "you guys" give an impression that you're sending an email to a group. It feels less personal, and you draw people away from you.

So even if your emails are going out to tens of thousands of people, write as if you're chatting to a friend over coffee. Write as if you're carrying on a conversation. Show your personality and attitude in your emails.

3. Tell a Story.

So many people get into professional writing mode when it comes to email marketing. They use overly formal words like:

• I hope you are well.
• Thank you for purchasing...
• Here's more information about...
• I completely understand how you feel.
• Please do not hesitate to contact me.

These are all cliché email phrases that might either confuse or bore your readers. What's worse is after using these, many entrepreneurs dive instantly into a hard sell. This is not how email marketing works.  

What works is writing like how you speak in real life. Make it engaging. Tell a story. It can be anything funny or embarrassing that’s happened to you. If your readers can relate to your story or experience, you're more likely to get a response. And that should be the goal because email marketing is a two-way street.

Do You Want to Grow Your Business Rapidly?

Then you need to market it. But not just any marketing will do. In my new 1-Page Marketing Plan Course, I show you the exact techniques I've used to start, grow, and exit several multi-million dollar businesses, so you can too.

Tell Me More

‍

Take the next Step

Right, so you know you need to personalize your emails. You know you need to be sending emails from your personal account as opposed to your business name. What’s next? Start implementing.

Instead of sending a designed email template to your list of subscribers, try plain text. And measure the results. Change your business email address to your name. Play around with clever subject lines. Ditch the professional lingo and keep it casual. Lastly, don’t forget to add a story element to your email.

These are the ingredients to an email that gets opened and read. Next you need to focus on getting your email actioned. You can find out more about that here.

Before you go, what other tips would you suggest for getting more people to read and open your emails?

I regularly get emails from clients and prospects asking me how to generate new leads or convert qualified leads to customers more easily.

You're here because you've probably got a decent customer base, but you want to expand. Unfortunately, word-of-mouth marketing only brings in a few new customers a year. You need a lead generation strategy. At least that's what a few marketing friends have suggested.

Great, but what is lead generation? And then what?

Getting prospects on your mailing list is only the first step. Just because they found your business doesn't mean they're going to buy your product or service. That's where lead nurturing comes in.

Now, if all of this sounds like a bunch of marketing mumbo jumbo, don't worry.

Generating leads and building your sales pipeline doesn't need to be difficult. I'm here to explain the difference between lead generation and lead nurturing and why you need both to scale your business, staff, and revenue. Sound good?

So, let's start with the basics.

What is a lead?

A "lead" is a high-value potential customer—someone who has raised their hand and indicated they're interested in learning more about your products and services. You know because they:

• Input their details into an online form on your website.
• Sent a message through live chat.
• Called your business's contact number.
• Interacted with you on social media.

But how do you generate leads? With a few strategic marketing tactics. I like to focus on direct response marketing, particularly for small businesses. Brush up on your knowledge here.

What is Lead Generation?

Lead generation is the process of using a piece of content—it could be a lead magnet, free trial, landing page, podcast, Google Adword, whatever—to attract and capture a potential customers' interest to lead them through the sales funnel.

It's a long-term game. Lead generation is not about closing sales, it's about starting a conversation because conversations lead to sales. And it’s typically done in two ways: inbound and outbound.

Inbound Lead Generation

Inbound lead generation is my preferred process when building a sales funnel.

This allows prospects to go over your website, visit your social media page, and decide what to do next. Your goal with inbound lead generation is to help, not sell.

Outbound Lead Generation

Outbound lead generation, instead of relying on your prospects to find you, you find them. Unlike inbound, this is for closing deals rather than helping or educating.

If you're in the startup phase or you're new to marketing your business, it's a good idea to have a mix of inbound and outbound lead generation. But you can steadily move away from cold calling and cold outreach once you've built brand awareness.

Benefits of Lead Generation

Here are four benefits of using an effective lead generation program.

• Brand awareness: Lead generation expands your reach and educates your target market about your products and services.
• Defined target market: Knowing your target market  is just the first step. With lead generation, you can identify which leads fit your buyer persona.
• Trust and authority: As you generate leads, you build trust among your prospects. You can also be seen as an expert or authority figure in your niche or industry.
• Growing customer base: The reason lead generation effectively increases your customer base is that it naturally fits within the buyer's journey. The more leads you generate, the more prospects you can turn into customers.

Five Examples of Lead Generation

I like to have multiple forms of lead generation. At Lean Marketing, we generate leads through my eBook, social media, blog articles, lead magnet (1PMP framework), SEO, speaker events, podcast appearances, PR, and PPC.

1. Lead Magnet

A lead magnet will help you attract high-converting website visitors and get new, paying customers. When using one, you have to offer it for free.  

For example, I've been known for The 1-Page Marketing Plan. Anyone who visits my website can download the 1PMP canvas for free. It's a great headstart for someone who wants to improve their marketing.

Although you might give something valuable for free, this will help you grow your email list and ultimately drive conversions.

2. Blogging

Content is king. I've found that the best way to attract qualified leads is to answer their questions or solve their problems. And writing SEO blog articles is a great way to do just this. With content marketing, you can provide value and build your database of potential customers.

For example, let's say you're in the HVAC industry. Instead of posting promotional blogs, talk about their common problems and build content that will help them.

Then, add a call-to-action (CTA) at the end. Do you want them to call you? Send an email? Set an appointment? Make sure you capture their contact information.

3. Social Media

Everyone's now on social media. Besides building a website, create a social media page where prospects can find you through an instant mobile search.

Most businesses use Facebook. But if you want to define your strategy further, I'd say go for specifics. Instagram and Pinterest are great for visuals. LinkedIn is the best for B2B marketing. Twitter is for short, punchy pitches.

Creating compelling content with a CTA is your perfect combo for this lead generation program.

4. Referrals

Do you want to get high-quality leads with less effort than it takes to do cold calling? You should consider having a referral strategy.

Referral marketing can grow your customer base. The goal is to let your existing customers spread the word about your brand, and you'll expand your reach. This, in turn, will help you gain more customers.

The best time to ask for a referral is right after a customer made a purchase. Send your winning referral script or template, and once you've closed a referral, give a warm "thank you" to the original referrer to encourage them to do more.

5. PPC

Ever heard of pay-per-click? This is where you target the right keywords, make them appear in places like Google Ads, and ensure they're related to your business. You can get leads through clicks from prospects interested in contacting you, sign up in your mailing list.

It's essential to choose the right lead generation techniques to use. Not all of them work for your business, so you have to assess your strategy. Don't be afraid to try and test different strategies. Give them a trial period, and track the leads you get. If you earned more than you paid, it's worth it. If not, go ahead and try something new.

What is Lead Nurturing?

Now that you've got a handful of leads, what's next? You continue the conversation. So, you build relationships with them, move them through each stage of the buyer's journey until they are ready to make a purchase.

It's not as easy as following up with a prospect until they're ready to buy from you. True nurturing is a process. It isn't doesn't happen overnight.

It takes roughly five touch points of contact to become a factor in your prospect's mind. So expect to spend up to twelve emails before your lead trusts you enough to buy from you.

It's all about being customer-centric. You have to get inside their heads and answer these questions:

• What do they need?
• What are the pain points that you'd like to address?
• What keeps them up at night?
• What are their hopes and dreams?

The best way to do this is through consistent communication and engagement. You have to listen and get to know more about your target market. The better you understand your target market, the more you'll create a better lead nurturing strategy and get more conversions.

Benefits of Lead Nurturing

The purpose of a lead nurturing sequence is to stay in touch with prospects who're not ready to buy right now. You want to show up in your prospect's life at least once a week with content that is relevant, valuable, and entertaining. When done right, here's what you can get from it:

• Maintain and grow relationships: Nurturing leads brings you closer to your prospects. You can establish rapport and eventually develop relationships.
• Boost sales ratio: Lead nurturing drives conversions. This will increase sales of your products and services too.
• Automation: The good news is you don't have to spend most of your time qualifying and nurturing leads. You can automate your lead nurturing program by using software like a CRM. For example, you can use a tool to schedule calls, send emails, and guide prospects in your sales funnel.
• New leads: Satisfied prospects turned into customers will provide word-of-mouth and referrals. This is another way to generate new leads.

Lead Generation vs Lead Nurturing - which is better in marketing?

Neither, really. Lead generation and lead nurturing work hand-in-hand; you need both if you want to consistently attract high-quality leads and move them through the buyer's journey until they're ready to buy.

Once you get new, qualified leads through lead generation, nurture them until they grow into meaningful customer relationships. Educate, entertain, and inspire. I have this saying: Help, don't hustle.

You want to help your prospects. So I like to deliver a result in advance of a sale. It makes the buying process much more fluid.

Then start testing and optimizing methods. If you want to explore content marketing, create a formula that provides value to your target audience. Or, if you're going for email marketing, test different email templates and find out which generates the highest number of leads.

The goal is to drive more sales but focus on the next step in the sales process. When you focus on the end, you don't sell the next step, and you lose potential customers.

But before achieving that:

• Create and develop valuable customer relationships
• Analyze your results
• Update your sales and marketing strategy

If you've done your homework, you've just created a lead nurturing sequence that answers their questions and builds trust. And you'll start raking in dollars.

Next Steps In Your Lead Generation And Lead Nurturing Process

So that's the difference between lead generation and lead nurturing. You need both strategies if you want to attract qualified leads and convert to customers consistently.

Now here's what to do next. Grab a pen and paper or a blank Google doc and write out what marketing assets you currently use to generate leads.

• Are you solely relying on referrals to grow your business, or do you have a lead magnet?
• Where are there gaps that you can fill? So, what marketing assets can you build to help attract more qualified leads? Do you need to open a LinkedIn account? Should you invest more time into SEO and crafting video blogs?

Then you need to think about what happens after you’ve acquired a lead.  

• Are you still relying on quick discovery calls, or have you written an email lead nurturing sequence?
• Do you manually send these out to your email list, or are you using a CRM to carry the load?
• How are you converting new leads to new customers?

If you don't have a lead nurturing email sequence yet, I've written a blog article showing you how to quickly convert prospects to customers.

I’d love to hear from you. What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to generating and nurturing leads?