New design studio, averaging $6k/mo. for 8-10 hrs./week. Looking to set up a lead generation engine. Ideas?

I think you can quickly develop some prototype using AI and demo that to potential clients. One designer approached me with a prototype design and I immediately attracted by it. The willingness to pay is more than ever.

Hey Calin.
Would you share if you were able to figure out lead generation and what platform was most valuable for leads?

that is not easy ...bro
come on!!

Trial and error are the best lessons to be honest. Btw are you looking for a partner or something to distribute the load and scale ?

hey @calinbalea, What I previously saw work effectively for design agencies is the creation of a professional and comprehensive "teardown"video presented through a well-produced video format, ideally lasting approx 3 to 4 minutes. In this video, you would dissect your ICP's product / website in detail, providing constructive criticism on key areas, and subsequently highlighting the positive aspects while discussing how "Contrast. Studio" could make a real impact above what they currently have.

This sales technique, often referred to as the "hurt and rescue" approach, can be exceptionally powerful when delivered with the appropriate tone backed up by good content. By sending this video directly to the senior team within your ICP, you may have the opportunity to secure a meeting where you can then effectively position and promote "Contrast Studio"

This is sweet to hear. I've shared it with a community I'm in, and also added it to https://productizedhq.com/ for a free backlink haha 🚀

Maybe a stupid idea - But I wonder if you can use another productized service for lead gen?
Something like https://productizedhq.com/smith-ai/ or https://productizedhq.com/wingassistant/

But I will dig in and find better options. This sparked an idea for me, thank you! Maybe it's another vertical that is needed :)
I don't know if the #'s work out well.

Hi Calin,

I'm on a similar journey. My business have a similar model however it's web-programming/code.

Did the Ads like you did, Linked-in and Google Adwords and had quite good traffic but no real leads.

My plan now it to pause the ads for a while and try networking.
The Discord idea that another person gave is one, and I will try to find other ways to reach out to potential clients or partners like here in Indie Hackers.

Like you said, the current clients you got were already know to you, so I think there is something there - people tends to be more inclined to engage in business with people they already know?

That said, here I am - trying to e-network ha!
If you need a partner to handle the coding aspect of your beautiful designs (honestly, pretty sleek and sophisticated) you can reach out to me.

Amadeu - outputters .ca

Hi Calin, impressive milestone - I still remember my first 5000 dollar month.

You are at am interesting point, would love to chat with you to help setup cold email infrastructure at the best cost and infrastructure possible that is the most reliable way to generate consistent lead flow

Other than Twitter in your case.

We are working with agencies if not work can advice on the steps etc happy to help

Wow i'm surprised by the pricing! 5K / month is a lot!
But i guess if you're going after enterprise and well funded startups than it is a good strategy.
Maybe just lookout for newly VC funded startups and reach out by cold email.

Trago algumas ideias para você pensar:

1. Definir bem o seu ICP (Perfil ideal de Cliente).

Essa é a parte mais importante da coisa. Pois, você colocará no papel quem você procura como cliente. Apesar de acha que está na sua cabeça, ao transcrever em um documento, você poderá entender alguns pontos importantes.

Tente ser o mais imersivo possível e busque alguns pontos:

• Até quanto o meu cliente ideal está disposto a pagar mensal pelo seu serviço?;
• Quais os segmentos de negócio eles atuam?;
• Qual o faturamento mensal da empresa que comporta o investimento no seu serviço?

Esses são alguns pontos. Mas, você pode ir além disso.

2. Responder a essa pergunta: Quais locais (plataformas) eles estão?

Assim, você conseguirá entender onde atuar para que o seu serviço seja visto.

3. Quais as dores atuais que eles tem?

Neste ponto, você poderá entender quais os problemas que você pode resolver.
Como por exemplo:

• Atenção do prestador de serviço;
• Dores específicas (Não saber como criar um briefing para a agência);
• Sazonalidade do produto;
• Falta de conhecimento em marketing.

Em cima desse conhecimento, você poderá agregar as suas entregas.
Levante dores que nem ele, algumas vezes, sabe que tem.

Depois disso tudo, você olha para canais de aquisição, tais como:

• Tráfego (ads);
• Indicação
• Etc.

I am really interested on this because I am in the same spot. After +10 years experience in the UX industry I moved to freelancing and I am seriously thinking about start something similar.

I think that 100% of these new productize services (inspired by DesignJoy) would work great if you already have a good audience on platform like Twitter or LinkedIn.

What I’m finding it’s really working is the approach of @MrNick_Buzz on Twitter. He is sharing a lot of content in which he explains how he would improve a specific website with few UX/UI edits. I think this kind of content can drive some more sales, especially if they goes viral!

Hi there, your agency is till sort of new and you are in the stages of figuring out what works for you. All the other suggestions were quite good. Here is another one. Visit this site: Disboard, search for start-ups and join all the discord servers related to startups.

I cannot see any other way than to build trust within certain community. Yes you have the knowledge and experience but people cannot verify it and without any solid evidence they won't trust you.

My recommendation write blogs, and reddit posts on relevant communities and share a very insightful things and just give away your knowledge for free. There will be people who read your posting and share it to their friends and there will be people who read it and think maybe this guy can help me.

Instead of selling stuff to them inside the posts, open up your dm, facebook chat or anything something that you can directly advice them for free. By doing that you will built trust.

Of course when people messaging you, vet out between people with money and ready to pay and people here for free advice.

The one with money try close them out or offer them something and the free riders ask them to promote or like or share you posting, make them market stuff for you as trade.

TLDR

1. Give knowledge for free on relevant communities
2. Built a funnel where people can talk to your directly and you can sell them your course directly.

Here some reference if you are interested:

Youtube video : Giving Away Free Stuff Will Make You Rich

Article : How “Giving Away” Can Fuel Sales and Attract Customers

If you want to rank better blog that will get more traffic I would recommend you to tryout creativeblogotopic.com and automated seo research tool.

Email Marketing

Set up 3 domains in Google Workspace or your provider
Warm up using instantly
Get leads form Apollo or instantly if you want to keep it simple and in one tool
ChatGPT your way into the hearts of your future customers.

Hello Calin,

First off, kudos on taking the leap and launching your design studio! It's great to see you're already on a trajectory to success with 10 years of design experience under your belt.

You've outlined your current state and goals clearly, and your commitment to providing excellent service by limiting client seats is commendable. Scaling to $25k/month is an ambitious yet achievable target, especially with your dedication and talent.

Regarding lead generation, your ideas are on point. Building a strong online presence through regular content sharing on LinkedIn and Twitter, showcasing your designs on Dribbble, and offering valuable freebies to your ideal customer profile are excellent ways to attract potential clients.

Reaching out to podcast hosts is a brilliant strategy to add value and broaden your network. Also, exploring email marketing through targeted lists and utilizing LinkedIn ads for precise targeting can bring in more leads.

In the early stages, experimentation is key. Keep trying different approaches, measure their effectiveness, and adapt accordingly. Networking events (online and offline) specific to your industry could also be an avenue to explore.

Remember, consistency and persistence will be your allies in this journey. Best of luck, and I'm excited to see your studio flourish!

I think you should try joining the Facebook groups and Slack channels, and post on Reddit, Online Startup communities and Discord groups where you can showcase your work. As per the rules of growth, you should experiment with different growth channels and check which is working for you and which is not.

You should discard the channel which is not working for you and stick to the channels which is working providing a good return on investment.

Hi Calen,

I have a few ideas which might help you out

• Promoting your service over different newsletters can help you generate many leads. So find a newsletter working in a similar domain and get featured on it. I run a newsletter myself. Check it out from my Profile.

• Doing a product hunt launch can give you lots of eyeballs.

• Sell your service in an interesting way. For example - Roastmylandingpage is trending a lot nowadays.

Feel free to contact me for any further details.