The easiest form of lead gen

When I speak to people running their own creative business, I always ask what their primary source of new work is. The answer is almost always the same.

Word of mouth.

I follow that question with another.

“How do you manage it?”

I’m usually met with a blank look and an uncomfortable silence.

Organic business development is fine. Great, even. But surely it should be given a bit of help? Nurtured, to extend the metaphor.

We’re all familiar with the concept of a circle of friends. Think of your professional network in the same way. If I were with you now, I'd have my arms outstretched, drawing a large ring in the air with my hands. With you in the middle.

The people close to the centre of your circle already know you well. If they need your help, they should come to you naturally.

That’s not to say you should neglect them. Far from it. They’re the connectors to new opportunities, so don’t take them for granted. Look after them and keep your relationships alive and well.

Counter-intuitively, often the most fertile part of your network is at the periphery. Amongst your second and third degree connections. So it's vital to cultivate that area too.

These people are connected to people you already know. So when you meet them, you won’t be a complete stranger. You might even get an introduction, or better still, a referral.

Don’t be afraid to ask for one.

The area of business development a lot of people struggle with the most is finding new prospects – also known as lead generation.

At least that's the area they think they struggle with the most. I often find there's plenty of room for improvement elsewhere, as I'll discuss in future pieces.

Lead gen happens at the widest point of the new business funnel. Interactions tend to be shallow here, but they should be plentiful.

Business development is often described as ‘a numbers game’. There’s truth in it. More leads generated early in the process, should mean more make it to the narrower, focused part of the funnel. And eventually convert to a sale.

A great way to generate more leads is through growing your network. Not by adding anyone and everyone to it, of course. Hopefully you’ve identified your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), but you shouldn’t be too selective when it comes to your network. Think about people adjacent to your prospects as well.

Your goal is to bring more people into your network, thus expanding the size of your circle.

In his book Mastering Uncertainty, Matt Watkinson puts what you’re aiming to do perfectly:

“Increasing your surface area for luck”.

Building your company’s network doesn’t need to be a solo endeavour. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Networks grow exponentially, through the network effect (the clue's in the name!)

A little effort goes a long way. But when more people contribute, your company’s network will grow even faster.

And here’s the good news:

Everyone in your team can be an ambassador for your company.

OK, I can imagine the look of horror on people’s faces if you were to ask them to help you network. It’s a very negatively loaded word. It brings to mind circulating at uncomfortable events, nursing a plastic glass of warm prosecco, whilst having awkward conversations with strangers.

Yuck. Few people want to do that.

That’s not what I’m talking about. Although in-person events are very useful – and they get much easier with a few simple techniques and practice.

Networking means a multitude of things. The most obvious in a business context being LinkedIn.

If you’re the most active person on LinkedIn at your agency, or if you have someone who leads it for you, an easy quick win is to ask your entire team to support you. Send them a message when you post, with a link to it, asking them to comment, repost – or just like it. It’ll really help boost your post’s reach.

My next tip is to make sure you closely monitor the reactions to your posts. Again, this is something that your team can help you with. You should reply to comments immediately, trying to keep the conversation going. But also look at who leaves a 'like' and the lurkers who silently visit your profile.

The more people who are posting and commenting, the more reactions you'll get. I don't regard LinkedIn as way to win new work – at least not directly. It's a way to meet people and start conversations. Think of it like your CV/résumé. Its aim is to get you an interview. But it's the interview that'll get you the job.

Don’t dismiss the impact your more junior team members can have in connecting with more people. Often they’re the most prolific networkers, especially through social media channels. They may not be connected to the C-Suite prospects you’d like to reach. But they probably know people working at client companies. Or know people who know people there.

Your team just needs pointing in the right direction. With a little guidance and a few do’s and don’ts they can become great networking / lead gen allies.

Networking is the easiest way to generate leads. It’s something that everyone who sells creative services should actively focus on.

A great discipline is to dedicate a few minutes every day to your network. It doesn’t need to be long – and it certainly doesn’t need to be painful.

We’ve all experienced that message, or call, about a new piece of work that seemingly comes out of nowhere.

It doesn’t.

It might be hard to trace it back to its source, but there’ll always be one. It almost certainly began with a connection. Or a connection to a connection. Sometimes many years ago.

So plant lots of seeds now, nurture them, and some will flourish. You never know where a connection you make today might lead tomorrow.

My Commercial Skills for Creatives training follows the five steps agencies go through to win work.

The first course is called Growing your network.

It covers the following:

• Why you should build a strong professional network. Including benefits beyond business development, or getting a job

• Who you should include in your network. It’s more different types of people than you might think

• Techniques to engage people and encourage them to join your network.

• Tips and tricks for using LinkedIn effectively

• How to maintain your network by being a good member of it

• My three most vital ingredients of successful networking

  
  

This course is aimed at a broader group of people than the later courses in the series.

It’s also lower priced, making it accessible to everyone in your team.

Here’s a link to the training course. Click the red ‘View course’ button for more content info.

I built a 100-person international design consultancy, before selling it.

Now I work independently, providing:

GROWTH ADVICE: Invigorating creative leaders

COMMERCIAL SKILLS TRAINING: Boosting creative careers