How to Become a Lead Magnet

There’s a lot of outbound SDRs out there.

To be sure, this really is, by any measure, awesome. Companies, of all shapes and sizes, have embraced the importance of sales development and fostered cultures that inspire the sales reps to slug it out in the trenches every day.

If it isn’t already abundantly obvious, we’re stoked about the popularity, and continued evolution, of this craft. As far as we’re concerned, the more outbound prospecting happening out there, the better. There is simply no better mechanism in any sales team for adding incremental revenue than outbound sales.

As our industry continues to grow – and it will, generating opportunities will never go out of style – the need for SDRs to stand out from the crowd will be critical. Of course, that’s already a requirement of an SDRs, if they don’t make an impact, they’re going to have a hard time getting the attention of the prospects they are reaching out to.

But there’s more to stand out than just a cadence of emails, phone calls, and social touches – making your mark in the modern world of prospecting takes consistent creativity.

Just ask Kate Turchin, widely known as the “Cloud Security Singer,” who used her talents as a singer and guitar player to write informative (and hilarious!) songs about cloud security to connect with her prospects.

“Basically, I had a really small territory and an SDR – three square miles in Manhattan. I was really discouraged. I didn’t have any inbound leads. People were hanging up on me. So, I wondered how I could turn this challenge into an opportunity for growth. I figured I could turn myself into someone they would be more interested in speaking with,” says Turchin, on a recent edition of The Predictable Revenue Podcast.

“I couldn’t be the CEO, but I could make myself social media famous. So, I started writing a song, and it made the rounds on the internet. My second song went crazy and I couldn’t imagine the response it got. I went from having no inbound leads, and now I have a funnel. I would sign in to LinkedIn and see 200 people had viewed my profile – and they were all in our ideal customer profile.”

Cultivating creativity

Okay, okay…not everyone can sing and play guitar. We get it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage your own creative flair to build your brand and attract leads. In fact, finding our own creative voice – whatever that may be – will yield more authentic projects.

There are three pillars, according to Turchin, that will help build your personal online brand:

Be different.
Be consistent.
Brand yourself (on all of your social channels).

“Your content will not resonate with everyone. But, it will resonate with most. Look at what I do – cloud security is boring. It is not the most exciting thing ever. But people like that I was doing something totally disruptive. So I’m always thinking about how I can do that,” says Turchin.

“I changed my email signature and Linkedin to the Cloud Security Singer. Now I email people and they see the Cloud Security Singer name, they’ve clicked the links I’ve provided them, they’ve seen my videos, heard my songs, and have a strong opinion as a result. People check my email, YouTube, LinkedIn etc. Now, I have this engine for leads. Now, when we get on the phone, they are familiar with the work I’ve done and what would be a cold lead is now a warm lead.”

Still stuck? Worried you don’t have creative talents to start promoting yourself? Turchin suggests these tips for teasing out that inner artist:

Write down your hobbies and interests.
Then, keep digging (you never know what passion you’ll uncover).
Have a distinct physical characteristic? Say, Bright red hair? Sometimes people think of stuff as a big flaw, but it can be a superpower. Use that to your advantage. Embrace it.

Another important aspect to cultivating your own personal creative flair is embracing the well-known aspects of B2C technology, regardless of what industry or vertical you work in. For example, many people in B2B space view that kind of work as separate from what in the B2C sphere. But the truth is, buyers have become so comfortable with the tone and philosophy of the B2C world that those same elements should be included in whatever particular space you happen to work in.

“It’s about being bold, no matter what you’re selling,” says Turchin.

“That’s how I went from the newest SDR to the most famous person at their company in just a few weeks.

(Editor’s note: we chatted previously with marketing guru Ryan O’Hara about the importance of being creative when selling. You can read about that in-depth chat here, or listen to the interview here)

Educate above all else

Of course, you can develop all the tactics possible, but you can’t lose sight of the most important aspect of fostering creativity in sales: educating your prospects.

“I want to enjoy my job. Making your job a place to express your passions is something I care deeply about. If that passion can help you connect with people, that’s awesome. But, the first thing you want to do is educate,” says Turchin.

“If you can make content that people feel is helping them at their job, that will help. And if you can do it on a weekly basis you are going to cultivate a following.”

How specifically you educate will vary depending on the industry you work in. Some industries may prefer written content, while others like video or podcasts. Once you nail down a medium, make sure the language you’re using is the language your customers use. Show them you understand their world, their slang, and their needs.

If you can do all that, while having some fun, you’ll be sure to stand out, no matter how many outbound SDRs there are out there.

For more on Turchin’s thoughts on developing creativity, check out the rest of her interview on The Predictable Revenue Podcast.

And for even more tips and tricks on how to use that creativity to attract leads, download Turchin’s new whitepaper “Transform Yourself into a Lead Magnet – 5 Steps to Success.”

Get started with Predictable Revenue today.