If I had to start from scratch and generate my first 100 leads tomorrow, I wouldn't be chasing every marketing strategy under the sun.
After 35 years as an entrepreneur and generating over 9 figures in revenue for our clients since 2011, I've discovered that the secret to explosive growth often starts with *scaling down* before you scale up.
Too many entrepreneurs and marketers are drowning in options. They're trying to be everywhere, speak to everyone, and solve every problem. The result? Mediocre performance across the board and marketing dollars scattered in too many directions.
The answer isn't doing more. It's doing less, with absolute laser focus.
This is the foundation of what I call the Lean Growth Method – a framework we've successfully implemented for hundreds of clients through our agency, MindShift Digital (formerly Local Yokel). Today, I'm sharing exactly how it works.
The beauty of this method is its simplicity. Whether you're a solopreneur wearing all the hats or the lone marketer on a small team, this framework will help you cut through the noise and get results.
The fastest way to fail at lead generation is to start your sentence with "Everyone who..."
When I ask clients who their ideal customer is, they often respond with "Everyone who needs X." This approach dilutes your message and wastes resources targeting people who aren't ready to buy today.
Instead, identify the ONE perfect buyer persona for your product or service. Get crystal clear on exactly who they are, what motivates them, and why they need what you offer.
For example, with this very framework, I'm specifically targeting:
I'm not targeting large marketing teams or businesses with massive marketing budgets, even though they could benefit too. This narrow focus makes my message infinitely more powerful.
Once you've identified your buyer persona, narrow in on ONE specific problem they need to solve – not five, not ten.
What's the single issue keeping them up at night? What's their most pressing pain point?
For instance, if you're a real estate agent, your potential clients might be worried about financing, yard size, number of bedrooms, or saving for a down payment. But what's the ONE problem that's most urgent for your specific buyer persona?
When you speak directly to their primary pain point, your message becomes magnetic. Yes, it feels like you're leaving options on the table, but this laser focus actually makes your marketing far more effective.
Don't try to be everywhere at once. Select a single traffic source that aligns with where your ideal buyer spends their time.
At our agency, we typically focus on either Meta (Facebook/Instagram) or Google for client campaigns. Not because other channels don't work – they absolutely do – but because focus yields faster results.
Early in my career, I chose direct mail as my primary traffic source. Why not newspapers, radio, or TV? Simple: I didn't have the capital to do it all, and direct mail was where I could reach my specific buyer with a direct response message.
Choose the ONE channel where you can reach your ideal buyer consistently, and master it before expanding.
Will you use videos, images, or written content to convey your message? Choose ONE primary content type that:
1. Is congruent with your brand
2. Speaks effectively to your buyer persona
3. You can produce consistently
Many entrepreneurs get stuck in analysis paralysis at this stage. They overthink the creative production and end up doing nothing. Remember: you can always improve later. The most important thing is to ship version 1.0 and get it into the market.
Fun fact: The first three episodes of my MindShift podcast were shot on an iPhone in my closet because of a technology failure. Today, I have a professional production team, but I didn't wait for perfect conditions to get started.
Please, for the love of everything holy in marketing, don't create multiple conversion paths.
Design ONE clear process for turning prospects into customers. Think of it like the drive-through at McDonald's – a simple, linear path that leads to a transaction.
Will you bring leads through a landing page to a webinar and then to a sales call? Will you convert directly through an e-commerce checkout? Whatever you choose, make that ONE process magnificent.
Trying to convert people through DMs, cold outreach, sales calls, AND e-commerce simultaneously is a recipe for confusion and wasted effort.
When prospects reach your conversion point, present them with ONE clear offer. Not three packages, not five options – ONE.
I understand there's psychology behind offering people choices, but when you're working with limited resources, simplicity wins. Whether it's a membership program, a done-for-you service, or a specific product, focus on making that ONE offer irresistible.
We once worked with an automotive supply business that had 33,000 products on their website. How did we optimize their marketing? We applied the Lean Growth Method by segmenting their departments and product lines, then focused on ONE specific offering at a time.
Finally, have ONE clear way to deliver what customers purchase. How will they receive the product or service after buying?
Amazon makes this brilliantly simple – your purchase ships to your home, or you can pick it up at a locker. The delivery mechanism is clear and consistent.
I once recommended a change in delivery mechanism to a CEO client for their best-selling book. They pushed back, not because "that's how we've always done it," but because changing the delivery system would cause more operational pain than the potential gain. Sometimes the right choice is to stick with what works.
Everyone on social media is pushing their agenda of how much MORE you need to do. I'm pushing in the opposite direction.
Yes, you can expand when you have more resources, a bigger team, and more leverage. But if you're a solo practitioner or small marketing team, embrace the power of the Lean Growth Method:
- ONE buyer persona
- ONE problem
- ONE traffic source
- ONE content modality
- ONE conversion process
- ONE offer
- ONE delivery mechanism
This framework will help you generate high-quality leads that convert relatively quickly, without the overwhelm of trying to do everything at once.
If this framework resonates with you, there are two ways I can help:
1. Join our Inner Circle: Learn more about our frameworks, processes, and playbooks for business growth in our community. We'll show you how to make the nuanced adjustments to apply these principles to your specific business.
2. Work with our Agency: Let our team at MindShift Digital implement these principles for your business, bringing the leverage of our expertise to your marketing efforts.
Whether you choose to implement this framework on your own or with our support, I hope it helps you shift your mind so you can shift your results.
Remember: Sometimes to scale up, you first need to scale down.