Your most valuable lead source

The most difficult part of Doubling Your Business is generating high-value leads.

Most of us started by knowing how to paint, but not how to network or market in order to attract high-value leads.

So, we started out working for builders & GCs.

In the beginning, we thought this was great because these builders could keep us busy.

More recently, new companies are getting started with paid leads.

They also feel good about this, at first, because they are kept busy running around estimating for these low-value leads.

But after a while, they find that they are still broke.

There’s nothing worse than being busy and broke.

Finally, you see the value and figure out how to start generating direct-to-customer referrals through some networking.

This is Step 5 in the DYB System

While referrals from networking are much better leads than from GCs and Paid leads, which are a racket,Here is your most valuable lead source

And, it’s right under your nose.

Most people hustle so hard after new leads, that they forget about the list of raving fans that they already have.

Your customer list.

Hustle smarter, not harder.
I read once that it’s 500% cheaper to generate business from your customer list than it is to get a new lead.

In principle, I agree.

Step 9 in the DYB System is: Staying Top of Mind

This is your forgotten goldmine.

Here are the top 4 ways to stay top of mind without pinging them with ads and discounts.

But first, understand that they are already raving fans.

You don’t need to sell them.

Just stay top of mind.

To do this, use the acronym GIE:

  • Gratitude
  • Inspiration
  • Entertainment

Every time you reach out to them, send them a communication of either gratitude, inspiration, or entertainment (GIE).
The Top 4 Ways to Stay Top of Mind

1. Connect with them on social via your personal profiles.

People want to connect with people, not businesses or logos.

And when you reach out to them to connect, don’t ask them to “follow you”. You’re not the Messiah.

Instead, invite them to “connect”. 🙂

2. The second way to stay top of mind is with email newsletters.

I know, I know, email newsletters are boring!

Just don’t be boring.

Make sure they are GIE. No discounts, sales, or coupons.

By the way, this is one marketing function that you should delegate.

Your time is way too valuable to be thinking of GIE ideas to write, design, and then send out every month.

That’s why April and her team at DYB Virtual offer a fantastic monthly newsletter service packed full of gratitude, inspiration, & entertainment for just $75 a month. Check it out here.


“Delegate to elevate.” – Dan Sullivan

3. The third way to stay top of mind is to send them a nice Hallmark-style card in the mail at least every 3 months.

This is how Joe Girard became the World’s Greatest Salesman in the Guinness Book of World Records: he sent every one of his customers a card, every month.

They never forgot about him, and ushered in a flood of referrals and repeat business for years.We recommend a site called SendOutCards for this.

It’s about $2.50 a card and well worth it. (Remember, GIE, no coupons, discounts, or sales.

4. The fourth way to stay top of mind is to call 2 customers a day.

Keep a list of your top customers in your phone’s contacts labels as “A Customers”.

Every day as your drive around town, just call 2 of them.

When you call them, remember that they hired you because they liked you.

It wasn’t just transactional for them.

Let them know that you’re just calling to say hi and to see how they are doing.

Then let the conversation takes its natural course from there.

To recap:

Your most valuable lead source is your customer list.

If you stay top of mind with them using GIE messaging, you’ll generate endless high-value referrals and repeat business.

You do this by:

  • Connecting on social
  • 2 phone calls a day
  • Email newsletters monthly
  • Mailing out cards quarterly

About the Author

As a newly single father of two from MI, he struggled to start over as a paint contractor in FL, going door to door. His situation was so bad, even the IRS had mercy on him.

 Feeling completely hopeless, he remembered the story of King Solomon praying for wisdom. Could it be so easy? 

He felt he had absolutely nothing to lose. So, as a bankrupt, divorced, high school dropout, single father of 2 young kids, now living 1250 miles away from all friends and family, started to pray for wisdom.
 And while he continues to wait for the wisdom to arrive, what did come was an insatiable desire to learn and read books… 
Thanks to God for giving him the burning passion to read books, and attend seminars, (oh and winning the wife lottery) he not only cracks the success code and overcomes the struggle, but also streamlines his painting business in less than 3 years, published a how to book, then sold the company. Now he leads a business coaching company for painting contractors so he can help other businesses, like yours, to do the same. Hear more... http://www.DYBCoach.com/01 Or JoinDYB.com