What is a lead?
A 'Lead' is just marketing-speak for INTEREST.
In many ways, leads are the life force of your business. Without leads we can't gain clients and without clients, there's no revenue and no profit.
When we're discussing growing your business, the conversation needs to start here.
A "Lead" is simply an individual who has expressed interest in what your business has to offer.
Often, a "lead" would refer to someone who has given you their name and email address in exchange for something of free which is of interest. A prospect would refer to someone slightly closer to making a buying decision who may have directly applied for or inquired about your services.
" The main difference between getting clients as an online coach and as an offline coach is the initial state potential customers are in when you approach them for the first time. "
Why are leads important?
As an offline personal trainer, you're likely used to prospecting on the gym floor, approaching clients, booking taster sessions and selling blocks of 5-10 sessions at a time. In this world, there's rarely a need for leads because in the gym, you're surrounded by potential customers who already:
- Pay a monthly fee to the gym.
- Attend the gym to train.
- See you as the obvious expert when they're ready for help
Similar tactics rarely work online as, often, your first interaction with a client is a post on their news feed, sandwiched between a friend's wedding and some funny videos.
The main difference between getting clients as an online coach and as an offline coach is the initial state potential customers are in when you approach them for the first time.
In the first (offline) situation, your presence is welcome and even sought out.
In the second (online) situation, you're another pest scrambling for attention.
For this reason, with online coaching, we can't rush the sale.
Think of this as dating analogy.
Proposing sex on the very first date may work occasionally, but usually you'll be met with an uncomfortable stare and a possible slap in the face.
When bringing new clients into your online business, the relationship starts as a lead.
Getting leads requires you to have something of value that attracts the right people to take some interest in you and your world.
We attract attention to our business and offer something for free in exchange for contact details (lead).
We communicate with leads in a way that makes sense to them and move them through a defined sequence and process (customer journey).
We make an offer to the right leads at the right time, presenting our online programme as the logical next step in the process.
Getting Leads
Getting leads requires you to have something of value that attracts the right people to take some interest in you and your world. Here are some resources to help:
- What is the best lead magnet for an online coach
- Why we use a challenge versus other methods
- How much free stuff should you give away?
Organic lead generation
When working with clients in PropaneBusiness, we usually like to get to the point of being able to afford advertising as soon as possible. Paid methods are more predictable, reliable and repeatable than free methods, however, organic methods still have their place.
- Should I use free or paid methods in my marketing?
- If I'm using ads, should I still try to get leads organically?
- How to measure leads from organic sources.
- Organic lead generation tactics.
Paid lead generation
The gold standard of lead generation is where you can spend money on a platform to acquire leads predictably. Unless you have money to burn, this needs to be paired with a sales mechanism that allows you to recoup the money you spend on ads. We cover this more here.
- When should I start using ads?
- How much should I spend on ads?
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