Seven months in, my most valuable leads still come from personal networking

Seven months ago, we started Cascade Advisory, which helps other companies build and communicate their climate mitigation solutions. We are now generating five figures in revenue a month.

And it continues to be true: our best leads come from personal outreach. For someone like me who prefers to be behind the scenes developing great products and content, this can be hard--but also rewarding. Here's what I learned:

1. Back and forth conversations are the best way to learn what solutions your customers need.

Listening to potential customers--really listening--and asking with curiosity what gaps they are trying to fill is the single best way to learn what your customers really want. You can share your hypotheses. You can ask clarifying questions. You'll hear things you didn't expect. And you'll learn business intel that you can use in your future conversations.

2. People want you to succeed.

When you talk to people one on one, they become invested in your project. I have been so surprised, humbled, and delighted by how supportive my network has been. They will help you by referring business or potential business, they will promote you in online venues or offer guest blog post or other opportunities, etc. Give people a chance to help you!

3. "Weak ties" are key to business growth.

Every single client we've had so far has been a referral or a weak tie (i.e., not a best friend or immediate colleague, but someone we see just once or twice a year, or maybe haven't talked to in years). Reach out to those weak ties. Reach out to THEIR weak ties (ask them to refer you). This is how you will grow your network and build even more relationships.

4. Give back. Generosity pays big time.

How can you help your network? Are there job leads you can provide, resources or support you can offer, interesting ideas you can share? This is yet another valuable way to connect with people. You shouldn't do it because you expect payback. But it's also been my experience that helping others ends up helping you, too. Plus, it just feels good.

What lead generation tools work best for you? Take the poll below this post and share with the IH community.

Want to check out our business? I'd love your feedback: cascadeadvisory.co. You can also sign up there for our monthly newsletter.