How to Build Your Best Lead Gen System

Your best lead gen system isn’t what you think. It has less to do with getting new leads than it does wowing the clients you already have. And in my business, I break it down in to four key systems.

So why this topic? And why now? Client experience has been on my mind a lot lately, especially with some of the projects I’m involved with and the conversations I’ve been having with clients as well as other marketers and agencies. Results and deliverables are only part of the conversation.

Experience is what makes or breaks a relationship AND referrals

Here are the four areas I focus on in my client experience that every service-driven business (regardless of size) can use to improve the way they serve clients.

1. Discovery & Sales

2. Onboarding

3. Delivery

4. Offboarding

Want to read along as you watch or listen?

Here’s a transcript of the video. (Beware of AI-transcription errors. This transcript has not been edited )

00:00
You. Good morning. Today. It’s a really interesting conversation because it’s about client experience, which isn’t something that I’m often talking about a lot of the times. I’m talking about messaging, I’m talking about marketing, I’m talking about strategies, I’m talking about a variety of other types of information related to your marketing. But here’s the thing. Client experience is your single most important lead gen system. And I would argue, and I have argued that it actually matters as much as the results that you get or that you provide for your client. And when I say you, I’m talking to copywriters, I’m talking to marketers, but I am also talking to anyone who offers a service in their business. So this is professional services, this is sauce. This is pretty much everything that it relates to services and even some products.

00:56
But really, I’m focused on services at this point. So I just said something that’s kind of bold and that’s that client experience matters as much as results. And I want to get this straight. Like the results matter. Of course they do. It’s a no brainer. But if a company is a royal, you know what to work with a royal pain in the you know what. There’s only so long that you’re going to stick around before you search for someone who’s easier to work with, because I think of it as a matrix of results and experience. So as your results go up, the more pain you’re willing tolerate and vice versa. So if someone’s not getting results and the experience is poor, no one’s going to stick around to wait for it to get better and vice versa.

01:44
If the results are really great, we’re willing tolerate an awful lot to get to the end zone. So that said, you can only go so far, and there’s other factors in here that are like price, roi, all of these other things. But we’re not going to focus on any of that because I want to focus exclusively here on experience. And experience really should be one of the most important places that you focus on. And this is true regardless of your company size, whether you’re a company of one or you’re a company of 1000, if you can provide a really excellent experience, most of the time, that is how you are going to get referrals. That is how you’re going to build a reputation for excellence. That is how people are going to be talking about you.

02:33
When their colleagues or friends are asking, how did you do this thing? They’re going to be like, oh my gosh, you have to talk to so and so. You have to talk to this company. They are just the best. Go here to learn more information or let me introduce you. But here’s the thing. That experience doesn’t start after the contract signed or after you start delivering. It’s a continuous piece that starts from the very first time they get to know you. So what I like to think about is that it starts before first contact. Because generally speaking, if you think about it, people find you because of the things that you’re doing. They provide you because of the experience that you’re creating out into the world.

03:16
Whether it’s through a referral, whether it’s through the content that you’re sharing, whether it’s through how you show up, whether it’s whatever that looks like. That first conversation comes because they actually want to learn more about what you do, which means they already know you. So that client experience starts before your discovery call. It starts at your client’s discovery of you. So it doesn’t have anything. Well, granted, it does have something to do with inking the deal and onboarding. Those are two of the most important systems that I’m going to be focusing on here. But it’s all about showing them, managing their expectations from the start, showing them what’s in it for them, what you can do for them, not like, what matters to you.

04:05
And what’s really interesting is there’s been some conversations that I’ve been a part of where people either focus on what’s wrong or what’s not right and what they want to do for you rather than what’s in it for you, how they can help you reach their goals. And I’ve been part of some conversations where it’s been the flip side, where people are like, oh, yeah, here’s how I can help you get this thing. Here’s what this looks like for you, and it paints the picture of this all about you experience. So I want to back up. What it really all boils down to is communication. How are you communicating about yourself and what you do? How are you communicating with prospects? How are you communicating live on calls? How are you communicating your understandings of their expectations?

04:55
How are you communicating your process and what everything looks like? How are you communicating the deliverables and how to use them? How are you communicating the end of the project and how are you communicating every step of the way? And it’s quite interesting because people are like, wow, what’s your degree in? And it’s like, my degree is in anthropology in Spanish, which on the outset doesn’t have a whole lot to do with this, other than anthropology, is the study of people, and Spanish is all about communications. And I feel like that’s a stretch to lay that out here. But I want you to know, all of my jobs have included sales, marketing and customer service. And my first agency job, I managed projects and traffic. And that meant I was a bridge between internal teams and the client.

05:41
And it meant not only communicating client expectations to the internal teams, but communicating the internal teams responses, ideas with the clients and managing expectations in the project flow every step of the way. And I forget how endemic that experience is to my approach in the way I serve clients. Because when I see other people, other companies communicating with clients, I see all these gaps and I see all these opportunities to improve that experience. Unfortunately, in most industries, there’s a lot of snake oil out there, especially in marketing. And by that I mean there’s a lot of people that talk a good game but fall short on delivering it.

06:30
And that’s why I think, particularly in the marketing space, but in a lot of other places, that you have to say what you’re going to do, you have to do what you’re saying you’re doing, and then you have to share what you did and why. It’s helpful to your client. And it sounds backwards, but it’s not. There’s so much about managing expectations that setting the schedule, delivering on the schedule, recapping the schedule so that people can take it out. It’s just like a presentation where you’re saying, here’s what we’re going to cover today, then you cover it, and then you recap it. It’s the same with project flow and project delivery. And really what it boils down to is basic professionalism. Remembering to follow through, remembering to give people the information that they need to succeed.

07:19
And because it’s really easy to fall off of regular communications when you are busy, when you’ve got 14 things going down. It’s part of the reason that systems are so damn important. And again, they start before sales and they go all the way through offboarding. So there’s a lot more that we can talk about here. What I want to do is run through what I think about as the four systems that are absolutely essential for delighting your clients and creating this experience. And then I want to open the conversation. I know that most people who watch these don’t interact live per se, but I do want to give you the opportunity to engage in the comments, to reach out to me via DM email, and then we can talk about it even more. So what are the systems? There are four.

08:13
You could argue that it’s five. I mean, you could make any argument you want, right? Here’s how I look at it. I’m going to say that marketing and lead gen is a system, but I’m going to move that aside. I’m going to say that is system one or system zero, because you have to figure out how you’re going to get in front of the people and help them find you. And while it starts there, I want to talk about the things you do along the way once they’ve reached out to you so that you can get good reviews, make your clients happy, net referrals and ongoing work, ongoing projects to continue that relationship for the long term. So system number one, I call it discovery and sales, which is like, I’m not making up anything that’s gold here.

09:01
This is not naming 101, but it’s the discovery and sales clear over clever. Excuse me. And so a solid process here is really important to turn the leads you or your marketing team get into clients. And what that looks like is very different depending on your market, your business, your sales cycle, and how you systematize and nurture those conversations. And it depends on how many people are involved in the buying decision and what that looks like. So rather than getting into all of the coulda shoulda wouldas or the possibilities, I want you to think about what it looks like in your business, in mine, if you’re coming to me, it’s about figuring out what you need. If you’re a fit. And part of that involves a conversation, it’s like, tell me about what you’re looking for. Tell me what you need to do.

09:56
If I can’t help someone, most important part of the client experience there is to be like, hey, you know what? I don’t think we’re a fit here. Let me introduce you to so and so. Or here’s who you need to talk to, because it is doing prospects a disservice if I say I can do something that is not in my wheelhouse or that is not in my zone of genius. So once we figure out that it’s about understanding their needs and during the part of the proposal, recapping what those needs are and using that to explain why I’m making the recommendations I am in the proposal.

10:34
So it’s a really key part of the process that shows them that I understand what they need and then allows them to deliver on it from there it’s just about getting contract signed and setting the stage for onboarding. So that again, at every point, in every touch point here, it’s about figuring out what they need at every stage and communicating that expectation about what they’re going to get and how it supports their needs. Because the last thing you want them doing is coming after you going, hey, what about this? Where are we? What’s going on here? And either not answering or getting pulled out of other things. So if you can communicate again what you’re going to do and where you are in each stage of things, you do a lot to manage the communications and manage that expectation.

11:32
And then whatever moving forward looks like depends on the project, depends on your business. So we’re not going to get into that. So if that’s the discovery and sales system, what can you automate? What reminders can you set for yourself? What other things can you do to make that a continuous, consistent experience? Okay, so let’s talk about system number two, dose onboarding. It’s way more in depth than people give it credit for. Yes, it is 100% about getting the information and research that you need to do the project. So when it’s me, it’s about getting the information and research that I need from you so I can be effective in my job, which is generally to figure out the strategy or the words that we need to succeed. So onboarding is also more than that.

12:26
It’s about setting the stage for how the project relationship is going to go, how frequently. I’m also about telling you how frequently you’ll get updates from me, setting up any project management software or communications, and getting calls on the books. It’s also about figuring out how you work best so that I can reduce the friction as much as possible and make it easy. By that I mean sometimes it’s easier to just keep communications to email or to keep them within a Google Document that anyone can access. Depending on if it’s a retainer, I might get you set up with my project management system, but I make it super easy so that you don’t have to learn another system. It’s really just about moving one card to the next place.

13:15
So again, what it looks like for you as a client will look very different based on whether it’s a retainer, if it’s a one off project, if it’s like a longer project, that’s like six to eight weeks, but very early in the process, even as early as a contracting phase. But for sure during onboarding, we map out the phrases, the phases, sorry, the timelines, the responsibilities, because as a client, you have some responsibilities here. So that’s going to mean getting me your feedback in a timely manner. That also means that I’m going to show you what kinds of feedback is super helpful. And so again, what that looks like will depend largely on the project. A lot of the times it’s a simple Google Document where I’m like, here’s phase one and here are the checkboxes that we mark every step of the way.

14:03
Sometimes it’s a little simpler than that. Sometimes I just keep track of it in the copy documents. All that to say, it’s an important part that you can’t skip on because you want your clients to understand the process and what’s coming next. And even if they’re asking you, then you have something you can refer them back to and you’re not making it up as you go. Also, you’re not flying by the seat of your pants, and you are communicating that you’re not flying by the seat of your pants, that you actually have a plan and a way to do all this stuff. So that’s system number two, onboarding. Remember, system number one was discovery and sales. So now we’re up to system number three, which is delivery, because, yes, the deliverables and the results do matter. Of course they do.

14:45
That matters more than anything. Remember, like, it’s the results experience matrix. You have to be able to deliver on what you’re promising. But if you’re not managing the expectations and communications, if you’re not following through on what you promised the deliverables, while still important, take a backseat to the experience. Yeah, sure. Delays happen, things come up, people get sick, whatever. Just don’t abandon ship. Like communicate what’s going on as soon as you know. And again, so when are you delivering it? If you’re delivering and part of your delivery is like just a one stop shop communicating, when they’re going to get that, showing them how to use a document, I like to deliver it with a loom video. So that’s like, here’s what I’m thinking. That way we’re not trying to get in another call.

15:40
They’re not trying to carve out 30 more minutes of their day. They can look at it when it’s convenient to them. How are you accepting feedback? Spell that out in the document. Finally, if it’s like this protracted project, how will you update them? Is it once a week? Is it once every other week? What does this look like? And again, what you want to say is you’ve already covered what’s happening, and this is the how it’s happening phase. So you share what’s been done, what’s up next, what you need from them, and what you’re working on right now. So that they kind of have this inkling of what’s going on. They’re not stressing about it, they’re not asking questions. You’re managing those expectations from the get go.

16:26
My delivery generally comes in a branded document that reinforces expectations and timelines, but sometimes it has to happen via email. So having some of these email templates that you can fill in the blanks and jot off quickly, like Google Mail has canned emails you can set up if you’re using a CRM, like high level or Dubsado are both ones I’ve used. You can actually set up those canned emails right inside of the software. So all you are doing is filling in the blanks. Makes it easier for you, and that way you don’t accidentally leave stuff out if you’re like, oh, yeah, I need to check in on this thing. Some people I know also include the project timeline and strike through text in the footer of the email to be like, and here’s where we are now.

17:10
Others, I tend to use a Google Document. Okay, so we’ve covered the first three systems, which are, to recap, they are sales and discovery. They are onboarding and deliveries. Number three, one of the most important systems that I see people neglect far too often is offboarding. Because you finish a project, you hand over the document. Know, what do you do if your customer doesn’t know how to use the thing? It’s going to be dead in the water. Or if the people that you hire disappear into the sunset, how likely are you to follow up? Or are you more likely to move on and either find someone else or do this? So here’s what I like to do for offboarding. First, I like to follow up to find out how things went. How are things from your perspective?

18:11
Were there any opportunities that I could do better? Are there opportunities that we can work together on in the future? Maybe during the course of our project together, I found some other ideas and I’m like, oh, hey, let me make these suggestions. Maybe the next step actually becomes sending a new proposal or just being like, hey, let’s keep going with this. I’ll send it via email and then we’ll get going with the invoicing. It’s also when I’m likely to request recommendations and referrals. And because we’ve just wrapped a project. People are excited about it. They’re more likely to do it. Plus, I make it insanely easy. I make it insanely easy because I’m like, here are five or six questions that you can use as a jumping off point.

19:03
Here are the links that I would like the referrals at, if possible, or if you don’t want to write the thing, I’ll write it for you. Answer at least a handful of these questions and I’ll pull it together using your words so it sounds like you. And really it’s an opportunity to keep going. Then I continue to follow up with them periodically to see how the project is going to see what we can do together, see how they’re doing. Or if I find some really interesting information, I share it with them because I’m like, hey, this is fascinating and worth considering as you move forward. So why is this groundbreaking? The answer is, it’s not. There’s nothing here that is rocket science. There’s nothing here that is not something that every single person in a service driven industry can start implementing.

19:58
It’s basic project management. So it’s understanding the different steps and touch points and figuring out how to communicate them and how to communicate at them. And again, client experience is your single most important lead generation system or strategy. You just have to have some ideas in mind for how to systematize it, which is why you think through all of the steps. It’s like, okay, so you come in, you want to do this project. I already have a sense of how I’m going to break it down for you before I ever send the proposal. And then I plug it into the proposal so that you understand what it’s going to look like.

20:36
Then all that I’m doing throughout that is reinforcing what we’ve already communicated in the proposal, delivering on it and telling you what we’ve done and recapping it, asking you how it went for you. It’s not that crazy and you can always add to it. But start simple and if you want to start implementing some of these client experience things, figure out maybe where you can make the biggest impact soonest. So if you need to do stronger proposals, focus on your proposals first. If you need to build stronger onboarding systems so that you’re getting the right information and you’re communicating effectively with your audience, start there. If you need to figure out offboarding and how you can make that stronger, start there or figure out where it’s going to be the most bang for your.

21:32
I don’t want to say your buck because it’s really about your effort some time. What’s the effort and impact? So I talked about the client experience and results matrix. This is like an effort impact matrix. What’s going to get you the most bang for your buck with the least amount of effort? So there’s a lot more that I can talk about with client experience. I’m more than happy to. A while back, I actually created a checklist of all of the things and some of the emails. I’m in the process of figuring out how to actually market said thing because I am a primary example of the cobbler’s children having no shoes because I always put my own stuff last. But what does my own stuff take a backseat to? It’s your messaging and copy projects.

22:24
So if you’re wondering what it is that I do, I’ve talked a little bit about marketing copywriting. Ultimately, I’m a brand messaging and marketing strategist. And what I do is I help you find your message and then I help you share it through a blend of strategy and tactics.

22:39
So if you have any questions about any of this, you want to talk more about any of these systems, any of these experience opportunities or you want to talk about how we can work together, I’m more than happy to do so because what’s particularly interesting is part of the reason I’m so hyper focused on systems is when I’m writing your copy, a lot of what I’m doing is helping you set the stage for what happens next in your website copy, in some ways in your brand messaging, and 100% in your email sequences so people understand what the experience is going to be like. With that in mind again, I could keep talking on this for hours. I love this stuff, but I’m going to close it out at about 23 and a half minutes.

23:20
I look forward to answering your questions, continuing the conversation, and I hope that you have a stellar