This is a really popular question that I get asked often, and I want to start by defining the word acquire, and what it means from a business standpoint. 

When we say ‘acquire new leads’, you want to think about the journey your potential client or target audience is going on with you, from the first step (meeting you/hearing about your services) to the last (purchasing your services). 

So for this, you’ll want to think about these questions: 

• How would your potential clients be finding out about you? 

• What is the first step in a potential client's journey in getting to know you?

To answer these questions, you have to decide how your potential client is going to see you. You’ll need to create intentional opportunities that build awareness around you and your business, whether through social media posts, going live, or an email list. For a client to become a new lead, they need to be aware of you, and you need to be visible and take up space. 

Through my experience working with tons of educators, the concept of taking up space can be daunting and can feel downright unnatural sometimes. It is a frequent mindset that stems from fear, but I can tell you right now that a mindset rooted in fear will keep you from so many things, not just money, but opportunities as well. 

If you hide, people will not know about your business, you won’t be able to acquire new leads and you will not make money. So I'm sharing that with you now, because you cannot make money in your business if you are not visible and do not show up.

Now, being visible and taking up space isn’t the same for everyone, so you’ll need to determine what this looks like for you and your business. There are multiple different ways to take up space and get visible, and I’m going to share a few below.

1. Conferences- These events are a great way to build awareness around who you are, be visible in your business, and get in front of a new audience. Typically in conferences (and virtual conferences especially) folks are coming from many different places and you have the opportunity to build awareness and expand your reach across different states and potentially different countries. 

   We can’t underestimate a conference, because in the educational space, conferences are often ‘scouting season’. Attendees are there to learn but there’s also looking and listening out for the person that they want to bring back to their school or district. There's such a huge opportunity related to conferences, because the moment people go to a conference and they have a really powerful transformative experience, they're automatically thinking “how can I bring this back to my school or district?”

   If this is something that's of interest to you, then you’ll want to do some research on some upcoming conferences that are accepting proposals, and start submitting proposals!

   Quotes from our community: "That's how I got my first check, simply from a local conference. An administrator attended and asked if I could speak to his staff."

2. Social Media- Leveraging social media to build awareness and visibility is a great option because it’s free! There's usually a low bar for entry for social media, right? You don't have to submit a proposal or jump through hoops, you just have to sign up and show up. 

   The great thing about social media is that there are a few different strategies you can use for visibility. Posting is one strategy and going live is another. I know the latter makes some people nervous, but going live is a great way to leverage your chosen social media platform to build awareness around you and your business.

   Going live is an especially powerful tool because it gives your potential audience a wealth of information about you. Honestly, most people aren’t likely to write checks to someone they've never seen or heard. Spending money is an act of trust. If someone is going to spend money with you, particularly when we're talking about money with a comma, they need to see you and hear you. Lives are a no cost way for you to build trust quickly and for people to see you, hear your voice, checkout your swag, your tone, etc.

   On the topic of going live: I know going live makes a lot of people nervous. The first time I went live, I was so nervous I was sweating. The reality is that, going live and talking in front of an audience (virtual or in-person) is a skill that takes practice to develop. But, I promise you that the first step is the hardest step, and once you take it, you'll realize it's not that bad. I've gone live now so many times that it just feels like I'm just doing another thing. 

   Quotes from our community: "Going live scares me, but I'm going to challenge myself to make it happen." 

3. Email Reach Out- Now, I’m avoiding using the term ‘cold emailing’, because that’s not what I’m talking about. When people use the term ‘cold emailing’, they’re usually reaching out to strangers blindly and you absolutely can do that in your business, but I don’t encourage people to start there as a business strategy because it takes longer to build trust. I know that when I was a principal and I got an email from someone I didn’t know, I’d delete it right away because I had other things to do! 

   So when I say email reach out, I’m talking about an intentional message to your target client.

   For example: Brainstorm 15 people who are your target client or who knows your target client, then reach out to them via email and tell them about your business. After that, let them know that you’re interested, if they're open to it, to schedule 30 minutes to learn more about X, to see how you might be able to support them in the upcoming school year. You can also approach them and ask them to connect you to someone else if they aren’t your target client.

   If they respond to your email and say, “I'm good, that's not a priority for me right now”, you can ask them if they can make a connection to two to three other people who might be interested.
   

   People can't leverage your business if they don't know it exists. By reaching out to someone in your network that you already have an established relationship with, you’re more likely to get a response. 

   Quotes from our community: "Reaching out via email to a few people in my network was how I got my first two contracts." 

So these three are not the only ways to acquire new leads, but they are the three I wanted to share. There are plenty of other ways to acquire new leads, but first you want to determine how a potential client will get to know you and start building trust in you. From there you can leverage many different tools to acquire leads, turn them into clients and grow!

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