How to get aligned people on your email list -a simple lead generation fix
When we decided to open the doors and invite another group of entrepreneurs into The Vision + Process Mastermind this fall, I knew we had one major challenge that might get in our way:
We haven't been focused on growing our email list with qualified leads in a long time.
Simply put, while I have grown a big email list in my time as an entrepreneur the people on that list aren't all a fit for, or interested in, what I am doing now.
I have folks on my list who signed up way back when my website was a yoga and lifestyle business, others who joined me looking for relationship support during the time I was writing "Revitalize Your Relationship" and some who came looking for a Master Coach to help them manage their mind around business and life.
*Btw, if you have been here with me for a long time, I want you to know how much I appreciate you.*
It was very clear we needed to welcome in some new folks who would not only benefit from being on this list where I share a lot of the hard won wisdom I have gained over the years, but also be aligned with the programs we are launching.
BUT, from what I am seeing with my own colleagues and clients, the standard playbooks for building a list of qualified leads aren't working as well as they once were.
For one, the cost of running ads on social media has skyrocketed and I have been hearing reports across multiple industries that ads aren't converting as well as they did a few years ago (to be clear, these reports aren't coming from new entrepreneurs, I am hearing this from folks who know what they are doing and have used ads successfully to make a lot of money in the past).
Other once popular strategies to build lists by offering free gifts upfront (like hour long classes, 30 day challenges and 100 page ebooks) are also not bringing in new folks the way they once were. I haven't polled a lot of people on this, but my guess is that the average person is wary of anything free. They know by now it is probably coming with a sales pitch instead of the actual value that was promised.
So how could I welcome in new and aligned folks without throwing money away on ads or trying to convince people my free thing would actually contain something useful?
Here is what I did:
(IMPORTANT: This has been the most successful lead generation strategy of ALL TIME, IN ANY OF MY BUSINESSES—it's also the easiest, but you have to do all the steps well to make it work)
1. I sat down with my vision and values to get clear on who I wanted to help inside my paid programs.
2. I wrote about some of the biggest challenges and problems these potential clients were facing and spent time considering what they would need from a potential Coach to trust that person would teach them the skills and mindset tools to achieve their dreams.
3. Once a week I posted on social media (Facebook and Instagram mostly) about that problem, and spoke directly to the people I want to see in my paid program.
4. I told them I would be sharing my helpful personal solution, concept or strategy for overcoming that one problem in my email community.
5. I invited them to join the email list and posted the link to a simple form (not a flashy landing page).
6. I delivered what I said I would and let the people I can help know they can get more personalized support with all their other entrepreneurial challenges by either sticking around or by working with me.
If you aren't getting aligned people on your email list, I hope you will give this a try for the next month.
It is so simple and straightforward and it involves no creepy, salesy BS (as long as you actually do what you said you would do in the email and don't forget to deliver something wildly helpful).
And if you are a purpose-driven entrepreneur who knows you want to grow your business this year (but you don't want to overwork and follow the old school business rules), the doors for The Vision + Process Mastermind are open.
