Four Simple Steps to Create Your First Leads Discovery Plan Using AI

Introduction

This guide will walk you through a systematic approach to discovering high-quality leads using AI. By leveraging multiple AI models and strategic prompting, you'll create a comprehensive leads discovery strategy tailored to your specific business needs.

Step 1: Project & Client Profile Development

Why This Matters

Before AI can help you find leads, it needs to understand your business context deeply. The quality of your leads discovery plan directly depends on how well you define your project and ideal client profile.

Simple Project Description Framework

Answer these basic questions to help AI understand your business:

1. What do you sell? Describe your product or service in simple terms. What is it and what does it do?

2. What features does it have? List the main features or capabilities (3-5 key ones)

3. Where do you operate?

• Do you serve customers locally, nationally, or internationally?
• Any specific countries or regions?
• Is it online only or physical location matters?

4. Who is your ideal customer? In general terms, describe:

• Are they businesses (B2B) or individuals (B2C)?
• If businesses: What size? (small, medium, large companies)
• If individuals: What type? (age group, profession, interests)
• What problem do they have that you solve?
• What job title might they have? (if B2B)

5. What makes you different? One or two things that make you better than alternatives

Example Context Summary

Here's how your simple context might look when complete:

We sell an automated invoice processing software. 
Key features include: automatic data extraction, approval workflows, integration with accounting software, and real-time reporting dashboard. 
We serve companies in the United States and Canada, online only.

Our ideal customers are medium-sized businesses (50-500 employees) that process lots of invoices. 
They're usually frustrated with slow manual processing and errors. 
The person buying is typically a CFO or Finance Director. 
What makes us different is we're 75% faster than manual processing and half the price of enterprise solutions.

Step 2: Selecting AI Models for Research

Why Multiple Models?

Different AI models have varying strengths:

• Some excel at creative thinking
• Others are better at structured analysis
• Each has unique training data and perspectives

Using 2-3 models ensures comprehensive coverage and reduces blind spots.

Recommended AI Model Combinations

Option 1: Premium Comprehensive Coverage

• Claude 3.5 Sonnet or Claude Opus (Anthropic) - Excellent for nuanced understanding and creative strategies
• GPT-4 or GPT-4 Turbo (OpenAI) - Strong at market analysis and business strategy
• Gemini 1.5 Pro (Google) - Good for leveraging Google's vast data insights

Option 2: Balanced Performance

• Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Anthropic) - Deep reasoning and strategy
• GPT-4 (OpenAI) - Comprehensive business insights
• Perplexity Pro - Real-time web data and current market trends

Option 3: Cost-Effective Approach

• Claude 3 Haiku (Anthropic) - Fast and efficient for initial ideas
• GPT-3.5 Turbo (OpenAI) - Good general purpose model
• Mistral Large - Open-source alternative with strong performance

How to Access These Models

1. Direct Platforms:
   • Claude: claude.ai or Anthropic API
   • GPT-4: ChatGPT Plus or OpenAI API
   • Gemini: Google AI Studio or Gemini Advanced
   • Perplexity: perplexity.ai Pro subscription
2. Aggregator Platforms:
   • Poe.com (access multiple models with one subscription)
   • OpenRouter.ai (unified API for multiple models)
   • Vercel AI Playground (free tier available)

Step 3: Crafting Your Discovery Prompt

The Master Prompt Template

Use this template with each AI model:

You are an expert lead generation strategist with deep knowledge of B2B sales, digital marketing, and growth hacking. I need you to create a comprehensive leads discovery strategy based on the following context:

## BUSINESS CONTEXT
[Insert your complete project description from Step 1]

## IDEAL CLIENT PROFILE
[Insert your detailed ICP from Step 1]

## YOUR TASK
Generate an exhaustive list of methods to discover and identify potential leads that match our ideal customer. For each method, provide:

1. **Strategy Name**: Clear, descriptive title
2. **Description**: How this method works
3. **Implementation Steps**: Specific, actionable steps to execute
4. **Tools/Platforms Required**: Specific tools, databases, or platforms needed
5. **Expected Difficulty**: Easy/Medium/Hard
6. **Cost Estimate**: Free/Low($)/Medium($$)/High($$$)
7. **Lead Quality Score**: Rate 1-10 for lead quality
8. **Volume Potential**: Low/Medium/High number of leads
9. **Time to Results**: Immediate/Days/Weeks/Months

Please organize your response into these categories:
- Digital Discovery Methods
- Social Media Strategies
- Content & SEO Approaches
- Partnership & Network Strategies
- Event & Community Based Methods
- Data & Technology Driven Approaches
- Traditional Outreach Methods
- Creative/Unconventional Methods

Aim to provide at least 30-40 different strategies, being as specific and creative as possible. Focus on methods that would work particularly well for our specific industry and ICP.

After listing all strategies, provide your top 5 recommendations based on our specific context, explaining why these would be most effective for us.

Prompt Optimization Tips

1. Add Constraints if needed:
   • "Focus on methods requiring minimal budget"
   • "Prioritize strategies that can be automated"
   • "Emphasize GDPR-compliant approaches"
2. Request Specific Formats:
   • "Include specific search queries for each method"
   • "Provide email templates where relevant"
   • "Include success metrics for each strategy"
3. Industry Customization:
   • Add industry-specific publications
   • Include relevant trade associations
   • Mention key industry events

Step 4: Synthesis - Creating Your Final Plan

Consolidation Process

After receiving responses from all AI models:

1. Export All Responses: Save each model's output in separate documents
2. Create a Comparison Matrix: List all unique strategies suggested
3. Note Consensus Points: Strategies recommended by multiple models
4. Identify Unique Insights: Strategies only one model suggested

Synthesis Prompt

Use a fresh AI session (can be the same or different model) with this prompt:

You are a senior growth strategist tasked with creating a final, actionable leads discovery plan. I have gathered leads discovery strategies from multiple AI consultants. Your job is to synthesize these into a coherent, prioritized action plan.

## INPUT FROM AI MODEL 1:
[Paste complete response from Model 1]

## INPUT FROM AI MODEL 2:
[Paste complete response from Model 2]

## INPUT FROM AI MODEL 3:
[Paste complete response from Model 3]

## YOUR TASK:
Create a final leads discovery plan that:

1. **QUICK WINS (Week 1-2)**
   - List 3-5 strategies that can be implemented immediately
   - Require minimal resources
   - Can generate leads quickly
   - Include specific first actions for each

2. **FOUNDATION BUILDING (Week 3-4)**
   - List 3-5 strategies that build long-term lead generation assets
   - May require more setup but provide ongoing value
   - Include implementation timeline

3. **SCALE & OPTIMIZE (Month 2-3)**
   - List 3-5 strategies for scaling successful approaches
   - Include automation opportunities
   - Provide optimization metrics to track

4. **ADVANCED STRATEGIES (Month 3+)**
   - List 3-5 sophisticated strategies for competitive advantage
   - May require more resources or expertise
   - Focus on high-quality, high-intent leads

5. **TESTING FRAMEWORK**
   - Create a testing schedule for trying new strategies
   - Include success metrics for each strategy
   - Provide decision criteria for continuing/stopping strategies

6. **RESOURCE ALLOCATION**
   - Recommended budget distribution across strategies
   - Time allocation for team members
   - Tool stack recommendations with alternatives

7. **PERFORMANCE TRACKING**
   - Key metrics to monitor
   - Weekly/monthly review cadence
   - Dashboard requirements

Please ensure the plan is:
- Specific and actionable
- Properly sequenced for optimal results
- Realistic given typical resource constraints
- Adaptable based on results

End with a 30-60-90 day roadmap summarizing key milestones and expected outcomes.

Final Plan Customization

After receiving the synthesized plan, refine it further:

1. Align with Resources: Adjust based on your actual budget and team
2. Industry Validation: Run key strategies by industry peers or mentors
3. Legal Review: Ensure compliance with data protection regulations
4. Tool Selection: Research and select specific tools for each strategy
5. Team Assignment: Assign ownership for each strategy component

Conclusion

This AI-powered approach to leads discovery combines human expertise with AI capabilities to create a comprehensive, actionable strategy. Remember that the key to success is:

1. Starting with clear context about your product and customers
2. Leveraging multiple AI perspectives
3. Synthesizing insights into a practical plan
4. Executing systematically while remaining flexible
5. Continuously optimizing based on results

Your leads discovery plan is a living document - revisit and refine it monthly as you gather more data about what works for your specific situation.