How to Convert Leads Into Customers - It’s Harder Than It Looks!

Read this blog if…

You’re getting tons of leads, but not many are ACTUALLY turning into paying customers.

You follow up. You send emails. Maybe you even hop on calls.

But somehow, they ghost you.

Converting leads into customers is one of the biggest struggles for business owners.

It feels like a constant battle, wasting time on dead leads, second-guessing your sales process, and wondering, “What am I doing wrong?”

I get it. I’ve been there.

That’s exactly why I’m sharing:

✅ Why lead conversion feels so damn hard

‍✅ The exact method I use to turn leads into customers (consistently)

And in case you’re wondering, “Why should I even listen to this guy?”

Well, I bootstrapped SalesRobot from $0 to $600K in 5 years. I’ve made tons of mistakes so that you don’t have to.

Why is Lead Conversion Hard?

The real reason converting leads into customers is hard is that people lack trust and timing.

And lead conversion is all about trust and timing.

Let’s take Outbound and inbound sales, for example:

In outbound sales, you’re reaching out to people who don’t know you.

You’re a complete stranger sliding into their inbox or DMs, and people don’t trust strangers. They don’t care how great your offer is because, in their eyes, you haven’t earned their attention yet.

That’s why most outbound messages get ignored.

It’s not because your product isn’t good. It’s because:

❌ They weren’t expecting to hear from you

❌ They don’t know who you are or why they should care

❌ They assume it’s just another sales pitch (they get tons of those)

Inbound sales are different.

They already showed interest, maybe downloaded a free resource, signed up for a webinar, or even booked a demo. So why aren’t they converting?

Because timing is everything.

Just because someone fits your ideal customer profile (ICP) doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy today.

❌ Maybe they’re still researching

❌ Waiting on budget approval

❌ Dealing with other priorities

And if you assume they’ll buy just because they signed up, you’ll be disappointed.

So, how do you build that trust and stay top of mind without being annoying?

Let’s talk about that next. 🔥

The Reliable Method to convert leads into customers

Over the last 5 years, we’ve tested just about every trick in the book to convert leads into customers. Some worked, some flopped, and some were a total waste of time.

But through all that trial and error, I found a method that actually works not just for me but for my clients too.

Let me break it down for you. 👇

1. Use LinkedIn to Attract High-Intent Leads

To be honest, LinkedIn is turning into another cold email graveyard.

Everyone’s getting spammed with cold DMs.

We still send cold DMs, but our response rates are way higher than most. Why? Because we figured out a simple truth:

👉 People don’t want to talk to strangers. They talk to familiar faces.

So stop chasing and start attracting. HOW?

Share more educational content. It can be in the form of a LinkedIn post, article, webinar, etc.

Educate With High-Value Content

People buy from those they trust. And trust isn’t built through aggressive sales pitches.

It’s built by teaching instead of selling.

But before you start posting, ask yourself:

❌ Is this something my audience actually cares about?

‍❌ Does this solve a real pain point?

‍❌ Would I stop scrolling to read this?

If the answer is no, rewrite it. High-intent leads want real solutions.

Here’s what works on LinkedIn:

✅ Breaking down common mistakes & how to fix them

‍"I see founders making this mistake daily… here’s how to fix it."

✅ Sharing real behind-the-scenes insights

‍"Here’s how we increased our lead conversion by 37% in 3 months."

✅ Talking about recent trends and what they mean for your audience

But here’s the problem…

Most people can’t post consistently.

They start, post for three days, then quit not because they’re lazy, but because they don’t know what to post next.

We struggled with this too.

That’s why we’re building PostZilla—a LinkedIn content creation tool to help you never run out of content ideas and consistently convert leads into customers.

2. Offer Free Tools, Free Trials, or Lead Magnets

As I mentioned, we’ve generated over 5K leads and more than 200 booked meetings. Half of those meetings came from this following strategy 👇

If you want to convert leads into customers, offering free tools, free trials, or lead magnets is a great way to get started.

These methods allow people to try out your product without any risk, which makes them feel more comfortable with you.

Once they’ve shown some level of interest, what’s next?

Craft a Killer Pitch & Strong CTA

Here’s how it works:

💡 Free trials:

A lot of companies offer 14-day trials so people can test out the features.

Some even offer freemium versions, where users can try basic features for free and then decide if they want to upgrade.

The more useful they find your product, the more likely you are to convert leads into customers.

💸 Discounts:

A 20% discount on the first purchase can encourage people to buy right away.

Offering a special deal for a short time creates urgency.

People don’t want to miss out, so they act fast.

🛠️ Free tools/resources:

This helps build authority over time. Once they use your free tool/resource, you can guide them down the sales path until they’re ready to buy.

Why Does This Work?

It makes it easy for people to try your product without feeling like they’re taking a risk.
It lets them see the value of your product before they commit.
It gives them a taste of what they’ll get if they become a customer.
It creates the need for your product, even if they didn’t know they needed it before.

Before you know it, you will start getting inbound leads, too.

3. Follow Up Within Minutes

Once you start getting inbound leads, you need to reply to them quickly. Why?

According to a study by InsideSales, if you respond to a lead within 5 minutes, your chances of conversion are 10 times higher than if you reply in 30 minutes.

But no one has the time to respond that quickly all the time.

We’re all busy. So, does that mean you’ll miss out on leads?

No, not anymore.

At SalesRobot, we’ve built the first LinkedIn AI auto-responder that replies on your behalf and books meetings for you.

Interested? Try it out for 14 days. No credit card, no commitment required.

4. Leverage Retargeting & Remarketing

Once you start posting consistently, guess what? You’ll start going viral more often.

And when that happens, the number of qualified leads coming your way will skyrocket(sometimes so much that you can’t handle them all).

So, what do you do in that situation?

Retarget the people already engaging with you.

Ex: You’ve got 1,000+ leads from just one post. There’s no way you can manually reach out to all of them.

That’s where SalesRobot comes in.

With just a few clicks, you can scrape all the leads from your post and start reaching out to the people who commented.

Add All Post Comments Campaign on SalesRobot

But what if you want to be more selective?

Maybe you only want to target high-quality prospects who match your ideal customer profile (ICP).

In that case, tools like Trigify or TeamInfluence can help you scrape and segment your lead list.

Then, you can automate the whole outreach.

Just connect everything with a Zapier webhook and link it to SalesRobot.

Boom! You’ve got a multi-outreach campaign running on autopilot.

5. Target Lookalike Audiences

If you already have a few paying customers, the best next step is to find more clients just like them. Same industry, same pain points.

Here’s how to do it:

1️⃣ Log in to SalesRobot.

‍2️⃣ Create a new campaign and use the “Add Lookalike Prospects” feature to find similar leads.

3️⃣ Enter the domain or company name.

SalesRobot campaign import from lookalike search lookalike filter

4️⃣ Select the filters based on your prospect’s information.

SalesRobot campaign import from lookalike search personal information filter

5️⃣ Select the filters that match what you know about your dream company.

SalesRobot campaign import from lookalike search company information filter

6️⃣ Once you select the right filters for your lookalike prospects, click “Search Prospects” and save it.

6. Automate Your Outreach With Email & LinkedIn

Leads won’t convert on their own, right?

You need to reach out with a good value proposition.

But you shouldn’t need to spend hours doing it.

In fact, you can connect with them on LinkedIn and email in less than 5 minutes.

Here’s how:

1️⃣ Automate LinkedIn Outreach:

Use SalesRobot to send personalized connection requests and follow-ups on autopilot.

2️⃣ Email Outreach in Clicks:

SalesRobot has a database of 800 million contacts, allowing you to find verified email addresses instantly.

Just click “Enrich Email”, grab the verified email address, and start sending cold emails effortlessly.

Instead of chasing cold leads, you’re now reaching out to warm prospects, people who already know you or fit your ideal customer profile.

7. Personalize Every Interaction

The key to converting leads into customers is to personalize every interaction.

And no, I don’t mean using the variables like {{firstName}} or {{CompanyName}}.

I mean making your message relevant and going the extra mile to show that you genuinely care about helping them.

One way to do this is by using a tool like Claygent by Clay, which helps you deeply research each prospect and craft personalized messages that truly resonate.

Instead of generic outreach, you can send messages like:

"Hey [Name], I saw your recent post about [topic] and loved your take on it. Funny enough, I was just discussing something similar with a client in [industry]. Curious to hear your thoughts on [related challenge]!"

I know Clay is too expensive.

So here’s what you can do:

You can use a tool like Hyperise to create cool GIFs and memes that break the ice. People love personalized, fun outreach.

Screenshots of LinkedIn posts featuring personalized Starbucks cups with names.

It shows you’re not just another salesperson blasting cold messages but someone who actually put in the effort.

8. Improve Website UX

You might not realize it, but your website plays a huge role in converting leads into customers.

A messy, confusing website? It drives people away.

But a well-designed website? It helps convert them quickly.

So, what makes a website “well-designed”?

✅ Mobile Optimization

Most people browse on their phones, so your site should look great and work smoothly on any device.

✅ Simple Language

Visitors should understand what you offer within 5 seconds. Use clear, easy-to-read words—no confusing jargon.

✅ Clean Layout

White space and simple formatting make your content easy to read and digest.

✅ Easy Navigation

Make sure visitors can find what they need fast, without clicking all over the place.

The easier it is to navigate, the more likely people are to make a purchase.

And always test your website to find and fix problem areas.

Ask yourself:

Is your checkout process too complicated? Simplify it—only ask for the essentials.
Are your forms too long? Cut them down to the bare minimum.
Can you make buying easier? Amazon’s one-click purchase is a great example of removing friction.

9. Use Social Proof (Testimonials & Case Studies)

People buy from people they trust.

That’s why every business has customer testimonials on its website.

Ex: When you're about to buy something on Amazon, do you check reviews first? Most people do. Seeing real experiences from about choosing your brand.