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Craig’s Lead Map

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Craig’s Lead Map
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Craig’s Lead Map - The Intro 4

1 What This Is Not 7

2 It’s no longer Free? 10

3 The Rundown 13

4 Creating ads that get attention 15

4.1 A Compelling Title 15

4.2 Brevity With a Wicked CTA 17

5 Advanced Craigslist Ad Posting Strategies 19

5.1 Avoid Being Flagged or Ghosted 20

5.2 Use different versions of the same ad 21

5.3 Post From Different IP’s (Without IP Masking) 22

6 Getting setup 24

Landing pages, autoresponders, & lead capture all in one? 25

7 Craigslist Ad Hacks 32

8 Summary Rundown & Final Thoughts 33


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NO GUARANTEE OF EARNINGS, PROMISES, OR REPRESENTATIONS:

You consent and understand that we claim no warranties, implications, promises, suggestions,
projections, representations or guarantees whatsoever to you regarding your future prospects or
earnings, or that you will even earn any certain amount of income, profit, sales or money, with
respect to any purchase of this or any other product from us, and that we have not authorized
any such projection, promise, or representation by others.

All included earning examples if any, statements, earning statements or any other content
regarding your projected earnings are not concrete but rather ideas - examples of what we think
you can possibly earn. There is no assurance you will do as well as shown in any of this
material including testimonials. If you lean or rely upon any figures provided, you must accept all
of the risk of not doing as well as the content provided. This would include whether the earnings
or income examples are monetary or any other gain of monetary value.

There are no guarantees or promises that any previous successes or previous results as to
earnings of any sort (whether monetary or value of any sort that can be converted to money) will
apply to you, nor can any prior successes be used, as an indication of your future success or
results from any of the information, content, or strategies. Any and all claims or representations
as to income or earnings (whether monetary or advertising credits, whether convertible to cash
or not) are not to be considered as average earnings.

All examples are for mathematical demonstration only. You could make nothing and the
examples shown are not typical.
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Craig’s Lead Map - The Intro

Welcome Local Marketing Consultants!

First... "Thank You" for making an investment in my new training and your
bright future.

As a fellow local consultant I am always looking for tools and techniques


that will attract good clients 'magnetically'. Tools that can help you get
consistent results and make you stand out from the competition.

I’ve worked closely with business owners as a consultant for many years.
So, naturally, I know what’s typically needed for them to listen.

But we need something different to catch their attention and motivate them
to retain us for other digital marketing services.

Today, I am confident I’ve got a new and exciting way to grab the attention
of business owners & consumers to elevate your professional status with
them. In their eyes YOU will be the expert, and these strategies will be the
key.

Get excited because I'm giving you the key to bigger steadier fees and
happier clients…

This most unique business strategy that will prove simple and easy to
use… in fact, as long as you can read and follow simple step by step over
shoulder instructions... You can do this.
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Before we jump in… You may be having some thoughts about this whole
Craig’s List thing….

Things like -

“Isn’t Craigslist overcrowded?”

“Didn’t they just raise their price for advertising?”

“Are the leads really good?”

“Don’t they have too many rules to post?”

“Isn’t it full of scammers?”

What if I told you… all those questions didn’t matter.

What if those exact questions are the very reasons you SHOULD be
advertising on Craigslist…

That’s right… it’s why you should… because your competition is thinking
the same thoughts.
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Recently Craig has changed many of his rules for posting. And these
‘rules’ encompass his greedy reason for being in business - to monetize.

But along with his greed… comes some major advantages for consultants
like you and I.

See, these changes have stirred an uproar among local business owners.
They’re up-in-arms because many feel they’ve been forced to leave this
platform that once was their major source of new business.

Let them… because I have my back turned while trying to conceal my


uncontrollable joy of their decision.

What the crowd doesn’t realize is that along with change … ​comes a flood
of opportunity to stand out.

An opportunity to literally take over your local market in your town’s


classified section of Craigslist!

Opportunities (plural) may be a more fitting description of the nuggets you


can gain in your local market. Because these opportunities can come in
the form of ​faster brand-awareness, more recognition from your target
audience, and LEADS.

And the competition? Almost non-existent. The few competing consultants


using Craigslist … they have to get by the false notions that CL is a haven
for bogus leads and creepers.

Because of these false beliefs, your weak competition is more than likely
going to give up at the least sign of resistance.
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1 What This Is Not

For eons, craigslist has been top-of-mind for local businesses and
consumers wishing to sell their goods. But I bet you didn’t know that
Craigslist is among the​ top searched sites in the world!

The site has morphed over the years but many of its past posting
nightmares still haunt today’s user.
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In the beginning, the business owner would post their ad. Thinking that
was all they needed to do…

Until, they noticed a host of their competition posting in the same sections.

Eventually, many other competing ads were posted pushing the first
business owner down the list… until…

Eventually, that business’s ad disappeared! (Off the first page)

So, what happened? The business owner would post another ad.. Until…
THAT ad disappeared. What happened next? You guess it - they would
throw up another post and another and another…

Why wouldn’t they? After all, it was free, right?

Here’s the kicker. If one business owner was doing this…​ do you think
other business owners caught on?

It was like a tug-of-war to get as many ads as possible in the local services
section… and the winners would be the ones who could​ post fast and post
often…

… ultimately causing the classifieds site to be covered with a swarm of


duplicate ads that seems to go on for miles.

The madness didn’t stop there. Scammers and spammers caught on to this
low-cost click-bait cesspool. And they got pretty nifty with their tactics.
Gangs of scammers would spend day and night posting.

They even came up with robot posting software to infest craigslist with their
scam offers like an epidemic.
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So between the struggling businesses, the mlmers, and the scammers…


Craiglist was overtaken.

Craig had no other option other than to release their army of bots to crack
down on these perpetrators. The result?...

If one posted too many times their ads would be banned either by CL or
“flagged” by other posters/browsers. The poster would get a notification
that their ads were no longer being shown.

Or…

They would get an out-of-nowhere “slap” in the face. And it would be


out-of-nowhere because the advertiser wouldn’t even know where it came
from.

In other words, they would keep posting for days, maybe weeks ​without
knowing that their ads were not showing anywhere - Ghosted!

Only if they decided to search for their ad on their own would they find out
that somehow they couldn’t find any of their ads!

So what did the trigger-happy spammers do? They got creative. They
became overnight detectives to crack the Craigslist code.

And they prevailed... for a little while.


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With crude methods like using IP masking software, multiple phone verified
accounts and emails, along with cheap work from outside countries… they
seemed to have beat out Craig in a big way.

A wake-up call was on the way.

Eventually, the Craigslist algorithm won the battle. Today, those old and
outdated methods have been put to a stop alongside much of the madness
with one simple “Add-On” to posting on Craigslist:

2 It’s no longer Free?

Oh boy. Does it feel like a punch in the gut?

“Mike, you mean to tell me that I have to pay to post on a classified site?!”
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Well, there are still some free sections that can yield great results, but the
main bread-n-butter for local businesses… the “services” section is no
longer free.

But listen. Keep your attention on these words if you get nothing else from
this training.

For a few measly bucks… YOUR COMPETITION HAS BEEN SCARED


OFF!

They’ve run for the hills!

You can now take a five dollar bill and advertise for a whole month! Did
you get that?

Five bucks - little to no competition - and it lasts all month.


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Compare this to other platforms that charge by the click or charge a daily
budget.

For other paid advertising platforms like Facebook and Google, it’s not
uncommon to pay $10 - $300 or more every day for a single ad.

In fact, businesses are more likely to pay by the click! And if they skimp on
the clicks, they’ll be sorry with the resulting lead count.

Think about this. Even if a business owner pays a minimum of just 5 bucks
a day on Google ads, they will end up fronting $150 a month for an ad that
may or may not perform.

(and we all know… many businesses pay 20, 50, 100, or even thousands
per day for paid-ad platforms like Google)

Plus, they have to know all the right keywords, the right ad copy, test what
times are best to display their ads, know what amounts to bid on certain
search terms, and so much more! And… they may not get anything back in
return unless they have a consultant who knows what he or she is doing.
Still, it’s much more expensive!

The most obvious benefit to paid CL ads other than less competition
is the fact that it’s… well…. It’s 5 bucks.

That’s it. No paying per click, no bidding!

And that pays for a month worth of ad placement. A month!

In this training, I’ll show you exactly how to take five-dollar bills and swarm
your message, your offer, your business, your name all over the hottest
section of Craigslist…
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...with a fraction of the competition past users have experienced.


What was pages after pages of posts… is now one page and your ad
stays there longer than ever before.

3 The Rundown

I hesitate to call this a process because the steps are so simple - all one
needs is about ​15 minutes a day once your ads are initially created. (​ We’ll
dive in deeper in a later section.)

First, let’s go over some guidelines:

● I’ve found that CL allows you to post 2 ads (in separate categories)
per day without any trouble.

● It’s also allowed to post one ad in a category in the same city every
48 hours.

● The same ad copy can be used with minimal changes.(Although CL


says similar ads will be taken down)

● A url can be used in some categories.

With just one account, a consultant can post two ads every other day and
renew previous ads as they post.

Essentially, once past ads are in place, you can post 3 ads per day using
almost the same exact ad with no penalties from Craigslist (2 new ads and
1 renewal of an older ad)
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And you can easily double these numbers with a no-brainer method we’ll
cover in a later section.

Keep in mind, from time to time, you may be flagged or your ads may be
taken down due to Craigslist’s algorithm or minor mistakes on your part, but
this occurrence will be minimal if you follow my lead.

With this information, the advertiser can get creative with a multitude of
post scheduling combinations to serve their ads all over the site.

But that’s not what this course is about. I am going to lay out my
suggestion for scheduling your ads. ​An easy to follow sequence of events
that you can easily remember, track, and deploy on a consistent basis
starting this week.

Then after just 2 weeks, your business, your service, your brand &
message can be all over the right categories for the entire month.
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Remember, there are many ways to do this, but my only goal is to stay
“safe” in Craig’s eyes while maintaining a stress free week so you are not
constantly scared of being slapped by CL.

4 Creating ads that get attention

Like other advertising platforms you need an ad that sticks out like a sore
thumb. The consultant must include an ad that has a compelling call to
action, the message must be unique, and the body needs to be engaging.

Other than the ad itself there is one ingredient that is an absolute must, but
first let’s dissect an effective ad.

4.1 A Compelling Title


First, the consultant needs to provide a compelling message. By this I
mean, one that sticks out. And usually this message is in your Title. The
goal here is to be different.

Take a look at this screenshot from posts for legal services.


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Do you notice which one of these ads Stick Out?

No?

Well, there isn’t one.

Now take a look at the Automotive section…

Does anything stand out? Not to me. The all caps may stand out on the
page, but still the headlines are not compelling.

A way to make these ads more compelling is to get personal and edgy.

What about something like this:

“Never talk to your mother-in-law again! I can help: Divorce lawyer”

Or…

“Keep your $Money$... DIY Divorce?”


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Although these headlines may be frowned upon within the legal field, the
point is the same. The above headlines use the fear of loss and humor.
They both work. The point here is not to use the same lame headlines.

Make yours stand out!

Here are a couple more for the local consulting niche:

“BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL: Chase ‘SLOW’ leads and you’ll die...”

Or…

“RESTAURANT OWNER: I Saw A Nasty Review Of Your Business?”

Again, these use the fear of loss.They definitely stick out.

Here’s one for the Make-Money-Online (MMO) niche:

“STICK IT TO YOUR BOSS working 30 minutes per day?

“Copy and paste your way to FREEDOM?”

Or…

“Ditch your SUCKY desk job: Give your notice (if you want to) by this
week, by selling other people’s stuff?”

4.2 Brevity With a Wicked CTA


Next you need a solid description of the service you are promoting. And
within this description you must have a great Call-to-Action or CTA.
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With this method we will be placing two CTA’s within the body portion of the
ad. We do this to increase our chances of a lead conversion.

Studies show that if a prospect has more than one choice to act - the
chances of capturing that lead surprisingly increases.

Here’s one for an SEO consultant:

Title:

“​MANIPULATE the first page of Google to drive sales”

Body:

Local to Apex, NC businesses… listen up.

How long have you put off being seen on the first page of Google
organically?

Yes, you’ve tried all the other ‘gimmicky’ fads and what have you got from
them?

Exposure, THE RIGHT WAY, is what you need. And guess what?... This
type of exposure is the most effective and it’s free!

If you’re fed up and want more consistency in your business get our free
walk-thru on how you can do this on your own starting today.

follow this ​HTTPS://YOURLANDINGPAGE.com

Or simply
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Call 9 1 9 - 810 - 1234

(It’s not for every business type. Call to get a list of qualified business
types)

Ok, let’s dissect the above ad.

1) Certain things were left out. While other advertisers are giving it all away
- you will give “just enough” by being brief. But you are clever because you
give just enough info to wet their appetite without being stingy.

2) ​You take it away. ​ The last line uses the take-away method because
people naturally “mismatch” any attempt to sell. By taking it away, they will
push-back… but to your benefit. It’s almost like you are telling someone
they can’t do something and their only response is “oh yes I can!” Many
consultants or affiliate marketers are afraid to write anything negative about
the product or service, but not you because you understand marketing.

3) You are giving them more than one CTA. This will convert way more
than just a “call me” cta. Studies show… if you give them more than one
choice, they are more apt to act on your offering.

5 Advanced Craigslist Ad Posting Strategies

Here are some more in depth tips when placing ads for business client’s or
yourself. Keep in mind this is a guide to use solely to keep you on track to
avoid being “hit” by a Craigslist backhand!
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5.1 Avoid Being Flagged or Ghosted


Being flagged by the Craigslist bots can be a headache in itself, but there
are ways to avoid it. First know that there are some unscrupulous groups
out there that have every intention to eliminate your efforts.

There is really no way to predict these people and it may never happen to
you, but keep in mind that it’s not the end of the world if it does.

And although paying for CL ads can reduce the chance of being flagged or
ghosted, there’s still that chance.

But know this… Craig favors paying advertisers and their posts that
have been flagged must now be reviewed by Craigslist staff prior to
being removed.

If you are paying for ad space you can now post in multiple cities (within
reason) without fearing the CL bots. But still, if you copy the same ad to
post as new, you may be ghosted or flagged by other users.

(I’ll show you how to combat this without having to create entirely new ads
every time.)

Furthermore, there are a couple of actions you can take to reduce your
chances of actually being flagged by Craig.

● First, don’t overpost. I know we get excited once we find a strategy


that works, but it’s very important to BE PATIENT. Use the
2-ads-per-48-hour rule while renewing one previous ad at a time in
the same category.
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● You can post a url within the ad safely if you keep it away from the
first or last line of the description. Keep words like “Website”, “Link”,
or “URL” out of the body of the ad. Be sure to use simple high
converting landing pages with a specific CTA.

● Finally, if you are ever “Ghosted” meaning Craigslist has eliminated


your ads showing without informing you - just wait. Wait for a week
to a week and a half before trying to post again. You can know if
you’ve been ghosted by periodically searching as an outsider the
category of your posts. If your posts are not showing and you have
not received an email from CL about it… Ghosted! If you keep
posting, this may lengthen your time in CL jail so just wait.

5.2 Use different versions of the same ad


By now you may be thinking…

“We’re talking about a lot of ads…”

Don’t stress. It’s as simple as pie if you just follow a simple plan of action.

It’s really very simple. ​Use your old ads, yes… but change them up a
bit.

Change them… just enough… to keep Craig off your back.

Simply do this:

1. Alter your headlines. Or either prepare a list of headlines attached to


your ad and rotate them.
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2. Change the first and last couple of lines of the ad. Craiglist’s bots
used to scan only the first and last lines. It’s not a definite, but today
it seems they are scanning more than just those lines. I’ve found that
changing the first 2 lines and the last 2 lines… just a little… does the
job.

In essence, all you will do is make one ad. Then make several versions of
that ad with only variations to the first and last couple of lines. Once you
have a group of similar ads, store them away on a word doc. Copy and
paste throughout the week.

Using this strategy with a plan to post new ads periodically and at the same
time renewing older ads will keep you under the radar… and can watch
your momentum grow while gaining massive market share within your
niche.

5.3 Post From Different IP’s (Without IP Masking)


Here’s where most hit the wall. Craigslist allows an advertiser to post only
a limited amount within a certain time frame per category… per area/city.

Because of this, consultants can sometimes see their ads get pushed down
to the middle or even the bottom of the first page… and sometimes
completely off the 1st page in some categories after a month or so.

And if you try to repost a new ad before the allotted time allowed, those ads
often get denied.

In the past, it was recommended to pay for IP address (a number that


identifies your computer) changing software in order to allow for multiple
posts inside the 48 hour rule. In other words, the software would ‘trick’
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Craig into thinking those multiple accounts were truly from different users in
different areas of the country… allowing the user to make multiple posts
without waiting.

Today, this software can often be detected by Craig’s bots. But why would
anyone go through the trouble?

In section 2, we discussed competition. And how the lowly 5 dollar bill


chased off much of your competition. Since many competitors have been
scared off, this software is no longer needed - It’s much easier now than
you think.

Most families have multiple computers in the home. All you need is 2 or 3.

Simply, create accounts from different computers by following these


steps.

1 - Create account #1 from computer #1. Use a email address #1 to do


this.

2 - Create account #2 from computer #2. Use a different email address


(email #2) to do this.

3 - Attach credit card #1 to account #1. ​(You will input your credit card
number each time you post in a paid section. Remember which card you
used.)

4 - Attach credit card #2 to account #2. ​(You will input your credit card
number each time you post in a paid section. Remember which card you
used.)
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(If you do not have more than one debit or credit card, go here to use a
virtual card - ​https://privacy.com/​)

That’s it! No complicated software involved. Now when you post, you can
alternate accounts and post double (or triple - if you have a third computer)
the amount that anyone else is posting. Look at just one of the results
from 2 of my services.

These ads are plastered all over the first page for much of the month - for
much less than even a low budget PPC campaign! Do you think leads will
come?
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6 Getting setup

When posting on Craigslist, you will have two choices when it comes to
where you want to send your leads.

You can either just have them ​call or email you directly​ (which works very
well)... or you can ​send them to a squeeze page or landing page.​ Or do
both.

For this example, we will set everything up as if you were going to use a
landing page.

I’ll show you an easy and fast way to have a list building mechanism in
place within minutes.

6.1 Landing pages, autoresponders, & lead capture all in


one?
Who says you have to do all that work to get landing pages set up?

Typically, when getting started, you’ll need a hosting account to house your
landing page site. You’ll need a domain. Privacy features. Forms.
Plugins… and the list goes on and on.

Aside from the cost involved, the time required can be daunting.

What if I told you there was a way to have all of this at your fingertips, with
no setup, no coding, no plugins… all on one platform… ready to go…
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(If you don’t know what these terms mean… it’s okay. The point is…
there’s a lot involved with creating a one-page website or landing page)

Free for 30 days and only $15 per month thereafter...

It’s called an autoresponder… but this autoresponder has everything you


need from an email sender, to a list builder, to forms, to landing page
templates, survey systems… as I said - everything you need.

Let’s get started:

1 - Go to ​https://www.getresponse.com/​ and set up a free trial account.


Choose the basic level account that will allow up to 1000 contacts.

2 - Once you’re in… let’s set up your list. Go to the “lists” tab at the top.
Then “Create a new list” and name the list. This is the list you will find your
leads are stored.
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3 - Now go to the “Menu” bar in the upper left portion of your screen. Then
click “Landing pages” and then click “Create landing page”.
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4 - The next page will display a long list of landing page templates. Simply
click on one that you would like to use. Name your page and click “next”.
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5 - You can now easily double-click on each section of the editor to edit the
text for your page.
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Before moving on, take a look at the mobile version of your creation and
the ‘Thank you’ page that your leads will be directed to. Edit each
accordingly. Then click “Next step”.

6 - On the next screen you will attach the list you created to this
landing-page. So when a lead fills the form out, they will be added to your
account on Getresponse automatically.
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Click “Publish” at the bottom of your screen and you're done!


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7 Craigslist Ad Hacks

This section is a summary of what’s been covered along with a few new
pointers. Use the bullet point list below as a checklist until you get familiar
with the process.

● Slight changes in the title will allow you to use similar titles again
without being being penalized by CL. (Other advertisers can still flag)

● Changing the first couple of lines and the last couple of lines in your
ad will help avoid being targeted, ghosted, or having your account put
on hold by CL.

● Listing certain keywords sprinkled throughout the ad can get you


more exposure on Google. A great way to do this is by listing
keywords within your services in the form of bullet-points.

● Having more than one call to action will increase conversions.

● Follow this guide for posting for two weeks. After consistently posting
for 4 days a week for two weeks… you are home free for the rest of
the month. Just open your account and renew old ads on each of
your accounts going forward.

● Use your url somewhere in the middle of the ad. Or at least not in the
first or last line. This will allow you to use a landing page and still get
ads approved.

● Clear your history and cookies before posting


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● There are some FREE and “discount” sections that work very well:
{Gig Section - Computer Gigs}, {Community Section - Events and
Local News}, {Resume Section}​, It is suggested to use a
combination of free and paid sections.

● Post two Ads (One paid section and one free section) per day
alternating Craigslist accounts.

Follow this guide. And be consistent for the first two weeks. Then take a
breather and renew your ads for the remaining weeks of the month. After
just a few weeks you will notice, in some cases, that two thirds of the
category you are posting in… is inundated with your message, your
business, your offering.

… and by this time, you should have a pleasant surprise with a consistent
flow of leads coming in as a result.

8 Summary Rundown & Final Thoughts

The map has been placed in your hands. You have a plan of action… and
it’s as simple as just following a few easy steps.

Summed up, you can start a full lead generating campaign today. Have
ads going today… and possibly start generating leads this week or earlier.

Stay consistent for two weeks and surely you will have leads coming in
consistently.
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If done right… meaning, your headlines and ad descriptions are effective,


your offer is irresistable, and your lead capture tools are in place…

… it’s not uncommon to have 50-100 leads per month in some niches…
and hundreds in some mmo niches!

To put things into proper perspective, I will sum up the entire plan in two
sentences.

Post variations of one (or several) ads twice a day using two accounts as
shown while renewing old ads at the same time allowing for 3 ads per day.
Do this for two weeks and then just renew old ads for the remainder of the
month.

Use the guidelines in this pdf and collect your leads!​ Then follow up,
follow up, follow up!

Like most things, the overall approach to becoming a Craigslist poster or


lead generator will take consistency. It will take patience. It will take
someone to be disciplined in taking the correct action to secure paying
clients. Meaning, this action must be done methodically when venturing
out to offer your new service.

But I can confidently say that this could very well be the most simple
concept to grasp in small business consulting. The method takes no tech
skills and the learning curve is so short some ask “Is this all there is?”

They are also pleasantly surprised to find that they have resources that will
perform the service on their behalf.

So whether a foot-in-the-door or one of your main money-makers, this


strategy can literally be implemented this week!
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And with the seeds of your consistency sown, you can watch your crop
grow not only in the form of money, but also in the form of your desires
coming to fruition over and over again.

One of my colleagues, who is now a successful consultant, had one dream


and only this one dream. She wanted a new washer and dry for her family.
That was it! She couldn’t dream any bigger than that!

Once she made the decision to become disciplined and consistent, she got
that washer and dryer… then she paid off some bills… and today she
continues to create what she wants in life in the form of large and more
attractive dreams.

Maybe you’re starting off like her. Maybe your desires are much greater.
Either way, it starts with you taking your first step. So take that first step,
and as you reach your goal use that as a stepping stone to the next one…
and the next.

But here’s one last thought. Make LIFE primary. And life is NOW. You
can’t give life the attention it needs by always being in the future (Goals) or
the past (Regrets).

Make your wants and desires secondary to LIFE and things will start to
seemingly work out on their own.

You may even find the true joy that’s been there… all along.

All the best,


-Mike Paul
Craig’s Lead Map
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