Ep 39. 3 Lead generation mistakes Introverts make (and easy ways to fix them)

If you’re relying mostly on referrals or you’re getting clients from your digital marketing, but they’re not quite the right fit, or they’re not as consistent as you’d like, you might think it’s a content problem and think, oh, I need to post more, or I need to write better hooks, or I need to figure out how to say what I’m doing better.

But most of the time it’s not really a content problem. It’s a lead generation problem, and the thing about lead generation that I don’t think gets talked about enough is it’s not just about creating content.

Obviously – Yeah, content is a part of that, but you also need to have the other two things, which are building an audience of the right people and then making invitations to them regularly so they can experience your work in different ways.

I mean, you can have the most amazing content, but if you’re attracting the wrong people, they’re never gonna be the clients that you really want to work with.

It can also be the other way round, so you could have the right people showing up, but if you’re not inviting them to take the next step to come deeper into your world, whether that’s through a lead magnet or inviting them onto your email list or getting on a call, whatever it is, they’re just going to stay as followers and never become clients. Or they might trickle in whenever they feel like it, which leaves you in that feast or famine.

Lead generation to me is all about creating those pathways and offering different ways for people to experience what it’s like to work with you before they actually decide to work with you.

When you do this consistently, you generate a steady flow of clients rather than just hoping someone will find you and DM you to work with you.

This is where I see so many talented introverted clients drop the ball because they’re creating content. They show up, but they’re not actually building an audience of ideal clients, and they’re definitely not making regular invitations because they think it’s too pushy. (Until we work together, of course!)

So today I wanna walk you through the three most common lead gen mistakes I see introverts making, and more importantly, some practical ways that you can fix them, so you can attract more of the right clients consistently.

If you’re new here, hello. Welcome to Quiet Confidence with myself, Anita Popat. It’s the podcast for introverts who want to market their thing without changing who they are.

Right, so let’s start with what’s actually going “wrong”.

I wanna say this upfront. These aren’t character flaws. They’re just natural tendencies I see coming up with being an introvert that happen to work against you when it comes to lead gen.

Mistake number one is being too subtle.

Now, this is a big one, and it’s so common that you are assuming people will figure out what you do and how you can help them just from your content.

What happens is that you’ll post something valuable, something really insightful, and in your head you’re thinking, obviously this shows I know what I’m talking about so people are gonna reach out. But they don’t because it’s not clear to them what you are offering or how to work with you.

Don’t worry, I’ve been there too. Because as introverts we hate stating the obvious. We hate feeling like we’re bragging or being repetitive, so we tend to drop casual hints instead of being really direct.

You’re probably assuming people will connect the dots, but they won’t because they’re busy. They’re scrolling, and if you don’t tell them directly what you do and how they can work with you, they’re just gonna think, oh, nice post and keep moving.

Mistake number two kind of follows on from that, and that’s waiting for people to come to you.

Again, don’t hope that, if you just keep showing up and being visible, eventually someone’s gonna DM you or email you asking you to work together. Obviously that happens, but it’s not a reliable strategy. We’ve got to add a proactive layer in there as well.

Most people will need to know what the next step is and if you’re not telling them to book a call or download this, then they’re just not gonna take action.

If you listen to the previous episode on CTAs, I go into more detail about this, but like I said before, as introverts, we don’t like to feel pushy and be that person who’s constantly saying, oh, work with me, work with me!

But not having a clear next step is actually making it harder for people who want to work with you to figure out how to do it because you’re making them do all the work and go hunting for your services and also work up the courage to reach out to you cold. Most people just won’t bother.

As well as adding call to actions on the end of your post, take some time to connect with the people who are actually following you too. Send them a little hello when they follow you and make sure you’re interacting with their content and actually having conversations.

This does two things. It signals to the algorithm that there’s a connection between these two, so I’ll show them each other’s content, but also they’re more likely to check out what you’ve got to offer if you made the effort to say, hi.

I’ve had so many clients from what I thought was literally a cold welcome message. (I never ever go in with the intention to sell). It’s genuinely just a “hi, welcome to my world”, but obviously sometimes if it’s the right time in the right place, people will turn into clients, which is a bonus.

If it’s not the right time, that’s also OK because they’ll still remember you when it is time, because you’re gonna keep engaging with them, so don’t make it one way, especially on social media. Make sure you’re interacting with your audience as well.

Mistake number three is avoiding selling at all.

You’re creating content, but you’re not actually promoting your services because you think it feels too salesy, so you’ll educate, inspire, and share insights until you’re blue in the face, but you’ll never actually mention that you’ve got a program or a service or a way that people can work with you.

Because in your head, marketing feels like selling and selling feels pushy, and that’s uncomfortable, right?

But here’s a reframe for you. If someone needs what you offer and they don’t know you exist, or how to work with you, you’re not helping them by staying invisible.

Visibility isn’t about being loud or aggressive. It’s about making sure that the people who need you can actually find you. So you’re actually helping them with your service.

And if creating salesy content does feel icky, you are exactly why I created the Content Mixtape, because I was seeing so many clients being really comfortable with the how-to’s and the practical tips and tricks and stuff, but when it came to talking about themselves or selling their product, they were like, oh no, I can’t do that. So I created a framework to make it super simple for you.

It’s only £33 pounds and you’ve got 90 days worth of prompts in there as well. It will help you cover all the lead gen mistakes that I’m talking about.

Now you know the common mistakes I see with my introverted clients, how do we fix this?

Well, firstly, I need you to get comfortable with stating the obvious (to you) because it won’t be obvious to your audience.

In your bio, content, captions, be really clear about what you do and who you help. Don’t hint it or use clever word play. Use really direct statements that people are likely to put into the search bar.

So, for example, I work with [specific type of client] on [your specific problem] and then regularly mention how people can work with you.

You don’t have to do it in every post, but often enough so people actually know.
It’s as easy as saying, oh, this is exactly what we work on inside, whatever your program name is, or if you’re dealing with this, this is something we tackle inside my program name. And that’s not icky. You’re being helpful and it’s also gonna help you fund your lifestyle, right?

The second thing I’d say is to stop waiting for people reach out and give them a clear, easy next step. That doesn’t always have to be “DM me”.

It could be a lead magnet, which is a free guide/template/training they can download, which then gets someone to your email list.

You can send them a link to book a free call so that you’re getting in front of them and having a conversation.

You can send them a link to join your email list where they can get more from you every week, or you can ask them to apply with their simple application form so that you can get answers to kind of the problems and the desires that they want before you actually decide whether you’re gonna be a right fit.

The key here is to make it so easy that someone doesn’t have to think about what to do next. You can pepper them in at the end of your posts, in your stories, in your bios, but don’t bunch a load of different things together in one. Give them one clear action to take if they want more.

I see a lot of my clients as introverts resist this because they feel like they’re being too forward, but you’re not. You’re removing friction for people who actually want to work with you.

This might be a mindset shift, but it’s really important. We need to stop thinking about visibility and promoting your services as selling, and start thinking of visibility as making sure that the people who need me can find me.

To me, this is why your purpose needs to be so strong. Because if someone’s struggling with exactly what you want to help with and they don’t know you exist because you’re not being visible. You’re not actually living out your purpose.

The real reason you set out to do the work you do was to earn money and live the lifestyle and have the freedom and all that. But ultimately, if you’re listening to this podcast and you’ve got your own business, there’s probably a deeper purpose or reason as to why you started your business and why you wanna help the people that you work with.

Think about it like this. If you’re at a networking event and someone said, oh, I’m really struggling with the thing that you help with. You wouldn’t just nod  sympathetically and walk away, right?

You’d probably say something like, oh, I actually help people with that. Would you like to know how?

The same applies online. If you create content about a problem you solve or a desire your audience has, it makes sense to mention that you solve it right?

What I want you to take away today is that lead generation doesn’t have to feel aggressive or pushy, but it does have to be intentional.

You need to be clear about what it is that you do, give people an easy next step, and show up consistently enough that the right people can find you.

If that’s something you’d like help with. That’s exactly what I’ll help you do inside my 1:1 program, Silent Storm. We’ll look at your messaging, your ideal client, your content rhythm, and your lead gen strategy so you’re not just posting and hoping. You’ll leave with an actual plan. Check it out and apply here if you like the sound of it.

Until next time, keep building your quiet confidence so you can make that loud impact in the world. And I shall speak to you soon.