This is part two of our three-part marketing audit where we’re auditing your lead generation machine using my three-step lead generation system. Build audiences, grow relationships, and convert relationships.

Welcome to Episode 351 of the MSP Marketing Podcast with me, Paul Green, powered by the MSP Marketing Edge.

SPECIAL: MSP Marketing Audit (2 of 3) – Generating Leads

This is part two of our three-part marketing audit. Last week in episode 350, we looked at your foundations, that was your ideal client profile, your unique selling proposition, so basically who you want to work with and why they would choose you, then your website and your LinkedIn setup. So if you haven’t yet listened to that one or watched it on YouTube, please do go back and start there, those foundations are so important.

But today we’re going to go deeper into the engine room because we’re auditing your lead generation machine using my three-step lead generation system. Build audiences, grow relationships, and convert relationships. I’ve got 30 questions for you in total across this episode. It’s the same as last week. You’re scoring yourself with a yes or a no answer for each one, and I’ll tell you what your total means at the end. Let’s go.

SECTION ONE: Build audiences.

So in this first section I’ve got 10 questions for you asking whether or not you’re reaching enough of the right people to market to.

Question 1: Do you have a LinkedIn audience of at least 500 people who are decision makers at the kinds of businesses that you want to work with?

Marketing is very much a numbers game, and especially for MSPs because the sales cycle is so long, and therefore you need to have as many irons in the fire as you can. You need to have at least 500 connections on LinkedIn, but better… 1000, 2000, 3000.

Question 2: Are you adding new ideal prospect connections on LinkedIn every single day?

I do think this is something you should be doing every day. In fact, not you, but maybe someone on your behalf, perhaps a virtual assistant or someone on your team. But every day you should be attempting 10 connections. You find those people you really want to do business with and you go and connection request them. And there’s lots of different ways to do this. You could use an automated tool. You’ve got Dux-Soup, for example, or Meet Alfred, I think those two are both still going. I say I think because I haven’t personally used them for a few years and they do come with huge caveats of be very careful… LinkedIn hates automated tools.

You could also just use Claude, open LinkedIn in your Chrome browser and you’ve got the Claude plugin that can use LinkedIn for you. It’s slow, but it will get it done. Or as I say, just use a human. That’s the approach I prefer. And even I attempt 10 connection requests every single day. We’re up to about 8,500 to 9,000 connections on LinkedIn now, and we’ve done it the slow, long, hard way. And they’re good solid connections because I have a VA, Christelle, who every day is connecting only to MSPs and to vendors within the channel, it’s a very targeted list. You can do exactly the same thing. Now, even if you only get one or two people accepting your connection request, you’re still building your list every day, which is great.

Question 3: Do you have an email list of prospects separate from your client list that you are actively growing?

Most MSPs have their client list and they will email them, often from within the PSA. I believe you need a CRM separate and that’s where your prospect data sits. And you should be sending out regular emails to those prospects at least once a week, which is not overkill. Once a day is overkill, once a week is absolutely s...