How Lead Generation Agencies Find Clients

Over the past 9 years, I’ve acquired 1,000+ clients for my agencies. If I were starting over today, here’s exactly how I’d land my first 10 clients: Step 1: Start with the right data The biggest challenge when starting out? Finding highly targeted prospects who are ready to buy. Here’s how I’d solve that: Google Maps. Yes, I said Google Maps. Why? Because it’s an untapped goldmine for qualified leads. With over 4,000 B2B categories, it’s packed with local businesses and SMBs often overlooked - or missing - from LinkedIn. These are hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Scrap (https://scrap.io/s/9MYK) transforms this goldmine into actionable leads by extracting from Google Maps listings: - Emails, phone numbers, & websites - Social media profiles - Website technologies - Even Google Maps ratings & reviews Filter and focus on your ideal targets in just 2 clicks. For example: - Restaurants with 4+ ratings but no Instagram. - Local businesses with websites but no ad pixels. - SMBs in specific niches or locations. Scrap’s real-time data extraction ensures you always have the most accurate info - and it’s available as a Chrome Extension for instant insights. Step 2: Personalize your outreach Generic outreach doesn’t work - relevance is everything. Try this playbook: - Subject Line: Use something attention-grabbing like “Quick question about [business name]” or “Idea for [service].” - Personalize: Reference their Google Maps reviews, website, or niche. For example: “Congrats on your 4.9-star rating - I can see why people love your café.” - Partner Up: “I help cafes like yours boost foot traffic through email marketing. I noticed a few opportunities I’d love to share.” - CTA: End with a low-pressure ask: “Does this sound worth exploring?” Pro Tip: Pair the emails from Scrap (https://scrap.io/s/9MYK) with LinkedIn outreach - connect or engage with their posts to build trust. Step 3: Stay consistent and scale your efforts Build momentum through persistence: - Follow Up: Most responses come after the 2nd or 3rd touch. Example sequence: Email → LinkedIn connect → Follow-up email → Call. - Track Metrics: Monitor open rates, replies, and booked calls. Aim for a 20%+ email response rate and 10%+ meetings booked. - Leverage Referrals: Once you’ve landed a few clients, ask, “Know anyone else who might benefit?” and share testimonials like, “We helped a local coffee shop grow foot traffic by 20% in 30 days.” - Automate: Use Scrap for fast lead gen and a CRM to manage outreach. Recap: - Use Scrap (https://scrap.io/s/9MYK) to turn Google Maps into a lead-gen machine for local businesses, SMBs, and niche prospects. - Personalize your emails with insights and a clear CTA. - Stay consistent by following up, tracking results, and leveraging referrals. - And remember: Your first 10 clients lay the foundation for scaling. #ScrapPartner

Referrals don't scale. Period. But what if I told you there's a way to make them predictable, consistent, and worth millions? Most agencies chase clients through ads, cold email, and LinkedIn like everyone else (though they have their place) Meanwhile, the smart ones are building something different: affiliate networks that deliver high value clients on autopilot. Here's how to build your own client-generating machine in 4 steps: Step 1: Target the right people in the org chart - skip the CEO and CMO for now. They're too busy and don't need your referral fees. Instead, focus on VPs, Directors, and CCOs who: ➝ Move between companies frequently ➝ Attend industry conferences regularly ➝ Have deeper rolodexes than C-suite executives ➝ Are motivated by financial incentives Step 2: Map your affiliate spiderweb Your potential partners are everywhere: ➝ Existing clients (obvious but underutilized) ➝ VCs and private equity groups with portfolio companies ➝ Software platforms your ideal clients use ➝ Manufacturers and 3PLs (for physical products) ➝ Payment processors and other service providers Think about it: if they serve your ideal client, they have connections to them. Step 3: Create the deal triangle Give up a small percentage of each contract. GIVE UP MONEY TO MAKE MORE MONEY. When someone can walk you directly to the decision maker and say "You need to meet these people," you skip months of cold outreach and immediately gain credibility with brands you wouldn't land meetings with through traditional methods. I've closed million-dollar deals using this exact method. Step 4: Nurture like your business depends on it. Because it does. Have monthly 15-minute check-ins with every affiliate. Share what's new in your business. Learn what's happening in theirs. Make it mutually beneficial. 99% of people sign affiliates and ghost them. Don't be that person. The reality? While your competitors are burning through cold email sequences, you're getting warm introductions to their dream clients. The result? Consistent, predictable deal flow that compounds month after month. Most obvious strategy in the world. Barely anyone executes it properly. Question: When's the last time you asked your best client for a referral? If you can't answer immediately, start there. Then build your network. Your future self will thank you.

If you’re struggling to find clients, start by finding your people using your competitors. Too many sales people are chasing cold leads. Or worse—waiting for inbound. Here’s a better play: Target the people already using your competitors. → They’ve already bought into the value of what you do. → They’ve already allocated budget. → They just picked someone else. → You don’t need to educate them. → You just need to prove you’re better. Here’s the move: → List your top 5–10 competitors → Identify who their clients are → Reach out with insight, not a pitch → Build a relationship before you sell I know this works—because I’ve done it. And after working with over 6,100 companies in the last 15 years, I’ve seen the best sales strategies in the world up close. This one? It works. Struggling to find clients? Stop chasing random leads. Start looking where your competitors are already doing the work for you. Try it. Then let me know how it goes.