In this episode of Money Talk With Tiff, Tiffany Grant sits down with Pia Silva to dive deep into the often misunderstood world of lead generation. Pia, an expert in helping small service businesses maximize their lead generation strategies, breaks down the fundamental principles and actionable steps essential for effective lead generation.

The conversation spans various topics, including the importance of networking, refining your messaging, and the tactical use of content creation and paid advertising to build what Pia calls an "authority machine."

Both Tiffany and Pia offer practical insights and personal anecdotes, making this episode a must-listen for business owners at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey.

Check out the full show notes: https://moneytalkwitht.com/podcast-show-notes/lead-generation/

Takeaways

• Lead generation is about ensuring more people know you exist and trust you.
• Talking to your warm network can be the most effective lead generation strategy.
• Many entrepreneurs find lead generation daunting, but it's simpler than they think.
• Networking events can be a great way to connect and introduce your services.
• Introverts can succeed in lead generation by focusing on one-on-one relationships.
• Creating a clear message about what you do is crucial for effective networking.

Special Offers

• Pia Silva offers a free copy of her book, "Badass Your Brand: The Impatient Entrepreneur's Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit."
• To get your free copy, visit: No BS Agencies - Free Book

Guest Contact Info

• Instagram: @pialovesyourbiz
• Website: No BS Agencies

For continued insights on financial strategies and business tips, tune in every Thursday for a new episode of Money Talk With Tiff. Connect with Tiffany Grant on all social media platforms @MoneyTalkWithT.

Thank you for listening!

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Copyright 2025 Tiffany Grant

You know what it is.

That's right.

It's time to talk money with your money nerd and financial coach.

Now tighten those purse strings and open those ears.

It's the Money Talk with Tiff podcast.

Hey, everyone.

I am so excited because I have Pia Silva on the line now.

Pia is here to talk to us about lead generation, which when we got on the call, we were like, most people think they're not good at it.

And so I'm like, this is something that I have not covered on the podcast.

That would be wonderful to go over.

Over for selfish reasons.

But anyway.

Hey, Pia, how are you?

Great.

Thanks so much for having me on Tiff.

Yes, thank you so much for coming.

So let's just hop right in.

First and foremost, I always like to start with a baseline for people.

What is lead generation anyway?

Yeah, I think people think it's something that they make it more complicated than it is.

Lead generation is about making sure that there are people in this world who know that you exist and what you have to offer, and that can look a lot of different ways.

And so we were laughing that most people think they're not good at it, because I think that most people think lead generation is this thing outside of what they do or know, and there's some magic, special thing that other people know that they don't know.

And I think the most important message I want to get out today is just that lead generation is about making sure that there are more people out there.

There are more and more people out there that know you exist and know what you do.

Yes.

And I can admit, you know, I'm transparent on the podcast.

I'm one of those people where I feel like, oh, it's just part of this whole sales process that I need to make sure I get together and make sure I have going and all of this stuff.

So I'm one of those people.

I can admit it right here on the podcast.

Now, when we're talking about lead generation, how could lead.

What does lead generation look like for business owners if it's so simple?

Yeah.

So it is, I would say simple, but not necessarily easy.

And I think the biggest mistake that people make with lead gen is that, especially in the early days of a business, they go to what is, I would consider more advanced tactics of lead generation, when really the biggest, best thing you can do for lead gen in the early stages of your business, and I would call any time in your business when you are still not making the amount of money you need to make to feel comfortable if you're not making the amount of money that you're like, yes, I'm making enough money right now.

Then you're in the early stages of your business.

So if you're in that stage of business, then the best thing you could do for lead gen is talk to people.

Talk to as many people as you can.

It is the fastest way and the most effective way to get a lot of people to know about you and know about you and trust you intimately.

Right?

Because the only way that people can buy from you is if they know like, and trust you.

And you can get someone to know, like, and trust you in one conversation.

And you can actually get somebody to know like, and trust you really well enough to hire you and in just one conversation.

So lead gen in the early stages of business is all about connecting with people, talking to people.

In real life, I recommend starting with your warm network and connecting with everybody that you know and using that as a jumping off point, making sure that everyone that you know, you think they know what you do.

You think they know who you help.

They don't.

My mom barely knows what I do.

I've had a lot of clients tell me that they have.

Once they got over the hurdle I'm not gonna talk about in a minute.

Once they got over the hurdle of talking to people about their business, which I know can be really intimidating, in the beginning, they realized that their next door neighbor is actually like their next door neighbor became a client.

That just happened to one of my clients recently.

She said, oh my gosh, this person I've been living next door to and talk to all the time.

I finally mentioned what I did and she said, oh my gosh, I need that, and hired me.

So you have no idea who you know that needs your services or knows someone that needs your services.

So that's the first thing you need to do, is talk to everybody you know.

And then the second thing you want to do is use all those connections that you already have and ask them to either introduce you to people or, or go out and start meeting new people.

That's where networking groups come in.

It's not the best, like as a very long term strategy, but in the beginning, again, I built my whole business on just going to networking groups and talking to everybody there.

And I did six figures in our first year.

I mean, I was hustling and I was in New York City, but I did six figures our first year.

I pounded the pavement like crazy, but it was all from just meeting new people and I had like zero network when I started.

So that is what I think everybody in a small business should be doing until they get to a.

A somewhat comfortable financial place.

And then we go to step two and we can talk about that.

Step two, what I think is what everybody imagines.

If you want, we can talk about that next.

But what do you think?

What do you think of that?

Does that make you uncomfortable, Tiff?

I know it makes a lot of people uncomfortable.

No.

So, personally, I love networking, so you are speaking my language.

Like, that is my version of partying.

Like, I'm not a part of a girl or anything.

But I love going to networking events, so you're speaking my language.

However, I will say, just like you, my mom didn't even know what I was doing for a while.

And, you know, a lot of the people close to me and even my audience sometimes didn't know what I was doing.

Which brings me to my next point.

Like, I know it.

Like, as business owners, we know what we're trying to accomplish, but I think sometimes conveying that to other people, it kind of gets lost in the sauce.

So do you have any tips around that?

Yes, Great point.

And first, I just want to commend you for doing the networking and liking it and tell you, Tiff, that you're doing lead gen when you do that.

So stop saying, I'm not sure how to do that.

You absolutely.

That is like the best lead gen you could be doing.

So just embrace that.

And you're totally right, though.

You nailed it.

Knowing how to explain it is a hurdle.

And frankly, you could do a ton of networking.

And if you're not really clear about who you help and how, then it can be kind of a waste of time.

Right?

Because you could have 20 conversations, and if everybody leaves that conversation with you scratching their head and they're not going to think about you again, then, you know, it was a little bit time wasted.

That said, the act of talking to people is.

Is the best way to figure out what you offer and get it into a really clear, concise statement.

So even if you, you know, I think everybody should be working on this, you know, in their home, in their office, trying to come up with a good statement that's just clear.

You're clear who you work with, you're clear how you help them.

But it's the act of telling people out loud, seeing where their faces light up and seeing where they get confused, seeing what their questions are that will help you clarify it.

So the more people you can talk to in the early days, the better.

Yes, yes, I love that.

And so here's another question, because something that business owners tell me all the time is, well, Tiffany, I'm an introvert and I don't want to, like, I don't want to be around people.

My bucket gets full really quickly.

Do you have any tips for our introverts that may be listening?

Yes.

And I know this can be really challenging.

So introverts, I know that especially like a networking event where there's lots of people, that can be incredibly draining.

Even one on one conversations can be draining.

I would recommend to those introverts that you focus more on the one on one relationships and you just spread them out.

Right?

So don't.

I tend to chunk my work.

So I like to do a lot.

Like I like to have an intensive day of talking to people and then I don't talk to people the next day at all.

But if you're an introvert, you need to manage your energy.

That said, I know introverts have the hardest time with this part of lead gen because really they don't want to talk to anyone often.

And so this like, most important thing that I'm saying about lead generation might be the very thing they don't want to do.

So for that I would just recommend acknowledging it.

Probably working with a coach, especially maybe a coach who specializes on working with introverts.

There is a book if you search Networking for introverts.

I forget her last name.

I think her name is Stephanie.

But there's, there's a woman I met recent once that wrote a book about networking for introverts.

So I would, I would really embrace that and look for ways that you can make it work.

The next level of lead gen is what everyone probably thinks of when they hear lead gen, right?

It's marketing, it's content creation.

It may look like having a podcast, right?

It may look like creating content on social media, having lead magnets that people opt into, having an email sequence that nurtures your leads.

I'm 100%, 150% all for that.

I call that an authority machine.

Basically a machine where once you have the machine built, you can do things like appear on other people's podcasts, have your own podcast, go speak on stages.

You know, every activity that you do that gets you in front of new people is leveraged because those people can now come into your authority machine and essentially get nurtured for you.

You don't have to speak to them directly for them to become a fan and client.

However, that effort usually falls flat for a Lot of people, because they do it too early, before they have the financial stability that would give them the time to invest in doing it well, which means you create like some content, but you don't have a lot of time and then it's not going anywhere and then you kind of give up.

That's why people are on the content treadmill or.

And because they start doing it before they have clarity around who they're really working with and what their offer is.

So you end up creating a bunch of information out there that kind of sounds and looks like everybody else's, which is not going to fly these days because there's just way too much noise out there.

So, you know, it's not a popular piece of advice, but it is what works.

And I've been coaching people for years and I've had my own business for 15 years.

The advice, to not do it until you've really got your.

You've really got your stable foundation with lead gen by communicating with people.

I think it's just a lot of time without a lot of payback if you do it too early when your message isn't clear and you don't really have the time to do it properly.

Yes, and I can attest to that too, because, you know, I say I built my business with digital marketing and social media and things like that, but prior to that, I was doing the first thing we talked about, which was networking and thing, and, you know, that kind of avenue.

And so when I did step into the social media realm, I already had somewhat of an audience because I was already doing on the ground networking.

So I can definitely attest to that.

And also with getting your messaging straight, I know when I first started I was like, I just want to help everybody.

So I was just making all types of content and nothing really tied into each other until I would say, honestly, just a few years ago.

And just a few years ago is when I said, okay, I know exactly who I'm talking to.

Yes, exactly, exactly.

And I've seen that story play out so many times.

And I also, you know, had to get to figure it out as I went along.

So it's just a very common experience.

And I think the reason we're having this conversation is to try to save people from kind of going off in the wrong direction, which just could be a ton of time wasted.

For sure.

For sure.

And so you mentioned two things that would be considered legion.

So networking and, you know, content creation and stuff, which.

Oh, I'M over here like, oh, I've been doing this all along.

Maybe I'm not too bad at Legion.

What is another way that Legion can show up for our small business owner?

Yeah, well, I think it starts to depend on what kind of business you have.

If you have a very location based business, like you know, a nail salon where, well, you can't do someone's nails if they aren't, you know, within a certain mile radius, those are the, those are the kinds of businesses where I think certain kinds of paid ads can be very effective.

But I'm saying that very hesitantly because online businesses, I think paid ads are the, are one of the last things you do.

And I think that people don't talk about that nearly enough.

So people just think, oh, I need to do paid ads or I need to do SEO.

And those two things can be very powerful for location based businesses and they can be a huge waste of money if you're an online business.

And like I have an online business and I didn't start doing paid ads until I basically nailed like a really big authority funnel that I knew converted, that I knew traffic would go through and turn into clients.

That's the only time I would recommend online businesses to invest in advertising simply because it, you have to already know what the ROI is or you can spend a lot of money very quickly.

So that's one avenue depending on your, depending on the kind of business that you have.

And then another one is I wouldn't do too much of this until you've got the nurture authority machine.

Remember, the authority machine I mentioned before is once people join your email list, you know that you're going to be nurturing them with content that you don't have to personally spend time on because you've already written it and that nurture campaign will eventually get them, you know, a certain percentage of those people to become clients once you have that, like the sky is the limit.

Every time you have an opportunity to get in front of an audience or even just talk to a new person, you can put them into your authority machine and know that the machine is going to turn a certain percentage of those people into clients.

I think that when people think about like speaking on stages, for example, it's a great way to find clients because when you speak on stage, you in, you automatically command authority and you are seen as an expert.

Like even if you're not, if you're on a stage, people think you're an expert.

But if you do that without the machine behind you, without the ability and the machine that's going to nurture them, then what happens is maybe you get a client at that event, maybe you get a client from speaking on that podcast who but all the other people who liked what you had to say but weren't ready to buy yet.

You lose all of those people.

So I think the more important question is, you know, are you doing this in the proper order to set yourself up for success?

Like to set yourself up best for success?

Yes.

And this just opens up a whole other can of questions, but we can't give it away all on the podcast today.

So if, if people were interested in learning more about you or if this is something you help people with, how could they find you?

Yeah, you can follow me on Instagram at.

Pia loves your biz.

That's Pia loves your B I Z.

And I talk about, you know, all aspects of building a small business.

I work specifically with one to three person branding agencies.

But, you know, all of my advice really applies to all service, small service businesses.

And then the other thing I can offer your listeners is a copy of my book.

So I wrote a book called Badass yous Brand and it's all about how to build, how to profit from selling your expertise.

So if you go to nobsagencies.com byblock you can grab a free copy of my book.

I love it.

And I'll make sure I have all of those links in the show notes for our audience.

Thank you so much, Pia.

This, this conversation made me feel better about lead generation and hopefully our audience too.

So I appreciate you coming on and dropping these gems.

Absolutely.

Thanks so much for having me, Tiff.

All right, bye.

Thank you for listening, joining, and being a part of the Money Talk with Tiff podcast this week.

You can check TIFF out every Thursday for a new Money Talk podc.

But if you just can't wait until next week, you can listen to previous podcast episodes@moneytalkwitht.com or follow TIFF on all social media platformsoney.

Talk with T until next time.

Spend wise by spending less than you make A word to the money wise is always sufficient.