As a growing agency, it can be difficult to balance lead generation with client deliverables. In order to deliver top-notch work, you may not always be as focused as you should on drumming up new business.
And when you do have the time to focus on finding new leads, it’s confusing to know where to focus your efforts. Want to know what the most under-tapped lead generation method is?
Your existing network!
This is a snippet from my weekly Mastermind sessions I host for my Remote Agency Society members.
As entrepreneurs, we’re so busy being pulled in a million directions that we tend to underestimate the power of our existing networks. Many of the contacts in your network include relationships that you’ve been building for years. With people who know and like you! A lead really doesn’t get more qualified than that.
You never know who can introduce you to your next dream client. We all have so many overlooked connections we aren’t leveraging such as:
- Former clients
- Past bosses and co-workers
- Vendors
- Tradeshow or conference attendees
- LinkedIn connections
- Mentors
Keeping in touch with these connections is a simple, free way to fill your sales pipeline.
By periodically reaching out to let people know what you’re up to and who you’re focused on helping, you’re increasing your chances of receiving referrals. And we all know that referrals are the easiest types of clients to close.
So why aren’t you keeping in touch with them?
As an entrepreneur, you don’t have enough time in the day to constantly be sending email after email. That’s where a CRM and marketing automation tool comes in handy. It’s simple to leverage a tool like Hatchbuck to send out personalized emails to your closest connections.
The beauty of a CRM is that you’ve got all of your contacts at your fingertips and personalization can happen at scale. You can easily send bulk text-based emails that are personalized with their first name, company name or other personal information you’d like to include so that the recipient really feels like you’re speaking directly to them. And unless they’re super savvy, they won’t realize your emails are even coming from your marketing automation platform.
A simple “Hi [first name], how have you been? I wanted to say hello and tell you what I’ve been up to recently. I’d love to see if there is anything I can do to help you.” is more than enough to re-engage old connections. And you’ll be able to keep tabs on who is opening your emails even if they forget to respond!
So before you spend your hard-earned money on expensive lead generation channels, take a look at your existing network. That old co-worker or former client may be the key to winning your next big account. You’ll never know until you ask!
If you’re looking for more ways to attract NEW clients for your agency, I reveal my simple process for attracting high-paying clients with ease in my free masterclass.
Author Bio
Mandy McEwen is Founder & CEO of Mod Girl Marketing, a digital marketing agency based in California. She is the creator of 8+ digital marketing courses where she helps marketing consultants and startup agencies scale faster. She was listed by Search Engine Journal as a top 12 SEO expert and was named a top 10 agency growth coach by BloggerLocal. Mandy’s Facebook group, Mod Agency Insiders, was named a top marketing group to join by Inc.