r/LeadGeneration by u/RightSeeker 2mo ago Can I realistically earn $800/month doing lead generation during weekends for US service businesses? Hi everyone,
I’m a 35-year-old man from Bangladesh. I’ve been working at a bank for the last 10 years. My job keeps me out of the house for around 14 hours a day, 5 days a week. Around 11 of those hours are spent at work, and the rest is commuting.
I have a Bachelor’s in Economics and an MBA. Because of the long working hours and desk setup, I’ve developed a cervical/neck problem that causes significant pain during work and gets worse over time. I have been advised not to lift weights, do sports, or engage in much physical activity, so in that sense it feels like a limitation or disability. Continuing in this bank job seems to be making it worse.
The bank pays me about **USD 700 per month including benefits**. I support my family, so I cannot simply quit. My goal is to build a real side business on weekends, and once it earns at least **USD 700–800 per month**, I want to leave my job and focus on that instead.
An online business would be ideal, because I can do laptop-based work while keeping my neck more supported.
One challenge is payments: **Stripe and PayPal are not available in Bangladesh**, so receiving international payments is harder. My practical options are mainly **
Open on Reddit r/smallbusiness by u/Cultural_Argument_19 10mo ago How much should I charge small businesses for a custom AI chatbot? Is $500 AUD/month too much? Hey!
I’m currently planning to sell **custom AI chatbots** to small businesses — things like answering FAQs, booking appointments, generating leads, and syncing with tools like Google Sheets or CRMs. I build and set them up using AI agents, so it’s more tailored than your average chatbot.
I’ve been thinking about pricing it at **$500 AUD per month** (around $330 USD), but I’m not sure if that’s too much for small businesses. Some people said it’s fine if it actually helps them save time or staff, others said it sounds like a lot. Still trying to figure out what’s fair.
Also, I’m confused about **how to actually do the subscription system**. Do I just tell them they get access for a year, and if they don’t renew, I cancel it manually. But that’s not really a long-term solution. Is there a better way to make it automatic — like using Stripe or some other tool to handle monthly billing and cut off access if they stop paying?
Just wanted to ask here in case anyone’s done something similar or has tips. Really appreciate any advice 🙏
Open on Reddit r/LeadGeneration by u/Flashy-Common1688 1y ago How do you guys generate email leads without spending a fortune? I’m trying to generate around 10,000 targeted email leads for outreach, but most platforms like Apollo.io or ZoomInfo are either too expensive or come with strict export limits.
For those of you doing cold outreach or running agencies:
What affordable tools or methods are you using to get email leads?
Are there any underrated tools or workarounds you’d recommend?
How do you balance cost vs. quality when it comes to lead lists?
Appreciate any tips, hacks, or workflows that help reduce costs but still get good results. Thanks in advance!
Open on Reddit r/CRM by u/no_idle_cycles 2mo ago Been managing my leads in Google Sheets for months. Starting to feel the pain. Where do I even begin with CRM? Okay so I've been tracking my leads in a Google Sheet since the beginning. When I had 30-40 contacts it was fine. Now it's grown and I'm genuinely dropping the ball — missed follow-ups, no idea which leads I talked to last week, nothing.
I've been looking at CRMs but honestly the whole thing feels overwhelming. Every tool I click on has 5 pricing tiers and 40 features I don't understand yet.
Few things I'm trying to figure out:
What do I actually need?
Like what are the bare minimum features that matter when you're just starting? I don't need enterprise stuff. I just need to stop forgetting to follow up with people.
What does it realistically cost?
I see "starts at $12/month" everywhere but then you click and realize the thing you actually need is on the $79 tier. What do you actually pay, day to day?
How long did it take you to get comfortable?
I don't have time to spend two weeks learning a new tool. Did it take you a few hours or a few weeks before it felt natural?
If you wanted to leave, could you?
If I want to leave a tool after few months of usage, can I really leave without a lot of effort to export my contacts?
I'm already in Google Sheets every day so part o
Open on Reddit r/smallbusiness by u/kenji_endo10 2mo ago Best lead gen tools for small businesses with limited budget? Running a marketing agency with 4 full timers and watching our outreach costs eat up more of our margins every quarter. We're sending maybe 2000 cold emails a month plus some LinkedIn outreach.
Right now we're cobbling together free trials and manual research which is burning way too much time. Need proper lead generation software but everything seems priced for enterprise teams. Looking for something under $200/month that has fresh data.
Been researching and seriously looking at Prospeo.io since they charge per verified contact only (no credits wasted on bad data) and have direct dial numbers which we need. Apollo also came up in my search but seems more expensive for what we'd use.
What are other small teams using? Need decent email accuracy and ideally some intent data to know who's in market. Bonus if it integrates with HubSpot without breaking.
Open on Reddit r/smallbusiness by u/No-Profile1668 2mo ago Best lead gen tools for small businesses with limited budget? Running a marketing agency with 4 full timers and watching our outreach costs eat up more of our margins every quarter. We're sending maybe 2000 cold emails a month plus some LinkedIn outreach.
Right now we're cobbling together free trials and manual research which is burning way too much time. Need proper lead generation software but everything seems priced for enterprise teams. Looking for something under $200/month that has fresh data.
Been researching and seriously looking at [Prospeo.io](http://Prospeo.io) since they charge per verified contact only (no credits wasted on bad data) and have direct dial numbers which we need. Apollo also came up in my search but seems more expensive for what we'd use.
What are other small teams using? Need decent email accuracy and ideally some intent data to know who's in market. Bonus if it integrates with HubSpot without breaking.
Open on Reddit r/CRM by u/jcav222 7mo ago Solo Insurance Agent Looking for a CRM — What Works for One Person?
Hi all,
I’m a solo broker operating in the ACA + Final Expense space (licensed in multiple states). My business is small but packed with activity, and I’m looking for a CRM/dialer system built for one agent — not a large call-center setup or 15-seat minimum.
Here’s what I’m needing:
✔️ Must-haves:
Single-user friendly / no multi-agent minimum
Built-in call recording + power/outbound dialing (for lead follow-up)
SMS/text and email automation capabilities (so I can follow up on both ACA leads and Final Expense leads)
Lead tagging/folder system (to keep ACA leads separate from Final Expense leads)
Calendar sync (so I can schedule appointments, reminders, and keep things simple)
❌ Preferably avoid:
High team-pricing (e.g., labeled as “call center only”)
Hidden fees per agent or seat minimums
Over-complex systems built for big agencies only
Bonus if:
It’s cost-effective (since I’m running lean)
Integrates easily with tools I already use (e.g., HealthSherpa for ACA, Opt! Leads Manager for Final Expense)
Has good user reviews from other insurance agents doing solo operations
If anyone has used one of these as a solo agent (or knows one), I’d really appreciate:
The name
Open on Reddit r/CRM by u/Ok_Injury_2106 4mo ago CRM for solo operation - Lead Gen Hi all, based in Australia here.
Currently running GHL (due to not needing multiple subscription for SMS, phone call etc and the flexibility to expand team size without paying extra), was running it with a team, but now going back to solo operation.
We were a finance brokerage firm specialising in Asset Finance, but now since I'm going back to working solo, thinking of just focusing on leads gen, and pass it on to other brokerage firm instead, in exchange for a small commision.
Want to see if there's other CRM system I could consider? that has intergrated SMS (don't need phone since won't be qualifying the lead anymore) and the ability to track leads from Meta when come through. Unlickly will be doing EDM anymore too.
Tried Pipedrive in the past, but didn;t went ahead due to needing intergration for SMS & Phone.
Open on Reddit r/LeadGeneration by u/Limp_Protection6019 9mo ago How do you get high-quality leads for cold email without burning cash? Hey everyone,
I’m running outbound campaigns (mainly cold email) and currently using Apollo to source leads. The issue is, I’m ending up with a lot of dead emails, which means I’m spending money twice - once to get the leads, and again to validate them just so I don’t get bounce issues.
This feels like I’m burning cash and time before even reaching a prospect.
So, I’m curious:
* What’s been your most efficient source for **high-quality B2B leads**?
* Do you prefer building lists yourself, scraping, buying data, or using a different platform?
* How do you balance cost vs. accuracy so you’re not stuck in this “dead leads + validation” loop?
I’d love to hear strategies that worked for you across industries.
Appreciate any insights, I’d rather learn from people who’ve been through this than keep wasting cash testing endlessly.
Open on Reddit r/CRM by u/PercentageSure388 5mo ago What are the most effective tools for lead follow‑ups and appointment scheduling? I’m looking into tools that help with lead follow‑ups and appointment scheduling without adding too much cost or overhead. I want something that keeps track of incoming leads, reminds customers about appointments, and handles basic communications automatically. I heard about StrataBlue, it claims to manage calls, bookings, and follow‑ups using AI. That seems useful, but I’m not sure how well it works in real business situations. What tools have you used for this that actually helped you stay organized and responsive? Which ones made follow‑ups and scheduling simpler without costing too much?
Open on Reddit r/CRM by u/Next_Special_6784 4mo ago What are the best ai powered crm tools for lead follow ups and appointment scheduling that actually work? i am looking for tools that make lead follow ups and appointment scheduling easier without adding too much cost or extra overhead. ideally, i want something that can track incoming leads, automatically remind customers about upcoming appointments, and handle basic communications without requiring constant manual input.
i am especially interested in an ai powered crm or similar tools that make follow ups and scheduling simpler, more reliable, and less time consuming. has anyone used solutions like this that actually helped your team stay organized and responsive?
which tools have worked best for you in practice, and what features made the biggest difference?
Open on Reddit r/LeadGeneration by u/richj8991 8mo ago My industry's lead generation sites are going bankrupt one by one Just a few years ago we had more business than we even wanted. Then the Covid relief money ran out, the discretionary spending went down, and perhaps most importantly, the scam companies got back in business and are now dominating Google's 1st page. What I've noticed is that the lead generation sites (for customers to get a quote,, not for us directly) in our industry are usually promoting one company at the top. It happens to be their partner company. With a thousand good reviews on that site (of course), but then you go on Yelp or the BBB see the real picture, 1.5/5 stars and about 650 complaints in the last 3 years. They are also 30-50% cheaper than our pricing because they use unlicensed, unskilled labor to do the job.
So those are out for paid advertising. The reliable ones that we've used for years are fighting for Google position, and some of them are bankrupt. They suddenly quit providing leads, quit charging our business card, and their e-mails are disconnected. For our small 2-person company whose website is buried many, many pages deep in search results, this is really the worst problem we can have. We have a good product, we just need more exposure to new customers. T
Open on Reddit r/CRM by u/Appropriate-Plan5664 3mo ago best crm for small b2b marketing teams using spreadsheets I run a small 5-person B2B marketing team, and everything right now lives in spreadsheets and random email threads. It’s getting out of hand.
Leads slip through. Follow-ups get missed. Reporting turns into this whole separate task I keep putting off because it’s such a pain.
Most days feel like I’m just reacting to problems instead of actually moving things forward, which is not where I want to be.
I’m looking for a CRM that actually fits a small service team. Something simple, quick to use, and not overloaded with features we’ll never touch. I just need a clear way to track clients, deals, and follow-ups without making things more complicated. Mobile matters too since we’re often on calls or out with clients.
If you’ve been in a similar setup and found something that genuinely helped, I’d love to hear what worked (and what didn’t).
Open on Reddit r/CRM by u/TotalSuspicious5161 9mo ago Need Help choosing the right CRM Hi everyone, I need some advice on choosing a CRM for my insurance brokerage.
In my company, almost all customer interactions come through WhatsApp. The process works like this: a client reaches out asking for a quote (we deal with several types of insurance), then my agent responds and forwards the client’s details or previous policy to a team member dedicated to running calculations. Once the calculation is ready and we have the file, the agent sends it back to the client and continues with the sales process.
Right now, we’re handling everything with Google Sheets, but this system won’t scale anymore since we’re about to hire two more people just for calculations.
What I really need is a CRM that can automatically route leads or at least prioritize them — for example, if a request is urgent or if a client has been waiting too long. I’m looking for a long-term solution, something reliable and efficient, even if it’s a bit more expensive upfront. However, I’m not based in the U.S., so extremely high costs could be an issue.
Does anyone have any recommendations, tips or experiences they could share? Thanks in advance
Open on Reddit r/CRM by u/funusernam3 10mo ago Best simple crm for integrating dialpad and meta leads centre Have set up a social media marketing company. We use Dialpad as our telphone providor. I want a fairly simple setup where calls and contacts are logged and maybe a note to make a call back in X amount of time and we get reminded....
Our clients are real estate agents and we book in house appraisals and would like the automation when a lead comes in though meta then the client gets an sms/email to inform them.
Zoho looks over-complicated, hubspot seems to be expensive from everything I've read when you scale... I just want something simple to setup that doesn't cost the earth. Any suggestions please? As I am currently manually creating spreadsheets with leads on for clients and us and its a bit messy .
Any advice much appreciated!
Open on Reddit r/sales by u/Separate_Ad_8665 3mo ago What's your process right after a client call? I feel like I'm leaving money on the table with bad follow-ups I've been in B2B SaaS sales for about 3 years and honestly my biggest weakness is what happens AFTER the call ends. The conversations themselves go well. I listen, ask good questions, build rapport. But then I hang up and immediately get pulled into the next thing, and by the time I write my follow-up 4 hours later I can't remember half of what we discussed.
My follow-ups end up generic and I know it's costing me deals.
Here's what I'm doing now and I'd love to hear how you handle this:
Right when I hang up I do a quick voice dump on my phone. Like 90 seconds of: okay they're concerned about integration with their existing CRM, timeline is Q3, budget's around 40k, and the VP of ops is the actual decision maker. I use Willow Voice for this and it gives me a transcript I can reference when I write the real follow-up. Way better than scribbling notes during the call, which always made me sound distracted.
Then I try to get the follow-up out within 2 hours max. I use the transcript to make it specific to their actual pain points, not just a generic thanks for your time email.
For CRM I log everything in HubSpot but honestly I update it in batches at the end of the day which I know
Open on Reddit