Stuck on Leads? Start With the People You Already Know

We spend so much time trying to generate new leads for our business. But when leads slow down, or we need revenue, or we hit an inconsistent stretch, there's a better place to start.

The people who already know you.

Here are five questions business owners ask me all the time, and how I answer them.

Where should I look first when leads slow down?

Look inside your own database first.

Past clients. Past customers. People who were interested before but said no, or weren't ready to step in yet. That's where you should start.

When someone brand new comes into your world, the timer starts. You have to build the relationship, nurture them and earn their trust until they're ready to say yes. That takes time.

The people already in your list have done a lot of that work with you. You just have to keep the conversation going.

If you have something new, tell them. If something from a past conversation now fits what you offer, share it. Give them the chance to raise their hand and step in with you.

So if your lead flow is inconsistent, start there. It's a great alternative to pouring everything into bringing new people in.

How do I follow up without being pushy?

Follow up with the intention to help.

I hear this all the time: "I don't want to be annoying. I don't want to seem pushy or salesy in my follow-up." It's a great point, and it comes from a good place. You want to help.

We're always walking that line. We know we need to follow up, stay in front of people, let them know what's going on and give them the chance to say yes. But how do we do that without being too salesy?

Keep that intention behind every message. If you're coming from a place of wanting to help, and you have something of real value that will help their business grow, it's not pushy. It's you adding value.

When they're ready, they'll say yes and have a conversation with you.

What should I use AI for in my business?

Have it check your own systems.

Someone asked me this recently. After a short conversation, one idea stood out: use AI to run an internal check of your current systems and automations.

We don't often think of putting AI to work checking our own form submissions, our follow-up and our customer journey, the path someone takes after they find us on our website or on social media. But that's a great use for it, and it's something AI is really good at.

Test your automations. Test your workflows. Test what the customer actually experiences. AI is great at finding the holes and telling you how to fix or improve them.

That way, when someone finds you and decides to start a conversation, the whole process works, with no errors and no gaps.

How did I run my business from Disney World?

I set up a way to hand work to my AI from anywhere.

I was at Disney World with my family this past week, and I had a great time. Before I left, I wanted to make sure I could stay present with my family and enjoy it.

So I thought outside the box. I asked my AI: I'm going on vacation, I have all these tools and systems in place, how can we make it so that if something needs my immediate attention, I can still get it done?

Here's what we did. I left my computer open in the hotel room, remotely connected to my AI. If something came up, I could send it a message or a voice note with instructions, and it would operate my computer and get the work done.

Two situations came up during the week. Each one took a few minutes. Here's the situation, here's what we need to fix. I sent it off to my AI, it did the work, I reviewed it, and it was done.

I stayed present and focused the whole trip. That's what's becoming possible with AI. We just have to be creative and keep an open mind.

How do I stop forgetting the things I need to do?

Put the repeat work on a schedule.

"I have too many things to remember to do every day." How many of us have said that, to ourselves or to someone on our team? I know I have.

AI is great at running scheduled tasks: daily, weekly, monthly, whatever you need. Give it instructions and the things it should look for, the things you'd normally have to remember. If you forget to do them, or forget to hand them off, they don't get done.

Sometimes the task is just a check. Have we missed anyone in our follow-ups? Has someone requested information and not gotten it yet? If something needs attention, it brings a person in. If there's nothing to report, it just keeps running in the background.

That frees up your mental space and energy for the work that brings in revenue, and the parts of your business you actually enjoy.

The short version

When leads slow down, start with the people who already know you. Follow up because you want to help, and bring something of value every time. Then put AI to work checking your follow-up for gaps and running the reminders you'd otherwise forget.

Start today: pick five past clients you haven't talked to in a while and send each one something useful. No pitch. Just help.