Create Your Customers

I take issue with the phrase “lead capture”.

It’s not that it’s wrong, but more that I think it’s incomplete.

Yes, you absolutely can and should find leads who are already a good fit for your products and services; but if that’s all you do then you’re limiting yourself to serving the people who happen to be a good fit.

It struck me recently that we, as businesses, can also actively produce the customers for whom we are the best fit.

You can create your customers.

Let’s say you wanted sunflowers.

Well – you can either go buy yourself some sunflowers.

Or, you can buy sunflower seeds; knowing that when planted they’ll turn into sunflowers.

And if you want butterflies – yes, you can collect butterflies.

Or, you can collect caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies.

(fun fact – that might be the first time I’ve written “caterpillars” in several decades)

The idea here is that if we want perfect customers – we can find them, and we can also create them.

This isn’t an either or – I believe you should be doing both.

You can find examples of this concept all over the place, from the winery example I gave in the video, to the premier league academy youth programs, or the NBA G-League.

I know those last two aren’t producing ‘customers’, but they’re taking an active role in producing the people that they want.

Take Karate studio for example –  if you run a Karate studio for kids it would make a lot of sense to offer a clinic where their younger siblings could come learn a few things; which would help spark some interest in a group of possible future prospects.

Heck – you might already have a progression in your business – if you offer courses or coaching programs – is there an order in which people consume them?

Does one prepare participants for the next?

All we’re doing here is taking that concept, and extending it across the entire customer journey.

Each stage should prepare customers for the next

So ask yourself – what does my ideal customer know, what do they believe, and what have they already?

Then, use the answers to those to design your content, your education, and your marketing messaging.

The example I used from my own business is the two free mini courses I launched – Marketing Automation 101, and Infusionsoft 101.

Do I believe these courses to be independently valuable? You bet.

But do I also believe that they’ll help produce the people who are most prepared to take advantage of my other courses and the OG membership? Absolutely.

Alright party people – I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one. If you have any questions, or if it sparks an idea for you – please reach out or leave a comment below.

Oh, and if you want to learn more about the Success Path concept, Stu McLaren, or his Tribe course – check out this guide they put together.