“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”
“500 new leads this month!”
Room erupts in applause. Congratulatory high-fives all around.
… … … … …
At least, that’s how I remember it going at the agency.
Meanwhile, the account manager had the distinct look of someone calculating whether they could still afford rent with no job.
Because of those 500 leads …
He knew at least three dozen were spam. A handful were either competitors doing recon or office cleaning companies. And more than 50 were people asking the company for something they don't actually do.
But the client’s number was up. Sooooo … hooray?
***
The word “lead” (noun) has bugged me since my college internship at that agency.
Because a “lead” in digital marketing is (technically) anyone who shows interest by sharing their contact information. Which puts all of these in the same bucket:
A robot
A student looking for an internship
A person trading info for a freebie
A competitor doing industry recon
A local service provider looking for clients
An actual human with money and a real problem you can solve
That’s why agencies have always loved the word. You can promise “leads” and deliver just about anything.
***
“Not enough leads” is rarely the actual problem with your business.
It’s usually one of two things:
You’re getting inquiries — from the wrong people
You’re getting inquiries from the right people — about the wrong thing
Both get buried under a “we need more leads” conversation, because more is easier to sell than better. Also harder to argue with. If someone is bummed that the number is low, you can always run more ads to increase volume.
But if the audience fit or offer is wrong, you have to look at what you’re actually saying … to whom … about what.
That's a MUCH more difficult problem to solve.
***
I’d argue that you could get 500 form-fills tomorrow and still not land a single client.
Because volume will never fix a confusing message or bad branding.
The number that matters is how many of those 500 were ready to hire you — before filling out the form.
Everything upstream of that answer is the real work: your positioning, message, offer, branding, and a technically-sound, professional website that matches the level you actually operate at.
***
Speaking of …
I’m running a free masterclass in a couple weeks on exactly that topic.
Filtered Out: Three Brand Signals Costing You Clients
Wednesday, August 19 @ 3:00 PM ET
If your business runs on referrals and “leads,” and your website hasn’t been touched in a few years, this one’s for you.
***
Make it a great week! 🙌
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