So, you’re a new business owner, struggling to get those precious customers? Welcome to the grind of trying to get leads. 

Generating leads—potential customers—isn’t a walk in the park. It's like throwing darts in the dark, hoping something lands. The constant trial and error can leave you feeling like you’re stuck on a hamster wheel. It's tough, it’s frustrating, and yes, you're probably going to mess up along the way. 

But don’t sweat it. We’ve compiled a no-nonsense guide to help you figure out how to get leads without losing your mind.

Whether you’re selling B2B, B2C, or anything in between, we’ve got the goods for you to actually make your sales process work. Keep reading, and we’ll strip the fluff away and give you real strategies to start pulling in customers.

What Are Leads?

Alright, before you even think about going after leads, let’s define the basics. You need to know what you’re actually working with here. 

Leads are basically people who might want your product. But there are two kinds you’ll deal with:

• Warm Leads: These people know who you are, and they’re showing signs they might buy. Maybe they signed up for your newsletter, visited your website, or clicked on an ad. These are the folks you want to nurture and convert.

• Cold Leads: These people have never heard of you. They don’t know what you’re about, and they may not even be interested in what you're selling. But hey, you’ve got to start somewhere.

Warm leads are like low-hanging fruit—they’re easier to convert. But cold leads? Those require serious efforts to “warm up”. IIf you’re in it for long-term growth, you need to handle both.  Let’s look at ways to generate both types.

While warm leads are easier to convert, “warming up” these cold leads is essential for long-term growth. Let’s look at ways to generate both types.

1. The Power of Reaching Out

This method involves contacting people who don’t know you yet, also known as cold outreach. It can feel intimidating, but it's one of the key strategies when you're just starting out.

Even if you don’t secure a sale immediately, the most basic goal is to get your message out there and make sure people know you exist.  A response is the cherry on top. Even a small acknowledgment that your business is on the radar can open doors to bigger opportunities down the road.

1.1. Cold Emails

Reach out with personalized emails to businesses that could use your service. In March 2024, the average open rate was 23.9%, and the response rate was 8.5%. It’s not a home run every time, but it’s a solid way to get your foot in the door.

The Open Rate is the percentage of people who actually open your email out of the total recipients. So, if you send 100 emails and 25 people open them, your open rate is 25%. It's a simple metric that tells you if your subject line is doing its job—getting people’s attention and making sure your email is actually landing in their inbox.

The Response Rate is the percentage of people who engage with your email—whether they reply, click a link, or fill out a form. If you send 100 emails and get 8 responses, your response rate is 8%. This is the number that shows how well your message resonates and how much action it’s inspiring.

1.2. LinkedIn Outreach

LinkedIn’s a goldmine for connecting with potential leads. People are there to make business connections, so don’t overthink it—just start messaging. Here are a couple of templates you can use to get started:

Subject: Exciting Opportunity for [Company Name]

Hi [First Name],
Thanks for connecting! I was reviewing your LinkedIn profile and really love what your company is doing. I specialize in [service], and I believe there may be an opportunity for us to collaborate.

Would you be open to a quick call sometime next week to discuss further?

Looking forward to your response,
[Your Name]

First Follow-up (No Response)

Subject: Following Up on My Previous Message

Hi [First Name],
Just following up on my last message. I was hoping to discuss a couple of ideas that could be beneficial to you.

Did you get a chance to review my previous message?

Best,
[Your Name]

Second Follow-up (No Response)

Subject: Still Interested in Discussing

Hi [First Name],
I know you’re busy, but did you get a chance to look over the message I sent a few days ago? I’d love to discuss how we can help you [insert benefit].

Would you be open to a quick 5-minute chat?

Looking forward to hearing from you,
[Your Name]

1.3. Cold Calling

Look, cold calls can be intimidating. You’re interrupting someone's day, and they probably want to hang up immediately. But it can work. Just remember, permission and respecting their time is crucial—start on the right note, and you’ll have a better shot at holding their attention.

Template 1 (Opener):

"[Name], thanks for taking my call. This is Matt with XYZ Company. I know my call is an interruption to your day, but can I have 27 seconds to tell you why I called?"

Template 2 (Opener):

"Hey, I’m gonna be honest with you, this is actually a cold call. Would you like to hang up, or can I have 30 seconds to share why I’m calling?"

Template 3 (End-to-end):

Opener options: 

"Hey [Name], it's [Your Name] from [Your Company]. How are you doing today?"

"Hey [Name], I'm actually a little lost. Do you mind if I take a second to tell you why I’m calling?"

Introduction: 

"I’m [Your Name] from [Your Company], and I work with [Target Audience/Industry] helping them with [Solution]. The reason I’m calling is because I noticed [specific observation about prospect’s business], and I just wanted to take a minute to learn a bit more about your business to see if there’s any way I can help."

Setting expectations: 

"If at the end of this conversation we think there's a fit to work together, great! We can discuss next steps. If not, that’s perfectly fine. Does that sound fair to you?"

If they agreed to proceed: 

"Great! I’ll take just [X minutes] to understand your needs better. Let’s dive right in."

If they cannot proceed: 

"No worries at all! When would be a good time for us to connect again?"

1.4. Voicemail Drops/ SMS

Use automated systems to leave voicemails or send text messages at scale.

Template (End-to-end)

Initial text message:

"Hey [First Name], this is [Your Name] from [Source]. I'm looking over your info now for your [Offer/Savings Report]. Is it better for me to ask questions on a quick phone call or just over text?"

Response to prefer text:

"To get started, can you confirm if this is your [Property/Item]? [Attach Relevant Image]"

Note: Engage your potential customer further by sending personalized information (like an image).

Response to prefer call: 

"Great! I’ll give you a quick call right now. Let’s get this sorted out quickly for you."

Follow-up if no response to initial text:

"Hey [First Name], just checking in to see if you’re still interested in [Offer]. No worries if now isn’t a good time—let me know what works best for you!"

End-of-call or follow-up confirmation:

"Thanks for your time today, [First Name]! I’ll [send over the details/get started on your report] and be in touch shortly. If you have any other questions, feel free to text or call me anytime."

You don’t have to do it all manually. In fact, there are tools that can automate much of this outreach. If you’re a new business owner trying to juggle everything, tools like Flowpio are here to simplify it for you. It handles the entire lead generation process, from capturing new leads to making sure no opportunity slips through the cracks.

Flowpio pulls leads from various sources—like your website or social media ads—and organizes them in one place. When a lead comes in, Flowpio automatically sends a personalized response, kicking off the relationship for you. That means no more missed opportunities, and you get to stay focused on running your business while Flowpio keeps your pipeline filled with potential customers.

2. Spending Money to Reach More People

Paid ads can be a solid way to get leads, but let’s be real—it’s not a magic bullet. It takes some investment, a bit of trial and error, and patience to find what clicks. Here’s the rundown:

2.1. Facebook & Instagram Ads

These platforms are perfect for reaching cold leads. You’ll throw ads out there targeting businesses that might need what you’re selling. It works, but figuring out the sweet spot takes time—and yes, money to experiment.

Tip: Use Facebook and Instagram’s Instant Forms. They let potential leads sign up with minimal effort, which means you’re making it easy for them to say yes.

2.2. Search Ads (Google & YouTube)

These are for the warm leads. For instance, if you’re a marketing company and someone types “lead generation services” into Google, clicks on your ad, and finds you—congratulations—you’ve got a potential customer who's already interested in what you do. This kind of lead is way more likely to convert into an actual customer.

Tip: When you’re targeting warm leads, don’t mess it up. Make sure your ads show up for the right search terms. If you get this right, you're talking to people who are already interested—and that means a much higher chance they’ll become paying customers.

3. Setting Yourself Up for the Future

Now, let’s talk about strategies that take time but can get you leads forever at a lower cost.

3.1. Organic Social Media

Building a loyal online audience doesn’t happen overnight. But when you nail it, platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok can become lead-generation powerhouses. The catch? You need to stay consistent and deliver valuable content.

But let’s face it, running a business takes up all your time. You probably don’t have hours to shoot videos or plan posts. That's where Flowpio comes in, teaming up with Likhive to take the content load off your plate. With Likhive, you get high-quality, on-brand content that’ll grab attention—without you lifting a finger. No more stress about what to post next.

Tip: Pick one platform, focus on it, and master it. Once you’re killing it on that one, repurpose your content for the others. Simple, but effective.

3.2. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

This is the slow burn of the lead-gen world. It’s all about getting your website to show up on the first page of search results when someone types in what you do. It’s a long-term play, but it pays off in the end.

Tip: Start working on SEO now, even if it feels like you’re pouring effort into a black hole. It can take 1-2 years to see real results, but once it kicks in, you'll be pulling in free, steady leads from search engines while you sleep.

3.3. Public Relations (PR)

Getting your name in the big leagues like Forbes or Business Insider is like a credibility booster shot. It gives you instant authority, and it’s hard to ignore a business that's been featured in respected places. These are the warmest of leads—people already trust you because they’ve seen you in the media.

Tip: PR isn’t cheap, and it’s not for everyone. It’s for businesses who got something truly unique or are thought leaders in their fields. Just be ready to invest and know it might take a little time to see the payoff.

The Formula to Get Leads

• Cold outreach (emails, calls, LinkedIn) is your best friend when you're starting out. It’s messy, uncomfortable, and awkward, but it works. Get good at it.

• Paid ads are a great way to scale quickly, but you’ll need to spend and experiment to figure out what sticks.

• And don’t forget the long-game strategies: social media, SEO, and PR. They take time, but if you do them right, they’ll pay off big.

Key strategy: If you're just getting started, master cold outbound lead generation and Facebook ads. No sugarcoating here, this is the grind. Once those are firing, shift your focus to building your social media presence and optimizing your website’s SEO. 

But if you really want to scale, you need a system that manages and nurtures your leads like a well-oiled machine. That’s where CRM automation comes in. Because, let’s be honest, no one wants to handle this manually forever.

Flowpio doesn’t just give you a CRM—it gives you an entire marketing team working behind the scenes. It captures and organizes leads for you, so you don’t have to waste time doing it manually. You can run email campaigns, follow up with prospects when they’re most likely to bite, and track everything in one place. Basically, it's like having a 24/7 marketing department doing the work for you, while you kick back and focus on running your business.

Keep pushing the boundaries. Keep tweaking your strategies. With a little patience, your lead pipeline will start filling up, and you’ll be able to get leads more effectively—bringing the growth you’ve been dying for.