Inbound Sales Strategy

You’re posting on social media..but you’re not getting any inbound business from it. Then this post is for you. ↓ Every successful online builder is actively building an email list. Justin Welsh Simon Squibb Codie Sanchez Matt Gray Tim Denning Nick Huber Alex Hormozi etc, etc…. Why? NO ONE wants to be controlled by algorithms on social media = people want ownership AND Because email marketing is up to 40x more effective than social media when it comes to turning leads into customers. ✅ By owning an email list, you control how you reach your audience. ❌ Social media? Not so much. Social media algorithms are constantly changing, and you don't control those platforms. And don’t get me wrong, social media is a must to enable people to FIND you. But to convert people to clients: an email list is much more effective. With email, you’ve got a direct line to your people. You can nurture those relationships without relying on third-party platforms. No middleman, no algorithm changes. You’re talking straight with them. If you’re not building an email list, you’re missing out on one of the most effective ways to monetize your audience, and build a business. So, how do you go from having followers to building a loyal email list and turning them into paying customers? Here are a few actionable tips to get you started ↓ 1️⃣ Create Irresistible Lead Magnets Offer something of value in exchange for their email address. It can be a: - free guide - checklist - webinar - exclusive content …make sure it speaks directly to your audience’s pain points or desires. 2️⃣ Launch a newsletter on Beehiiv You can literally start one today. 3️⃣ Use Social Media to Promote Your Email List Don’t just share your lead magnet once → talk about it OFTEN. Tell your followers what they’re missing if they’re not on your list. Add some urgency or offer a bonus to get them to subscribe. Make it a part of your system. 4️⃣ Nurture with Consistent, Valuable Content Once they’re on your list, don’t just sell. Give them content they can actually use. And LEARN from. The more value you provide, the more trust you’ll build, and the more likely they are to buy from you down the line. Show people you understand them. Make yourself the go-to. Many people think they should do the opposite: Keep things behind a wall until people buy. ❌ That won’t build your business and it won’t build your email list. ✅ Share loads of value, and you will get more customers. 👉 Treat your emails list like an a$$et Treat your email list like the valuable asset it is. Ask for input. Encourage people to reach out. Make an effort to understand and respect people’s time. Don’t write super long essays (no on has time). Write newsletter editions people can skim read. Show up regularly in their inbox. Want examples how? 👉 Go here (it's free): https://lnkd.in/dUPYinYi

I rejected 47 portfolios yesterday. All beautiful websites. All great craft. All are getting rejected for the same reason. They're using websites for the WRONG thing. Let me be clear: Websites are PERFECT for your landing page. But for CASE STUDIES? That is where you are losing us. Why? You can't control the narrative when I control the scroll. Think about it: You spent 60 hours perfecting that case study ON YOUR WEBSITE. I spent 60 seconds scanning it. → Scrolled past your impact metrics → Skipped your process → Never saw your best work → REJECTED 🫠 Sound familiar? The designers getting $20K above asking? They split their portfolio strategy: Landing page → website (style, aesthetic, brand) Case studies → decks (narrative, control, story) "But Lena, everyone puts everything on their website!" Yeah. Everyone also gets rejected. Your website should be your gallery. Your first impression. Your vibe. But case studies need something different. After reviewing thousands of portfolios, I can tell you: Pitch wins for case studies. Every time. Here's why: 1️⃣ Total narrative control One slide = one message. Better narrative flow. Those "transition slides" with just "CONTEXT" or "IMPACT"? They reset my brain. They build anticipation. They control the story. 2️⃣ Analytics that actually matter Finally see if companies opened your work. Which cases they viewed longest. Where they dropped off. No more guessing - just data. 3️⃣ You're in the room (without being there) Record yourself presenting each case. Right there on the slides. Update typos without breaking links. Add missing metrics on Sunday night. Same link works Monday morning. The designer I hired at 20% above budget? STUNNING landing page on their website. Every case study? Linked to Pitch. They understood the game: Website = Your design gallery (set the vibe) Pitch deck = Your case narratives (land the job) See the difference? Different tools for different jobs. Together, they change everything. 🖤 #PoweredByPitch

I warmed up a prospect for 3 months on LinkedIn before our first call. They signed a £75K deal in 3 days. Modern selling demands a new approach: cold outreach fails, warm relationships win. Think about it... That prospect had consumed 47 of my posts. Watched my videos. Read my articles. Engaged with my content. By the time we jumped on that first call? They already trusted me. They already knew my approach. They already understood the value. I didn't have to sell them. They'd already sold themselves. Here's my framework for turning content into closed deals: 👇 1. Build trust at scale BEFORE the pitch Stop spraying and praying with cold messages. Start building relationships through value. Each post builds trust. Your insights mark credibility. Stories create connection. Your content is doing the heavy lifting while you sleep. 2. Let buyers self-educate on THEIR timeline Modern buyers don't want to be sold to. They want to discover solutions themselves. ↳ 70% of the buying journey happens before they talk to sales ↳ They're researching you before you even know they exist ↳ Your content is either attracting or repelling them Give them what they need to make informed decisions. 3. Recognize the REAL buying signals Forget MQLs and SQLs. Think about PQLs (product qualified leads) Here's what actually matters: - Multiple engagements across different posts - Bringing colleagues into the conversation - Asking specific, detailed questions - Moving from public comments to private messages These aren't leads. These are pre-qualified buyers. 4. Keep momentum BETWEEN meetings Here's where most deals die: The 167 hours between your calls. While you're chasing other prospects, your buyer is: ↳ Getting cold feet ↳ Talking to competitors ↳ Forgetting why they were excited Smart sellers stay present even when they're not there. This is where tools like Consensus come in. They let buyers explore demos on their own time. Answer their questions at 10 PM. Share materials with their team. Stay engaged between touchpoints. It's how you keep social selling momentum right through the demo stage. https://lnkd.in/ePVWw-Bi 5. Close with confidence, not pressure When trust is already built? When value is already proven? When buyers are already educated? Closing feels natural, not like a battle. The best deals I've ever closed felt inevitable. Because the relationship started months before the opportunity. Here's what this approach delivers (in my experience): ✓ Significantly faster sales cycles ✓ Much higher close rates ✓ Bigger deal sizes (pre-sold = less negotiation) ✓ Happier customers (they chose you, not the other way around) Stop thinking of social selling as "nice to have." Start treating it as your primary sales strategy. Your next big deal isn't in your CRM. They're scrolling LinkedIn right now. What content are you creating to catch them? #ConsensusPartner

Missing buying signals is costing you revenue. Every day, buyers send signals they’re ready—or getting ready—to make a purchase. If you don’t know how to recognize or act on these, you’re losing deals to competitors who do. Understanding buying signals helps you engage buyers at the right time, with the right message, so you can close more deals. 👉 Understanding the 3 levels of #BuyingSignals: - Level 1: Future Need - At this level, the buyer has a problem but isn’t aware of it yet. These signals show that the buyer may need your solution in the future, even if they’re not ready right now. 📣 The buyer is facing challenges, asking questions, or raising concerns, but they’re not searching for solutions yet. How to Use It: Educate the buyer. Share insights that bring their problem into focus. Let them know their issue could worsen or better options exist but don’t push for an immediate sale. When to Act: Build a relationship and position yourself as a trusted resource. Stay top of mind for when they’re ready. - Level 2: Problem Acknowledgment -   Here, the buyer knows they have a problem but isn’t sure how serious it is or if it’s worth solving. They may also be unsure of the best solution. 📣The buyer is asking more detailed questions, engaging with content, or showing some interest, but they’re not ready to commit. How to Use It: Help them understand the significance of the problem. Share case studies and expert advice to show the impact of solving it. When to Act: Engage thoughtfully. Dig deeper into their pain points and show them the value of addressing the issue soon. - Level 3: Active Exploration - Now, the buyer is researching solutions and comparing options. They’re showing clear interest and could be ready to make a decision. 📣 The buyer is downloading multiple pieces of content, repeatedly visiting key product pages, or directly asking for demos or pricing info. How to Use It: Act now! Be responsive, personalize your approach, and provide details to guide them toward choosing your solution. When to Act: Immediately. Buyers at this stage are ready to make a decision, and you need to be proactive. 👉 Recognizing these three levels of buying signals allows you to adjust your approach to where the buyer is in their journey. This ensures you’re not pushing too hard too soon—or missing the chance to close a deal when they’re ready. Knowing how and when to engage is the key to earning their business. P.S. Who am I SASSING in this pic?!! Drop your best guess in the comments. -- Enjoyed this post? Click here to follow me on LinkedIn 👉lnkd.in/emVkCrf3 to hit follow & ring my 🔔 to stay updated about my best content! #SignalBasedSelling #IntentData #SalesTriggers #ValueBasedSegmentation

Over the past few years, I have worked with multiple designers, reviewed over 100 portfolios, and been involved in hiring designers at different levels. And there’s a pattern I’ve noticed in UX case studies and portfolios in general. They almost all look the same. Most designers follow the same formula: Research > Definition > Ideation > Design > Testing (I’m keeping this broad, but you get the idea). And that’s exactly what makes everything feel generic, like a template! It’s as if everyone is copying the same structure and just editing it to fit their own product/project. But things don't work like that in real life! Since 2022, I’ve been telling my students that design is not a linear process. It’s not always Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3 in a perfect order. In reality, it’s messy. You might jump from Step 1 to Step 4 or from Step 5 back to Step 2. It’s unpredictable. Trying to force it into a predefined formula strips away the uniqueness of your work. I personally believe that Teams, projects, constraints and circumstances surrounding each body of work is different and that is why each project is unique in it’s own way. So why try fitting it into a structure that is not really made for? Many of us were taught these frameworks in bootcamps, and now we feel like if our work doesn’t fit neatly into that structure, we haven’t done what it takes to be a great designer. But the truth is, the best designers don’t just follow the process; they adapt it. So here’s what you should do in your next case study: 👉🏽 Focus on the Problem, Not Just the Process 👉🏽 Tell a Story, Not Just a Step-by-Step Breakdown 👉🏽 Show Your Decision-Making, Not Just the Outcome 👉🏽 Tie It Back to Business & User Impact Many designers stop at “Here’s my final design.” But what happened after that? Did engagement increase? Did it solve a real user pain point? If you don’t have data, you can still talk about expected impact or learnings from testing. A strong case study connects design decisions to business and user outcomes. Some final thoughts: Your case study isn’t just about showing “perfect” design work; it’s about showing how you think, adapt, and solve problems in real-world situations. I hope this helped someone. Have a productive day! Samuel Lasisi 📸 My daughter looking at Paul Kelly's design on Behance (He has one of the most interesting brand design portfolios I have seen) #design #uxui #uiux #uxdesign #linkedin

After helping 150+ founders and executives grow their personal brands, I realized getting attention is simply not enough. Hear me out: 99% of the people I reach with this post aren’t ready to buy. Some just aren’t my ICP, and that’s fine. Many could be great clients/partners - but not right now. Maybe they: • are still weighing their options • don’t trust me enough yet • aren’t even aware of their problem yet If they just keep scrolling, it’ll be up to the LinkedIn algorithm whether they ever see me again. That’s what the retention engine is for. It’s a direct distribution channel with no algorithm and no text limits. Once someone signs up, I can stay connected and continue providing value, regardless of any social media channel. It’s easy to ignore (I did for too long), but it’s essential to a content founder. And it’s not complicated to build. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 Moving your audience from a social platform like LinkedIn to your own email list is called going from a “rented” audience to an “owned” audience. It’s “owned” because I control distribution and I can engage on my terms. I’m not held hostage by someone else’s rules, algorithms, or admins. In the past, I’ve used lead magnets to grow my email list. Lead magnets are free resources that are valuable to my ICP. It should be a complete package - not an unsatisfying teaser for something bigger. Some examples: • In-depth breakdowns of successful content founder playbooks • Education email courses sharing the theory behind our service • Notion templates to solve smaller sub-problems The goal is never to promote a product. It’s to educate potential customers. Also, the lead magnet can’t suck. If it does, and my ICP feels like I’ve tricked them into giving over their email, I’ve lost them. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 From here on out, my goal is to send my audience great content that: • Interests them • Solves their problems • Entertains them • Educates them Don’t buy the hype from gurus who claim you need a complex retention engine with 1,000 moving parts. In my experience, the best way to do it is with a simple newsletter. Don’t overdo it. We started out with 1 issue/month. We now do 2. If it adds value, people won’t get annoyed no matter the frequency. This week’s topic is… Retention engines! I give an in-depth breakdown of how to set one up, take a look at the Buyer Readiness Breakdown, and even share my latest playlist for deep work on Spotify. Find it here: https://lnkd.in/e6W-Mm2K

Most people think thought leadership is about being smart on LinkedIn. They're missing 90% of what actually matters. After ghostwriting 2000+ posts for CEOs, I've learned something: the best thought leaders aren't just sharing opinions. They're investing in intellectual rigour that goes way beyond social media. Real thought leadership looks like this: - We have journalist-trained writers – not "LinkedIn writers" – who dig into data, research papers, and industry reports before crafting a single sentence. - We run structured ideation sessions that go deep into business philosophy, market dynamics, and contrarian viewpoints. - We spend hours in conversation with leaders, extracting insights they didn't even know they had. Behind every piece of our clients' content that shifts an industry conversation, there's a foundation of research, data analysis, and strategic thinking that never makes it into the character count. Because thought leadership is less about "hitting post" on LinkedIn. It's about having the discipline to think deeply, research thoroughly, and only then share perspectives that actually advance your industry. Most content on LinkedIn is surface-level commentary on what everyone already knows. Real thought leadership? It requires the investment most aren't willing to make.

7 Portfolio Case-Study Structures That Keep Hiring Managers Reading: 1. Lead With A Punchy, One Line Header Start your case study by stating the outcome first. Use this template for a concise, result-driven statement: [Action verb] + [Metric] + [Audience] For example: Cut checkout time by 55% for mobile shoppers This sets the promise and keeps readers interested in the “how”. 2. Set The Scene Provide the context and set the stakes so readers know the extent of the problem you were challenged to solve. Here's how: Comment on the problem State the baseline Provide the time frame For example: Cart abandonment was 40% on mobile in Q4 2024 3. Define The Goal And Constraints Make your target clear so hiring managers know what success looked like. Here’s how: State the key metric you aimed to move Add one constraint you had to respect For example: Increase checkout conversion from 2% to 3% with no added headcount 4. Show Your Plan In 3 Steps Break down your approach into three simple actions so your method feels structured and skimmable. Use this template: Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3 For example: Audit → Prototype → A/B Test This proves you think in systems, not random fixes. 5. Prove It With Before And After Hiring managers trust numbers. Show them the shift in one clear line. Use this template: [Metric] from [Baseline] → [Result] in [Timeframe] across [Sample] For example: Page load fell from 4.2s to 1.1s in 3 weeks across 1,000 sessions. 6. Add One Clean Visual Support your story with a single chart or screenshot that highlights the result. Here’s how: Choose a simple chart (line or bar) or a key screen Label axes and circle the main data point Keep text large and clutter low Readers grasp wins faster with a visual anchor. 7. Close With Impact And Next Steps End strong by connecting your result to business value and showing what comes next. Use this template: [Result in metric] → [Business impact] → [Next step] For example: Conversion up 1 point → Adds $90k per quarter → Next build one-click pay. This proves you think beyond the project and tie outcomes to growth. 🔎 These 7 case study frameworks help you stand out in a stack of resumes. We’ll show you how to structure your portfolio to keep hiring managers reading (and responding). 👉 Book a 30-min Clarity Call to see how it fits your job search: https://lnkd.in/gdysHr-r

Why is the B2B buying experience like a hostage negotiation? Here is what we in SAAS tell buyers: "You're interested? Great. Fill out this form. Wait 2-3 business days. Sit through a call where we ask you questions you already answered on our website. Then maybe we'll show you the product." That's not a buying experience. That's a hostage negotiation. Your buyer has already been on your pricing page twice. Read your integration docs. Looked at a case study in their industry. They're on your site right now with real questions and real budget. A nd you're telling them to wait until Tuesday? Try that in any other context: Walk into a store. Pick up a product. Have a question. And someone hands you a clipboard and says "fill this out, we'll have someone reach out in 2-3 business days." You'd walk out. I'd walk out. Everyone would walk out. But that's the standard B2B playbook. And we celebrate a 3% form conversion rate like it's a win. What about the other 97%? They left. With their budget. To a competitor who answered their question faster. Here's the shift that's happening right now. The best websites are replacing the form with an always-on AI Inbound Agent that does what a great salesperson does: reads the room, knows the product, and helps the buyer on their terms, on their timeline. A VP of Marketing lands on your site from a competitor's pricing page. The agent reads the signal: "Looks like you're comparing options. Here's how we stack up on the things that matter most for your team size. Want me to walk you through it?" A technical buyer digs into your integrations page. The agent meets them there: "I see you're on HubSpot. Here's exactly how the integration works, and here's a company your size that set it up in a day." A great Inbound Agent can answer any question, any time - including offering a walk through of your product. Plus it should be able to do great discovery to save buyers & AE's time. We're building this at Warmly, & the results are hard to argue with. When the agent replaces the form: - Meetings booked in minutes, not days - Reps walk into calls with full buyer context instead of starting from scratch - The 85% that used to bounce? They're engaging and converting The "Book a Demo" button was built for a world where the only way to experience a product was to have a human walk you through it. That world is over. The best B2B websites won't have a single demo request form within two years. The agent is the demo. The experience is the pitch. The scheduled call with an AE is the close. Your buyers are not going to wait. The question is whether your website makes them!

Today, iResearch Services is a thought‑leadership partner to 100+ brands. 17 years ago, I had no clue what thought leadership was. The industry has also changed a lot since then. Tools, channels, audiences, they’re all different. But if I had to go back, these are the 5 basics I would teach myself from day 1: 1/ Ideas before hype Thought leadership only works when your insight stands on its own. Don’t wrap it in a pitch. Make the idea strong, then let the opportunity follow naturally. 2/ Research > Rhetoric Trust comes from the data you bring to the table. Original research, experiments, evidence-backed points. That’s what makes people listen. 3/ Treat it like a platform, not a campaign One-off posts fade. An operating system lasts. Build frameworks, share learnings consistently, and make your ideas a living, evolving conversation. 4/ Transparency matters Show your work, your assumptions, your methods. People respect honesty more than perfection. The clearer you are, the more your credibility grows. 5/ Proof in the practice Ideas are nothing without results. Share examples, case studies, lessons learned. Show what worked, what didn’t, and how it can be applied. That’s how influence scales. Whether it was 2008 or 2025, the fundamentals remained the same. Do the work. Share it honestly. Keep showing up. That’s what thought leadership is really about.