The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Starting Local Lead Gen Business

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56
Hello everyone.

I finally decided to start a progress thread in order to keep me accountable. Here I will post my journey to starting a lead generation business in my country.

I don´t want to make this longer than it needs to be.

I´m an absolute beginner when it comes to online businesses, but I will do what it takes to learn how to get better at it.
I played with some ideas the past year, but decided to finally focus on one and stop action-faking. I chose lead generation because not many people (if any) are doing it where I live.

After researching for some days, I finally decided to help mechanical workshops, starting in my town and then expanding to my whole city. I don´t remember exactly where I read about it, but the idea of helping people get more customers and putting food on their table made me think that real value could be added.

As I already said I know almost nothing about this model, so my actions for the last few days have been mainly understanding what lead generation is and how to get started at it (the forum has been extremely helpful, btw).

My actions for today are:

-Gather a list of 50 workshops and collect their info and phone numbers.
-Read @Andy Black threads about Adwords.
-Contact freelancer and outsource a landing page.
-Look for additional resources to learn about Adwords and Paid Advertising in general.


A final note: I want to avoid action-faking by being more time than it is necessary on this forum, so I doubt I´ll post extensive follow-ups, and instead will just update my list of objectives and provide what value I can every day or every other day.

Any suggestions or advice are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56
Update 1:

Quick update about the first objectives I posted above:

-I have looked for mechanics´ phone numbers and made a list of 53 in total.
-Read some of the threads and will continue to do so, without letting it compromise my focus and the actual work.
-I hired a freelancer from fiver for $5. The landing page should be ready two days from now.
-Found a free course as well as a guide provided by Google. Already started to work through them.


Actions for tomorrow:

-Create my first campaign and start experimenting with the whole platform.
-Finish course on Adwords.
-Listen to @Andy Black call with @Contrarian. I´ve seen it recommended in many threads.

Will update again tomorrow.
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,495
68,508
Ireland
Ooo. Another local lead gen thread. Nice.

You might want to check out the first radio interview in my signature too.
 

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56
Ooo. Another local lead gen thread. Nice.

You might want to check out the first radio interview in my signature too.

Listened to the interview as well as most of your calls regarding local lead gen. They were full of great insights and actionable steps, so I can´t thank you enough for that.

Update 2:

-Created an Adwords account and tried some tools such as the keyword planner. I tried starting a campaign and testing some of the keywords that had low competition and high volume search, but couldn´t make it to the end because I had nowhere to link them to. The experience was good though, and I had the chance to fiddle with the platform without commiting my money, which was exactly what I was looking for.
-I´m almost done with the Adwords course, but the remaining module is about optimizing campaigns and taking into account I haven´t even launched one yet, I supposed that one could wait. I´d rather learn as I go.
-As I already said above, I listened to both the interview and the call and both were extremely useful. So that pretty much covers it.

Actions for tomorrow:

-Start learning copy so I can fill in the text in both the ads and the landing page. I heard Cashvertising is a great book, so I might start there.
-Expand my keyword list and categorise them on Excel
-Find additional resources about Adwords and keep on learning.


Question: What´s an acceptable volume search? Most of the keywords I found relevant ranged from 100-1k and the ones that are less relevant range from 1k to 10k. Which ones should I focus on?
Any replies will be greatly appreciated.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

PizzaOnTheRoof

Moving Forward
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
220%
Jul 30, 2018
1,218
2,682
Texas
Ooo. Another local lead gen thread. Nice.

You might want to check out the first radio interview in my signature too.
We're all over the place now lol

-Start learning copy so I can fill in the text in both the ads and the landing page.

Question: What´s an acceptable volume search? Most of the keywords I found relevant ranged from 100-1k and the ones that are less relevant range from 1k to 10k. Which ones should I focus on?
Any replies will be greatly appreciated.
Test. Test. Test.

Stay nice and tight in your targeting at first, you can always increase your funnel later if the keywords end up not having enough volume. However, sometimes there just isn't enough demand in the first place and you'll have to rethink whether or not you want to stay in that vertical.

I was running a campaign for a guy selling handmade leather mason jar koozies.....you can imagine how many people are actively searching for those...

...would've been more suited for Facebook Ads...

As for writing ad copy, you don't need a book, this article should be more than helpful: The Ad Grid | Build Traffic Campaigns that Convert and Scale

As well as this one for when you're ready to scale: Customer Value Optimization: How to Build an Unstoppable Business
 

whiz

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
356%
Nov 29, 2017
202
719
32
New Jersey
Do you have $50 to test some ads?

Google has a voucher for new accounts that gives you $100 when you spend $50.

This will give you $150 to mess around with.

If you can manage to generate some leads with this, then you have proof of concept.

I forget where @Andy Black 's post is, but he details his basic landing page on here somewhere.

He basically had a two column layout.

---

Column A (headline, question, benefits)


Plumbing Services in Orlando, FL

Looking for a plumber in the Orlando area?

-We show up on time
-We clean up after ourselves
-We are fully licensed and insured
-100% money-back

Column B (big call button, then a form)

[CALL US NOW 555-555-5555]

Can't use the phone right now? Request a callback using the form below:

Name: [ ]
Number: [ ]
What's your problem? (optional): [ ]

---

You could learn how to make a page like this in 1 day with Wordpress +Elementor... or you can just throw up a squarespace like @Contrarian did

It will 100% get leads if you keep the messaging consistent through the whole chain:

Search term -> ad copy -> landing page copy

If you know any biz owners (family members, your local sandwich shop, your dentist, whatever) then start with them first. Spend the $150 and try to generate a lead for them.

When the person fills the form or calls, just send them to your biz owner.

If you don't want to pick up the phone, just make a google voice number and put it on the CALL NOW button

When a call goes to that # you know it's a lead - send it to the biz owner

Most important part is that you get to work asap and try to get this page/ads up as soon as possible

If you need help just post in this thread
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,495
68,508
Ireland
You can even send visitors to a listing on the yellow pages or to some random website, just so you can complete creating the ads, and maybe to buy data.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,495
68,508
Ireland
Do you have $50 to test some ads?

Google has a voucher for new accounts that gives you $100 when you spend $50.

This will give you $150 to mess around with.

If you can manage to generate some leads with this, then you have proof of concept.

I forget where @Andy Black 's post is, but he details his basic landing page on here somewhere.

He basically had a two column layout.

---

Column A (headline, question, benefits)


Plumbing Services in Orlando, FL

Looking for a plumber in the Orlando area?

-We show up on time
-We clean up after ourselves
-We are fully licensed and insured
-100% money-back

Column B (big call button, then a form)

[CALL US NOW 555-555-5555]

Can't use the phone right now? Request a callback using the form below:

Name: [ ]
Number: [ ]
What's your problem? (optional): [ ]

---

You could learn how to make a page like this in 1 day with Wordpress +Elementor... or you can just throw up a squarespace like @Contrarian did

It will 100% get leads if you keep the messaging consistent through the whole chain:

Search term -> ad copy -> landing page copy

If you know any biz owners (family members, your local sandwich shop, your dentist, whatever) then start with them first. Spend the $150 and try to generate a lead for them.

When the person fills the form or calls, just send them to your biz owner.

If you don't want to pick up the phone, just make a google voice number and put it on the CALL NOW button

When a call goes to that # you know it's a lead - send it to the biz owner

Most important part is that you get to work asap and try to get this page/ads up as soon as possible

If you need help just post in this thread
Yeah, I mention a layout in the Local Lead Gen thread in my signature. We’re using even simpler layouts now. Single column with a Tap-to-Call button and a button to open the Request-a-Callback form. We often start mobile only as the mobile page is simpler to build.
 

whiz

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
356%
Nov 29, 2017
202
719
32
New Jersey
Forgot to mention to keep the CTA button relevant

DONT: "Submit"

DO: "Request a Call Back"

I also like to use "get/claim", "my", and "now" when I can.

"Get My Free Trial Now"
"Start My Journey Now" etc

But in your case just stick with the call back

logged in just to say that - ill check Andy's posts when I get home
 

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56
Quick Update:

I´ll adjust my efforts elsewhere. Instead of focusing on providing leads to local businesses in my country, I will get and sell the leads in the US.

My country´s currency keeps losing value, and prices keep going up. People are afraid and very cautious when it comes to spending money.

I see this change of market as a way to improve my odds.

With that being said, I´ve been thinking of major obstacles or roadblocks I might encounter while taking this route. Perhaps the fact that I can´t meet business owners face-to-face will be something to work on, but apart from that I think it´s doable.

Would love to hear what you guys have to say about this.

Will answer all the comments and continue updating at night when I get home.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,495
68,508
Ireland
I´ve been thinking of major obstacles or roadblocks I might encounter while taking this route.
I subscribe to:

“Overthinking is the art of solving problems you don’t have.”



I don’t meet business owners face-to-face anymore.

I’ve even signed some up without speaking to them.

HTH
 

whiz

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
356%
Nov 29, 2017
202
719
32
New Jersey
Yeah just get started and learn as you go bro. Don't assume anything

Everytime I send Andy a long, overly-analytical paragraph, he just sends back like one sentence - it usually translates to "you're thinking too much - get to work"

Someone on this forum was just mentioning yesterday that he is deaf and he has closed people on cold calls lol
 

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,495
68,508
Ireland

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56
Update 3:

-Read the articles recommended above regarding ad copy. As soon as I finished them I felt like i had somewhat of a better grasp, but I decided to look for a few others just to be certain. As soon as I saw them lined up in my tab, I began closing them one by one. Decided to finally learn by doing, opened up a Word Doc and began writing up a draft of what the text on my landing page is going to look like. Got it almost done, which is something I couldn´t have done if I had spent the whole evening reading article after article.
-Added more relevant search terms (I´ll try to remember they are called that) and improved on others. I decided to forget about the Excel sheet as the Google Ads platform has everything I need to know atm.
-I did not find any specific resources about Google Ads, but rather tried with different campaigns and ad groups. I did not get any feedback on these, I was just trying to get more comfortable with the platform itself.


Actions for tomorrow:

-The landing page is going to be ready tomorrow, so my priority will be getting it up and running.

I won´t have much time to work tomorrow, so I´ll just make sure to finish that.

Question: Is this supposed to be a waiting game? I´m not sure what I should do in the hours/days once the campaign is up and running until I get my initial feedback? I suppose staring at my screen waiting for the first impressions and data to appear isn´t the best choice.

Btw, your comments and advice have been extremely helpful so thank everyone for that. Keep them coming.

Will update again tomorrow.
 

whiz

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
356%
Nov 29, 2017
202
719
32
New Jersey
Don't wait... just go on about life and let the data collect in the background.

Although I did refresh quite a bit at first because I would make stupid mistakes like pausing AdGroups and thinking they were running, only to wake up with 0 impressions

As long as you have keywords+bids+budget and Campaign -> AdGroup -> Ads are enabled, it should get impressions (as long as there is search volume for the niche and area you chose)

And avoid having an insanely complicated KW plan

As someone who spend 80+ hours to make a KW plan only to realize I could have done it in 2-3 hours...

Just start with +broad +match +modified keywords and let Google Ads do what it does. You might get some crap searches but you also might get alot of insights and maybe a lead or two.

Initially your goal is to collect data - you are 100% going to mess up and overlook shit ... just press GO and fail faster, gather data and learn

But yeah don't just sit there and wait - start designing the landing page or doing something else productive
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,495
68,508
Ireland

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56
As long as you have keywords+bids+budget and Campaign -> AdGroup -> Ads are enabled, it should get impressions (as long as there is search volume for the niche and area you chose)

And avoid having an insanely complicated KW plan

As someone who spend 80+ hours to make a KW plan only to realize I could have done it in 2-3 hours...

Just start with +broad +match +modified keywords and let Google Ads do what it does. You might get some crap searches but you also might get alot of insights and maybe a lead or two.

Great advice. Thanks.
 

Demian

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
144%
Dec 22, 2018
39
56
Update:

Installed WordPress and ended up trying to create a database in my computer. Came across a lot of errors. Researched a bit, which led me to installing programs like phpmyadmin and xampp, which only led to problems I couldn´t fix with my current level of knowledge. Gave it up and created the landing page with Wix in about 2 hours. Picked up a domain with GoDaddy and integrated the landing page to it.
Right now I can´t access the page, but according to both sites, I still have to wait 24/48 hours until it propagates and integrates correctly.

I will continue to work on the campaign for the rest of the day and update again at night with my actions for tomorrow.

I was wondering if there´s an alternative to a service like Google Voice. I can´t get a number because I´m not from the US. I´ve searched for services like callfire and callrail, but almost all of them only allow numbers from the US and Canada. Any ideas on how I can pass the calls to my clients directly without using these services?
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.
Last edited:

d7laungani

New Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
57%
Apr 10, 2018
21
12
Texas
What do you mean that they only allow numbers from U.S. or Canada. You said you will now switch focus to provide and sell leads to American Businesses. Create a number from these services in that local area and forward it to that business's local number.Both of which are American.


I can tell you what I did but it required a little upfront investment. I went with the first call tracker I found Jensen.ai. They integrate with Twillio which lets you make calls. Again i just wanted to get started as quickly as possible so i did not see if this is the most efficient or cheapest way to get this.

Total I Paid - $20

1. Minimum Top up of Twillio($20)
2. Jensen.AI (Free Call Tracker Trial)

Output I got:

1. A local number that i can place on my landing page that forwards to my client.
2. I am able to record that (make sure it is legal in the state) and at the same time track calls to that number ( helpful with getting new clients and making sure they know you got them that lead).
 

d7laungani

New Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
57%
Apr 10, 2018
21
12
Texas
Yeah, I mention a layout in the Local Lead Gen thread in my signature. We’re using even simpler layouts now. Single column with a Tap-to-Call button and a button to open the Request-a-Callback form. We often start mobile only as the mobile page is simpler to build.

If anyone looking at this wants a more visual example. It is as simple as he says. Andy has linked to an example here.
 

whiz

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
356%
Nov 29, 2017
202
719
32
New Jersey
Oh no it seems like you got into some complicated self-hosting or something.

Wordpress is super easy to install - most reputable hosts offer 1 click install

I can purchase a domain/hosting and be up and running in less than 5 min

But screw it, if you can get it up with Wix go with Wix, and eventually migrate to Wordpress
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

whiz

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
356%
Nov 29, 2017
202
719
32
New Jersey
Also why do you put spacing in your apostrophes?

You say

"don ' t"

You don't need the spaces, you can just say

"don't"
 

whiz

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
356%
Nov 29, 2017
202
719
32
New Jersey
@Andy Black

What's your stance on Nav in landing pages?

I noticed you have links on the landing page example in your Get Profitable thread

Do you just keep the links small, as to not detract from the CTA

But still be visible for those that need to snoop around a bit more?

Or are those links just an outline of the page? (I see that Manufacturers is the first part of the page below fold)

Edit: I think I answered my own question. You don't have nav to a home page or anything so I'm assuming that's the page outline

WLmRvoq.png
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,495
68,508
Ireland
@Andy Black

What's your stance on Nav in landing pages?

I noticed you have links on the landing page example in your Get Profitable thread

Do you just keep the links small, as to not detract from the CTA

But still be visible for those that need to snoop around a bit more?

Or are those links just an outline of the page? (I see that Manufacturers is the first part of the page below fold)

Edit: I think I answered my own question. You don't have nav to a home page or anything so I'm assuming that's the page outline

WLmRvoq.png
Our pages are looking less like landing pages and more like “normal” website pages. We want it to appear “legit” and what the average visitor expects, while still having a relevant headline and obvious call-to-actions. We’re testing lots of different variants.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

whiz

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
356%
Nov 29, 2017
202
719
32
New Jersey
Our pages are looking less like landing pages and more like “normal” website pages. We want it to appear “legit” and what the average visitor expects, while still having a relevant headline and obvious call-to-actions. We’re testing lots of different variants.

I like the look. It gives the vibe of Fortune 500 SEO doorway pages... it's just more "organic" than a regular PPC lander look

Makes me think about my own pages - probably gonna do a revamp soon.

Too many of them look " too advertisey" or "too PPC"

Either that or they look outdated and/or like a sales funnel page

Definitely gonna revamp soon

Making my lead gen site right now and I'm approaching it with a more modern look.

Does that email button expand to a form or does it redirect to a page with the form?
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,495
68,508
Ireland
I like the look. It gives the vibe of Fortune 500 SEO doorway pages... it's just more "organic" than a regular PPC lander look

Makes me think about my own pages - probably gonna do a revamp soon.

Too many of them look " too advertisey" or "too PPC"

Either that or they look outdated and/or like a sales funnel page

Definitely gonna revamp soon

Making my lead gen site right now and I'm approaching it with a more modern look.

Does that email button expand to a form or does it redirect to a page with the form?
It expands to a form I think. I’ve not looked at that page in ages.
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top