Automatic lead generation: how it works and how to set it up

Automatic lead generation, in the sense this article uses it, means new enquiries that arrive from the people you already know: past clients who refer, happy customers whose reviews bring strangers to you, and old contacts who come back when you remind them you exist. It answers one question: how do you set up the routes that produce leads from your own database without a new campaign each month? For an established firm with a stalled top line, this is usually the cheapest pipeline you are not using.

Why your existing database is the first place to look

A company that has traded for ten years has thousands of names in it: past clients, lost proposals, enquiries that went cold, introducers. Most of them have never been contacted since the deal closed or died. Those people already know your name. A small fraction of them are ready to buy again, refer a colleague or reconsider, but nobody asks.

Paid campaigns start from zero every time. Database routes start from trust. They are slower to produce volume and faster to produce sales-ready conversations.

What you get once it is set up

• A referral programme through the affiliate manager, with tracked links for clients and introducers.
• Review requests sent automatically after a job completes, building the public proof that brings in new enquiries.
• A reactivation workflow that contacts old leads and lapsed clients on a schedule.
• A birthday or anniversary touch for long-standing clients, where that suits your industry.
• Every resulting lead tagged with its route, so you can see which one is working.

Before you start

Clean the database first. Merge duplicates, remove contacts who opted out, and tag records by type: past client, lost proposal, cold enquiry, introducer. Decide what you will offer a referrer, if anything, and check that any incentive fits the rules in your industry. Mortgage brokers in particular should check incentive rules before offering rewards for introductions.

How to set it up

1. Open Affiliate Manager under the Marketing section.
2. Click the Campaign Page tab, then click + Add.
3. Select the source type that holds your offer, such as Funnels or Forms.
4. Open the Commissions tab and toggle on Pay-Per-Lead.
5. Under Per Lead Commission, enter the reward you agreed for each referral.
6. Leave the advanced commission settings alone unless you want multiple tiers.
7. Enter a description that tells past clients why the campaign exists.
8. Assign the past clients who agreed to take part.
9. Review all settings and make any final adjustments.
10. Click Publish to make the campaign live.

How the three routes work together

Reviews make strangers trust you before they call. Referrals bring warm introductions with someone vouching for you. Reactivation reopens conversations that stalled for reasons that may have changed: budget, timing, a person who has since left. Each one feeds the others. A reactivated client who buys again is a review and a referrer in waiting.

The nurture side of this, keeping people warm until they are ready, is covered in the nurturing set-up guide. The capture of brand-new inbound leads from ads and search is a separate job, set out in building inbound capture routes.

What it replaces and the weekly time

It replaces the occasional "we should email our old clients" conversation that never turns into action, and ad hoc requests for reviews that depend on someone remembering. Weekly running time is small: 20 to 30 minutes to read replies, thank referrers and reply to new reviews. The bigger commitment is the first clean-up of the database, which can take a full day for a firm with years of records.

The mistake most people make

They send one big blast to the whole database. It produces a flurry of unsubscribes, a few replies nobody can handle at once, and then nothing. Send in monthly batches, signed by a real person, with a reason to reply. "We have changed how we do X; is that relevant to you now?" works better than a newsletter.

When not to use it

If your database is small or most records lack consent for marketing, reactivation will do little and may cause complaints. Rebuild consent through a value-led opt-in first. Also avoid referral rewards in regulated contexts where they create a conflict of interest.

Troubleshooting

Referral links show no clicks. Clients were invited but never told why. Follow the invitation with a short personal note from the account owner.

Review requests get low response. The request goes by email only. Add an SMS version with a direct link to the review page.

Reactivation emails bounce heavily. The list is old. Run it through validation before sending and suppress hard bounces.

Replies go to an unattended inbox. The sender address is generic. Send from the original owner so replies arrive in their Conversations view.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as automated lead generation?

They overlap but do different jobs. Automated capture deals with new strangers arriving through pages, chat and calls. This article deals with routes that produce leads from people who already know you.

How often should old contacts be reactivated?

Once or twice a year per contact is enough. Spread the database into monthly batches so the volume of replies stays manageable for your team.

Do referral programmes work for B2B firms?

Yes, when the reward suits the referrer. A donation, a service credit or simple recognition often works better than cash for professional clients.

Where do these leads go after they arrive?

Into the same pipeline as every other lead, with a source tag. The lead management overview covers how they are owned and worked from there.

The journey this guide describes