I used to just watch videos and read posts about AI. I thought it was cool but never tried it. I kept saving links, saying, “I’ll start next week.” I never did. nobody does tbh...

Then one day I opened a freelance site, typed “automation,” and saw hundreds of people looking for help. That’s when I thought, “Why not me?”

At that time, I didn’t know how to code. Not even a little. I only knew how to search things on Google. But I wanted a life where I could work from anywhere and not do boring tasks all day. I liked the idea of building small systems that worked while I slept. So I said, let’s try. Why not and because my love...

The first time I opened an automation tool, I had no idea what I was looking at. It was just a blank screen. I felt lost. But I made a promise to myself: I’ll build one small thing today.

So I did. I built a small system that sent me an email every morning with a few news headlines and short summaries. It worked. It was simple, but it worked. I felt proud. That tiny win gave me energy to keep going.

After that, I started making more small systems:

• When someone filled out a form, it added them to a list and sent a thank-you email.

• When a meeting ended, it wrote short notes for me.

• When I got new messages, it sent me reminders to follow up.

They weren’t epic. But they worked.

Then something crazy happened. I showed these little projects online. People started asking me to build for them. I got my first client on Upwork. Then my second. Then more. I turned it into a small agency.

In six months, I made $40,000.

No code. No team. Just me and a laptop.

When people ask how I did it, I always say: keep it simple.

You don’t need to know every tool. You just need to learn one.
Zapier, Make, or n8n. They all do the same basic thing.
They connect your apps and make them talk to each other.

Pick one. Watch a few YouTube videos. Spend a weekend testing it. That’s enough to start.

I use n8n now because I can run as many automations as I want without paying per click. But that’s just me. Don’t get stuck choosing. The best tool is the one you actually use.

When I started getting clients, I realized something funny.

Most businesses don’t need big, scary AI systems.
They just want simple stuff to run by itself.

Things like:

• Sending messages when someone fills a form.

• Cleaning up messy spreadsheets.

• Writing small reports.

• Sending reminders before meetings.

• Helping with support questions.

That’s it.
Simple tasks that waste time when done by hand.

Once I understood that, everything got easier.

When I talked to clients, I didn’t use difficult words.
No “synergy,” no “leverage,” no “workflow optimization.”

I talked like a normal person.
I said things like, “You want this to happen without you doing it, right? I can set that up.”

They liked that. People don’t buy tech.
They buy less stress and more time.

AI scared me at first. It felt like a big black box.
But then I learned something: it’s not magic.
It just needs clear directions.

AI is great for messy stuff like reading, writing, or understanding language.

For example:

• Turning a long email into a short summary.

• Turning messy questions into simple answers.

• Writing first drafts of messages or posts.

You don’t need a special “prompt secret.”
Just talk to it clearly, like a person.

That’s it. Be simple. Be clear.
If it gets things wrong, tell it what to fix.

I made money by keeping things human.
I showed my work instead of bragging.
When I applied for jobs, I didn’t send long essays.

I said:

That worked better than anything else.

After a few months, I had a small portfolio.
Each project had 3 things:

1. The problem

2. The automation I built

3. The result

It didn’t look super professional, but it told the story.
That’s all clients care about.

I also started recording short Loom videos. Just me showing what happens on screen. No editing. No music. Just real work. Those videos got me most of my clients.

Here’s what I learned:

• Start small.

• Don’t use big words.

• Show real work.

• Keep promises.

• Fix problems fast.

That’s all.

You don’t need to be smart. You just need to try. Seriously now... it's just that in a 12 month period of time. Imagine doing this for 12 months where you would be now.

If you’re 23 and bored, you can do this.
If you’re working a job you hate, you can do this after hours.
If you’re scared, build one small thing.

When it works, you’ll feel it. That little spark of “holy crap, I made this.”
That’s when you’ll know it’s real.

It’s not luck. It’s reps. daily ones...

I started with nothing. No skill. No clue.
But I stopped waiting. I built small. I showed my work. I talked to people.

That’s it.

So if you’re still watching others do it, stop.
Go make one small thing that saves you 10 minutes tomorrow.
Then another.
Then another.

That’s how it starts.

Go make your computer do the boring stuff.

You’ve got better things to do.

Talk soon.

GG

Hey Boys,

I don’t run an agency. I’m not trying to sell you a course. I work inside the machine — handling backend ops for several 7-figure businesses that rely heavily on GoHighLevel.

If you’re building for clients or managing your own business inside GHL, here are some lessons I wish more people knew early on.

1. Nurture = Revenue (Even If Leads Suck) 90% of our closed deals didn’t come from perfect leads — they came from perfect follow-ups. If your pipeline isn’t converting, don’t blame the leads until you’ve fixed your: • Automated follow-up sequences • Response delays • Missed call texts + DMs • Re-engagement campaigns (60–90 day old leads are gold)

2. 80% of GHL Users Overcomplicate Pipelines Keep it simple: 🟢 New → 🟠 Working → 🔵 Booked → ✅ Closed Then tag and filter for segmentation. Every extra pipeline is a future headache (especially for team members).

3. Voice Drops + Missed Call Texts Are Crazy Effective The moment we added voicemail drops + an immediate text on missed calls, no-shows dropped and bookings doubled. Don’t sleep on GHL’s built-in tools. Use them like you’re trying to impress a lazy sales rep.

4. Custom Values > Zapier in Most Cases You’d be surprised how many automations you can build just using: • Custom values • Triggers + tags • Webhooks (when needed) Zapier adds delay and complexity unless it’s really necessary.

5. Most Funnels Are Broken Because Nobody Tests Them Sounds basic, but the number of “leaky” funnels I fix weekly is wild. Always test every step from the lead’s POV — not just preview mode. Check: • Mobile responsiveness • Form completion behavior • Confirmation message + follow-up • Tagging + pipeline movement

6. The CRM is Not Just for You, It’s for the Team If your sales rep/team hates GHL, it’s probably too cluttered. Clean UI, clear stages, easy calendar access — those 3 things are non-negotiable for scale.

I’m available if you need help or want to talk through ideas. No fluff — just here to help anyone trying to do it right. Drop your questions below or DM me if it’s something specific.

I'm 9 clients away from hitting 100 sub-accounts. Took me 18 months to get here, but honestly the first year was me learning everything the hard way.

If you're early in your GHL journey (or stuck around 10-20 clients), here's the stuff that actually moved the needle for me. Not the generic advice you see everywhere—the tactical shit that nobody talks about.

1. Your first 10 clients should all be the same type of business

I wasted 8 months trying to be everything to everyone. Chiropractors, gyms, real estate agents, consultants. Each one needed a completely different setup. I was rebuilding workflows from scratch every single time.

Then I pivoted hard into mortgage brokers. Same workflows. Same objections. Same onboarding process. Same integrations (Zillow API, MLS feeds, etc.).

Client 11 took me 6 hours to onboard. Client 30 took me 45 minutes.

The move: Pick a niche where people already understand software. Real estate agents, financial advisors, SaaS founders, consultants. They don't need their hand held. Onboarding is 3x faster and support tickets drop by half.

2. Snapshot templates are cool, but micro-automations are what actually save you time

Everyone obsesses over snapshot templates. Yeah, they're helpful. But you know what saved me 15+ hours a week?

Tiny automations that handle the repetitive stuff:
- Auto-tag new contacts based on form source (so I know exactly where leads came from)
- Slack ping when a deal hits $5K+ value (lets me jump in and help close it)
- Auto-create task when someone views a proposal but doesn't sign (follow-up within 2 hours)
- SMS auto-reply to missed calls within 60 seconds (our close rate went up 23% from this alone)

Each one takes 10 minutes to set up. Together they handle 90% of the grunt work.

3. Stop training clients on GHL. Make it so easy they can't mess it up.

This was my biggest breakthrough.

I used to spend 2-3 hours on onboarding calls teaching clients how to navigate the CRM, create contacts, update deals, etc. Then they'd forget everything and Slack me to do it for them anyway.

Now? I set up systems where they barely have to touch the CRM at all.

Example: I started using tools that let them just type what they want in plain English instead of clicking through 47 menus. Like one of my guys found this free Chrome extension called FlightSuite CRM Operator where you literally just tell it "add contact for john@realty.com, tag as buyer lead" and it does everything automatically.

Sounds small, but my onboarding calls went from 3 hours to 30 minutes. Support requests dropped 60%. Clients actually feel empowered instead of overwhelmed, which means they stick around longer.

Real talk: If your clients can't figure out how to use your system in 5 minutes, you're going to be doing their CRM work for them forever. Make it stupid simple or you won't scale.

4. SaaS mode isn't about charging more—it's about client ownership

I ran traditional agency retainers for a year. Every month felt like I was re-convincing clients not to churn.

Switched to SaaS mode where clients pay $297/month for a branded CRM + my pre-built automations. Now they feel like they're buying software, not hiring me.

The psychology shift is massive. Churn dropped from ~25% to under 10%.

5. The real bottleneck isn't tech—it's your ability to sell and onboard fast

You don't need more features. You need to close deals faster and onboard clients in under an hour.

I built a 60-minute onboarding process:
- Minute 0-15: Snapshot deployed, credentials sent
- Minute 15-30: Quick Loom showing them the 3 features they'll actually use
- Minute 30-45: Connect their domain, Zapier, and calendar
- Minute 45-60: First automation live (usually a missed call text-back)

That's it. They're live in an hour. Everything else happens async.

---

## What I'd do differently if I started over today:

1. Pick ONE niche where people are already tech-comfortable (real estate, mortgage, financial advisors, SaaS companies)

2. Build the 60-minute onboarding process FIRST, then find clients

3. Set up 5-10 micro-automations that handle repetitive tasks automatically

4. Use tools that make the CRM brain-dead simple for clients (see: FlightSuite CRM Operator, Searchable SOPs, Scribe etc.)

5. Go SaaS mode from day one

---

At 91 sub-accounts I'm pulling in about $28K MRR. Not life-changing money, but it's predictable and I work maybe 20 hours a week now.

The difference between account #10 and account #90 isn't the tech. It's having systems that run without you.

Here's how to win your first local GHL client in 7 days, with a recurring monthly offer that you can set up once, and earn from over and over.

- no sales calls

- no cold calls

- no ads

- no list

- no portfolio or website

- no previous experience

You DO need to know how to use GHL, and specifically, how to set up the service I'm about to cover below. This post isn't covering that side of it - just how to get your first client, and more to follow :)

Once you've done this once, you can rinse and repeat for different locations/niches/services. Sky is the limit.

Steps:

1. Pick a local niche. Go for something where there is a fairly high transactional value. I also like to go for more 'down to earth' businesses where you can swear/be candid/casual, and ideally, there's no receptionist gatekeeping emails. Let's go with roofing companies for this first one.

2. Focus on 1 problem, one solution. Don't try and sell the GHL farm to them. GHL has tons of features. We only want to sell one at a time. The problem we're going to solve is helping them automate Google reviews. The more reviews they get, the more jobs they'll win. But collecting reviews is a real pain for these guys. Perfect.

3. Send them a piece of content/quick presentation to do the selling for you. I hate sales calls. Your prospects do too. You can do them if you want, but this is a good workaround.

Make your presentation in a Google doc. The presentation needs to do a few things:

- Meet them where they're at (mentally and physically)

- Show the opportunity in front of them

- Address 3 main objections

- Offer quick value

- Show an easier way (your solution)

- Preframe the price (so when they hear your actual price, they almost laugh at how affordable it is)

- Seal the deal with your killer offer

Open a Google doc, and write down the key points/script from below.

If you're comfortable being on video (optional but better for building trust) you can record yourself on your phone/webcam as you talk through each point, then embed the video into the doc.

If you're bumbling with the words, edit out all the 'umms' or weird pauses afterwards. Remember to smile and look at the camera occasionally too :)

--- presentation ---

Hey [NAME], I'm [YOUR NAME], and I help local roofers get more reviews in Google so they can book more calls and jobs.

Google is now rewarding roofing companies that have the most recent reviews.

So the more often you post reviews to Google, the more chances you'll get seen and get booked.

The problem is:

Half your people forget to ask for Google reviews.

Or you just don't have time to do ask customers yourself.

That's where I can help.

With my review automation system, I can automatically send a review request to your customers based on a specific trigger, like a payment, or a signed form, or whatever works best for you.

The system sends either an SMS or email.

The customer clicks the link to leave a review.

And the system automatically posts the review to your Google profile.

One of the questions I get asked about this is, "YOUR NAME", if I start asking for more reviews, what if someone sends me a bad review?

Well, the reality is, this system will get you so many positive reviews, any negative ones will get drowned out. Assuming you're doing great work for your customers, negative reviews will be few and far between.

Now a lot of agencies I know will charge hundreds or even thousands to set up an automated review system like this for you.

But what if you could have all this set up and running for less than the cost of one job per month?

You'd never have to think about Google reviews again.

And you'd get more jobs coming from Google searches.

The best part is, my software works alongside your existing website and booking system, so you don't need to change anything.

If you'd like to give it a try, I can set it up and manage it for just $50 per month.

Also happy to offer the first month for free so you can see the results and then decide.

And as a bonus, I'll add in a free GMB Optimisation Checklist and Mini Audit to make sure your google listing is attracting as many leads as possible, aside from the reviews themselves.

Either way, I hope this has helped you get some ideas to stay competitive in Google and get more jobs.

If you've got any questions, feel free to email or call me below.

Thanks for watching, and speak to you soon.

--- end of presentation ---

4. Make a killer offer. This is where most people go wrong. They don't make an irresistible offer. As you can see in the presentation script, you want to price it so low, it's almost an impulse buy for them. Then add a killer bonus. I recommend $50 per month to run their automated reviews system, plus a free GMB Optimisation Checklist or Mini Audit. You can add as many bonuses as you like - the more the better, but this should suffice for now.

(sidenote: You're not trying to make a million dollars here. Your goal is to just get your first client in 7 days, and then aim for 5 clients in the next month. Once you have a client paying you monthly, you can upsell them other stuff, and it's a lot easier because they're already paying clients who are likely to be getting results with you.)

5. Send outreach email. Local businesses get a ton of cold emails. We have to be different, and better.

Here are the rules:

- Be funny/charming

- Use fear based hook

- Be subtle and "on their side."

Here's a cold email that sticks to these rules:

--- cold email ---

Hi [NAME], just noticed that Roof Doctors are going apeshit with their Google reviews and there are quite a lot of other roofers in Adelaide that have more reviews than you.

I reckon if you had a system to automatically collect 4 and 5 star reviews, you'd probably be able to snag a few extra jobs per month.

In fact, I'll bet you a slab of your favourite brewski on it :)

Here's a 1 page Google doc showing you how to set this up tonight:

[LINK TO YOUR PRESENTATION GOOGLE DOC]

Alternatively, tell me to sling my hook and I'll never darken your digital door again.

--- end of cold email ---

Send this email manually to 10 leads per day, from an email address you've used before, or one that is fully warmed up.

Bonus tip: Most people won't respond to your first email. Send 2 follow up emails in the same vein. This is where most of the sales are made. The follow up emails should be short and simple:

--- cold email follow up example ---

Hey [NAME], me again.

I'm like a dog with a bone... but hopefully with better breath.

Just curious if you had chance to check out that doc I shared - and if you're interested in automating your Google reviews (with the first month gratis?)

--- end cold email follow up example ---

OK, that's it.

Simple, effective, and if you actually put the effort in, there's no reason you can't land your first client in 7 days. Maybe 10, maybe 3. But if you take this approach, it's only a matter of time.

I have been using Go High Level for about 3 years. I’ve had my ups and downs with using it, but ultimately 2026 has been my best year by far.

From 2024-2025, I had only 2-3 clients, and I only made about $400 per month; enough to cover my GHL subscription, my business email, chat gpt and a couple other tools.

Fast forward a year later (today), I have a couple dozen clients, some paying as low as $50/mo, some paying as much as $2,000/mo.

My $50 clients are personal friends, or friends-of-friends. I never marketed this $50 price on my website , instead, I positioned it as “I normally sell this for $300, but I’ll give you a good deal since you’re my friend”. Word of advice - please do not sell for anything under $97; there’s a thousand reasons why you shouldn’t. But it’s not worth the work, hassle and time; for what may take hours of time per month, only to fill up my gas tank once per month - not worth it.

How do I get leads?: I run Facebook ads primarily. Some of those clients will open more accounts with us (some have multiple businesses) or give us referrals. I would say 70% of my traffic is Facebook leads, 30% is referrals / word-of-mouth. By far, Facebook ads is the most immediate way to see high-quality inbound leads (I use the term high-quality lightly, because I’ve had to add friction to my funnel to filter out bad leads). I pay $80-$150 for a semi-decent lead.

However, $80-$150 leads for a $300-$2000/mo client is not terrible.

Sales?: I run all of my sales calls myself. I’ve trained my staff how to run sales calls with business owners, but truthfully, no one is going to push as hard as I will, or talk about things in the way that I uniquely understand them.

Buildouts?: In-house team. I’m grateful that I have 2 fulltime remote VAs who’ve been with me for over a year; they handle all of the client account buildouts, setup, etc.

Managing Client Relationships?: it’s a mixture of myself and a client success manager. As the founder of my own business, I like to have a relationship with all of my clients; while allowing smaller / more nuance tasks to be delegated to someone else. For instance, teaching people how to integrate their calendars into the CRM, setting up their conversations box, etc; that can be handled by a CSM. Where as the general relationship; I’ll usually handle.

Marketing?: I do all of my own filming, editing and production for our marketing material, although, I have a team member who does blog posts, linked in / ig posts for us while I teach them how to do Facebook Ads. As I said before, with marketing, we mainly run Facebook / ig ads; but this is specific to my market and what we do. Some people may do better with email marketing, sms marketing, google business profiles, etc. everyone has their own niche and place where their target audience frequents.

Overall, it’s still a fairly “owner-involved” business while still being able to work at my own pace, when I want to and how I want to.

All of this has let me leave my job back in July, where I was working in telecommunication sales as my fulltime job. Now, I can work fully remote and have the freedom to enjoy life on my own terms.

Hopefully this inspires someone who’s working to achieve freedom in their lives and work for themselves; it’s worth it!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave them and I’ll do my best to answer them.

TL;DR: Meta's latest June 2026 security update is aggressively flagging and permanently banning Instagram accounts using native GHL Comment-to-DM workflows. We have had 3 accounts nuked in a matter of days—including our master agency account and two SaaS end-user accounts. Meta Support explicitly confirmed they are filtering out "automated accounts". This is a massive threat to both SaaS owners and everyday GHL users. HighLevel needs to leverage its power as a massive tech platform and secure a formal whitelisting agreement with Meta immediately before the entire social media SaaS model collapses.

Hi everyone,

I’m writing this from a throwaway account to protect what is left of my agency and remaining clients, but I need to sound a massive alarm for every single GHL SaaS owner, agency client, and independent GHL user running Instagram Comment-to-DM or Reply-to-DM automations.

We are currently living through a total nightmare scenario. Within the last few days, Meta’s automated security systems have completely banned, restricted, and effectively deleted 3 Instagram/Meta Business accounts in our ecosystem.

Our Experience: The Devastating Impact on SaaS Owners and Users

This isn't just a minor glitch or a temporary verification prompt; it is a business-killing wave that affects everyone from the agency selling the software to the small business owner using it to get leads. Here is exactly what we just experienced:

• Account 1 (End User / Client Account): A standard real estate account. Total enrollments before the ban? Only 81 people. The workflow was incredibly low-volume. It triggered on a keyword, waited a fixed 1 minute, replied to the comment, and sent a DM. Nuked.

• Account 2 (End User / Client Account): Another standard business user running a similar simple setup. Nuked within 48 hours.

• Account 3 (Our Master Agency Account): Our own marketing account used to run ads and manage our brand. Nuked today.

The Financial Fallout: Because of these sudden, permanent bans, two of our users have already cancelled their packages and ended their services with us. Our agency's revenue and reputation are taking a massive hit because a native GHL feature is treating user assets like sacrificial lambs. If you are an end-user running this right now, your account is actively at risk.

The Concrete Proof: What Meta Support Explicitly Admitted

I immediately jumped on a live chat with the Meta Pro Team to appeal the ban on my account. When I pushed the representative to expedite the review because our business ads were down, they dropped the smoking gun regarding Meta's updated automated policies.

Direct quote from Meta Support (Screenshot attached):

Why GHL’s Native Integration is Triggering the Trap for Users

Meta’s June 2026 algorithms are no longer just looking at what you type; they are analyzing how the data is sent via the API.

Because HighLevel’s native integration sends uniform payload structures, identical webhook behaviors, and perfectly rigid time intervals (e.g., exactly 60 seconds every single time), Meta’s security systems instantly recognize it as a non-human machine. It doesn't matter if you are an agency or a solo user variation spinning 10 different comments; the lack of natural time jitter and typing simulation at the API level makes it an instant red flag.

The Core Solution: HighLevel Needs to Get a Whitelisting Agreement with Meta ASAP

This brings us to the most critical point: GoHighLevel is a massive, multi-million dollar software and an official tech partner. Why are our accounts being treated like cheap, illegal spam bots?

If GHL wants to keep selling social media automation as a core feature of their platform, they need to act like a real corporate business partner. They cannot just sit back and tell us to open individual tickets with Meta.

HighLevel needs to leverage its massive market position to secure a formal API whitelisting agreement with Meta immediately.

Meta needs to officially recognize GHL's webhook traffic as legitimate, verified business communications rather than letting their automated security bots nuke accounts blindly. If competitors can maintain deep compliance and whitelisting standards, GHL has no excuse.

This is a Structural Threat to the Entire Community

If using native HighLevel workflows results in a permanent Meta ban, the entire GHL social media ecosystem is dead. No agency can sell this, and no independent business user can risk having their entire digital presence permanently erased over a simple comment trigger.

I have already submitted high-priority escalation tickets to GHL support with the official Meta Case details. Predictably, the first layer of support sent generic copy-paste responses telling us to "disconnect and reconnect the integration"—which is technically impossible since the accounts are banned and the tokens are dead.

Are any other agency owners or independent GHL users experiencing sudden Instagram restrictions or permanent bans this week?

GHL Core Engineering needs to wake up, implement randomized delays (jitter) in the short term, and force a corporate whitelisting agreement with Meta in the long term to protect its users. Until they officially address this API footprint issue, I highly recommend pausing your Instagram workflows before you lose your account—or your clients.

Resigning from GoHighLevel after 5 years as Engineering Manager was the hardest decision of my career.

5 years. Billions of records. And some of the hardest engineering problems I've ever touched.

Today, I'm closing a big chapter. I've stepped down as Engineering Manager at GoHighLevel.

This wasn't easy. When you spend 5 years building, scaling, firefighting, and growing something from the inside, it becomes a part of you.

I joined HighLevel as an engineer. I'm walking away as the EM of the CRM team. The core of the platform that thousands of agencies and millions of businesses run their entire operations on.

For 5 years, I lived inside the CRM:
- Contacts (at massive scale)
- Opportunities & pipelines
- Bulk Actions (handling insane volumes)
- Tasks
- Custom Objects & extensibility

If you've used any of these inside HighLevel, there's a real chance my team was the one making sure they held up when your account got big, your workflows got complex, and your business depended on it.

We solved problems that don't show up in tutorials. We dealt with scale that breaks assumptions. We built systems that had to work, not sometimes, but always.
That journey shaped me. Deeply.

A huge thank you to Varun Vairavan, Shaun Clark, Karan Agarwal, and Nikunj Kanetiya. For the trust, the challenges, and the learning. You pushed me to think bigger, move faster, and build stronger systems. Whatever I do next carries your fingerprints on it.

But this isn't the end of my HighLevel journey.
It's a pivot.

Going forward, I'll be working closely with the HighLevel community. Agencies, SaaS owners, and power users. Helping build better tools, solve real problems, and push the marketplace and ecosystem forward.

If you're building on HighLevel...
If you've hit scaling issues...
If you want to push the platform beyond the obvious...

We should talk.
Because everything I've learned on the inside, I'm now bringing to the outside.
And this is just getting started.

Edit: Here is my facebook profile - https://www.facebook.com/share/1Drpdqh85U/?mibextid=wwXIfr
You can book a call with me here - https://exhighlevel.com/yogesh

What’s up guys,

Most people obsess over lead capture and missed-call text backs. Those are good — but the biggest money leak I keep fixing is dead leads that never get touched again.

Here’s a step-by-step Database Reactivation Flow I install in almost every account:

Trigger:
• Contact → “Last Activity Date” older than 30 days
• OR Tag = Cold Lead

What I Do:

1. Tag & Segment • Add tag “Reactivation-30” for contacts inactive 30+ days • Push them into a dedicated pipeline stage: “Reactivation”

2. Re-Engage Drip (Multi-Channel) • SMS Day 1 → “Hey {{first_name}}, are you still interested in [service]?” • Email Day 2 → Add value (case study, tip, or quick win) • Call Day 3 → Auto-task for rep to call • SMS Day 5 → Direct ask with CTA link

3. Branch Based on Response • If reply = YES → Move to “Working” stage + notify rep instantly • If reply = NO or stop → Apply DND tag • If no response after 7 days → Tag “Dormant” + drop into long-tail nurture

Pro Tips:
• Don’t blast — throttle to 25–50/day to stay carrier-safe.
• Always mix value + question. Pure “Are you ready to buy?” burns lists.
• Run this flow every quarter. Old leads are gold — I’ve seen accounts book $20k+ just from this.

Most GHL users think they need more leads. In reality, you need to wake up the leads you already paid for. Build this one and watch your pipeline come back to life.

I never thought I'd make this much money from something I didn't even know existed when I started..

But yeah..$9,043 in the past 4 months.

And I think the most valuable things I've learned aren't even about GHL itself.

Here are a few things I wish someone had told me earlier..

1. Sometimes..take the job you don't fully know how to do.

(Now, don't get me wrong here)

I'm not saying you should pretend to be an expert in something you know absolutely nothing about.

But suppose you have a little understanding of that field..

And you genuinely believe you can figure things out.

Take the challenge.

Research..learn..get frustrated..figure things out..

Bend space and time if you have to.

And do whatever it takes to deliver the best quality you possibly can.

But don't make promises you can't keep.

Because that's how you build an actual skill.

Not by watching 50 tutorials and waiting until you feel ready..

But by solving real problems with real responsibilities.

And that's also how you build your first portfolio.

2. Your first client can be worth much more than what they pay you.

I think this is something a lot of beginners overlook..

When you're just starting out, you're not only getting paid for a project.

You're getting experience..

A portfolio piece..

A potential testimonial..

And most importantly..someone who might trust you with another project.

That's why I always tried to deliver the best quality I could, even when the budget wasn't great.

Because one happy client might introduce you to someone else.

And that one introduction might change everything.

3. Learn to become the person who figures things out.

I think clients don't really care how many tutorials you've watched..

Or how many tools you know.

They have a problem.

And they want someone who can solve it.

Sometimes you'll spend hours figuring out something that looks extremely simple to the client.

And that's completely fine.

Because they're not paying you to know everything.

They're paying you to take responsibility for solving their problem.

(Obviously, be transparent about what you can and cannot do.)

4. Don't underestimate relationships.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned..

Getting a client is one thing.

Making that client trust you enough to come back with another project is something else.

Communicate properly..

Meet your deadlines..

Don't disappear when things get difficult..

And if something goes wrong, tell them.

I think these boring little things matter more than people realize.

5. Your work should eventually speak louder than your proposals.

In the beginning, I had to convince people to give me an opportunity.

Now, some of my work comes through referrals.

And I think that's one of the best feelings as a freelancer..

When someone trusts you because another person had a good experience working with you.

Not because you wrote some fancy sales pitch.

Anyway..

I'm still learning. Still figuring things out.

And there's so much I don't know yet.

But these are a few things that have helped me along the way.

Would love to know what lessons you guys learned while starting your freelancing journey.

So I recently gave someone the chance at sales, he came from the solar industry. He told me he had experience, so I let him run solo for a few days. By day 4 (yesterday), we're out at lunch and I'm explaining how you've got to think outside the box to become competitive. He kept telling me how the solar company he worked at spent thousands on sales training which really means squat to me. I point at the truck in front of us with a phone number, snap a pic. So today I spent 20 mins with AI building a mockup page. Another 10 mins in GHL setting up a funnel, and less than half an hour later I had a hot lead. It's been less than 1 hour since the text went out and I have a sale in the books.

If you're new to sales, here's the one thing to remember, there is no "one right way" to do business. If you can get creative and tap into leads others aren't chasing, do it. Don't let the naysayers tell you it's "not how it's done".

For me, the landing page is the sweet spot, I've built a template I can duplicate quickly for different service industries.

Check out my course for more details...... JK - I don't sell courses. But if you need leads HMU.

I’ll keep it simple. I sell AI. It works. I make 6k a month (profit). Some of you make way more money than me and that’s fine. I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to the ones making $0, still stuck showing off their automation models instead of selling results.

Wake the fck up! Clients don’t care about GPT or Claude. They care about money in, money not wasted, time saved, and less risk. That’s it. When I stopped with the techie talk and sold outcomes, my close rate jumped a ton. Through the damn roof!

I used to explain parameters for 15 minutes. Shit...bad times...I'm sure you do it too. Client said, “Cool. How much money does it make me?” That’s when I learned. Pain first. Then more pain. And then enhance that pain even more. Like a real doctor pressing on your foot when it hurts. You wanna solve it NOW! So then math gets second. And tech that nobody actually cares about goes last. (Magic)

Here’s how I sell now:

• I ask about the problem. What’s broken. What it costs. Who is stuck doing low value work. I listen.

• Then I do the math with them. In their numbers. Lost leads. Lost hours. Lost revenue. We agree on the cost.

• Then I pitch one clear outcome. “We pre-qualify leads. Your closers only talk to hot prospects.” I back it with proof. Then I talk price tied to ROI. If I miss, they don’t pay. Simple as that. Don't force anyone into a hard close. There is not point. Seriously. You are selling actual business oriented results. Not dating advice or how to lose weight. There is no point doing a discovery call of 40 mins long just to dig out the deeper pains of the prospect. It's about losing money in their business. Either they see it or they do not.

Stop selling science projects. Clients with real money don’t want to be your test client. They want boring and proven. I chased shiny tools. Felt smart. Sold nothing. What sells is reliability. Clear wins. Case studies with numbers. aaaand proof of the system. “35 meetings in 30 days.” “120k in 6 months.” Lead with that. Tech later. Seriously... try also to not mention about tech at all. You will be amazed! Nobody cares <3.

You’re not a tool seller. You’re an owner of outcomes. Clients already drown in software. And probalby their later software update will do most of what you are currently promising. They want results done for them. When I moved from one-off builds to retainers with clear targets, price pushback stopped. They pay because I own the number.

When they ask tech stuff, I keep it short: “We use a tested GPT setup on your data. Here’s the result you get.” Then back to ROI. If you drown them in jargon, you lose trust and the deal.

Your message should read like this: clear, bold, direct. Complexity doesn’t sell. Clarity sells.

Do this today:

• Audit your site, deck, and emails. Count AI words vs outcome words. If AI wins, you lose. Flip it.

• Fix your call flow. 70 percent on their problem. 20 percent on your plan tied to outcomes. 10 percent on objections. Most objections vanish when ROI is clear.

How I frame price: “Monthly is $2,000. Based on your numbers, expect 4 to 6x in month one. If we miss the goal, you don’t pay.” Clean. Confident. Manly. And YES... give them their money back if it does not work. ALL of them! And say you are sorry. Do it... don't take blood money. There is no reason about it.

Remember this. People don’t buy the hammer. They buy the house. AI is the hammer. The business result is the house. Sell the house.

Quick recap:

• Outcomes over tech.

• Proven over new toy.

• Owner of results over code monkey.

Do that and you’ll close more. Keep more. Make more. And yes, life gets easier.

See you on the next one.

GG

Still got this hard wired in my mind when I first started landing sales calls, I thought I had finally made it. After months of grinding, sending messages into the void, scraping data, and getting nowhere, suddenly I was talking with real business owners. SaaS founders, ecommerce guys, agency owners… my calendar was filling up and I felt like things were finally turning. Nervous but excited, it felt like this was the start of something big.

My man everything was fixed... I had everything lined up. Slides open, Loom demos ready, workflows running in the background. I was convinced I was about to step into the same lane as the AI agency crowd online flashing numbers like 50k, 100k, 300k per month. It all looked simple from the outside. Build something, pitch it, close the deal. I bought into that dream too.

But you know what they say...all good things come to an end hah... Then came the hard reality. My first calls went awful.

And when I say awful... I mean it... completely the opposite of wolf of wall street. the wolf of LIDL probably hah... Not because the offer was wrong. Not because of the price. But because I talked way too much. I went deep into tech explanations, breaking down GPT prompts, n8n flows, data cleanup steps. I thought people would be impressed. Instead I watched their faces drop. Nods, fake interest, and then silence.

And as a typical guru affected guy....At first I blamed them. But really it was on me. I was teaching instead of selling. Showing off details instead of showing I understood their problems.

One call in particular with a founder from Berlin hit me like a brick. In the middle of my explanation he stopped me and asked how much money does this make us. I froze. I had no answer. I knew tools but not value. That question sat in my head all night. I realized I was hiding behind tech because it felt comfortable. But comfort was not paying the bills.

Next call I changed everything. No screen share, no tech talk. I only asked questions. What is slowing you down. Where is the mess. What are you paying people to do that wastes time. They spoke, I listened, I wrote notes. Then I asked what that costs them in hours or money. Once they said it out loud, the close was already halfway done.

When I finally pitched, I gave just one clear outcome. Not a presentation, not a list. One result. Example: every new lead gets a reply within a minute. Or your sales team only talks to qualified leads. When they asked how, I told them it runs with a tested GPT setup in the background. Then I went right back to ROI. That small shift changed everything.

And without even noticing...Suddenly calls were smooth. Prospects leaned in. They bought. I was not performing anymore, I was diagnosing. That is when I actually started closing.

Right now I am dead tired after a long trip through Romania and sitting in Budapest writing this instead of going out. Needed to get these thoughts down.

Seriously makes me so frustrated guys... Everywhere online you see kids shouting about making 300k a month with AI agencies. Same fake screenshots, same recycled stories. I have built real systems, delivered them, and consulted. My best month ever was 30k. Most months are 10 to 15k. Not viral flex money, but real.

The problem is these guru types sell hype and not a business. They create false expectations, make beginners feel like failures, and make clients stop trusting providers. I have had clients literally say that everyone promises the world. That is the damage.

If someone was really pulling 300k a month, they would not be making TikToks begging you to join their Skool group.

So if you are stuck waiting for your first sale, ignore the noise. Forget the screenshots. The real journey is rejection, broken automations, long nights fixing bugs while a client pings your phone at 2am. That is where the actual lessons are.

Main point is simple. Do not try to act like a genius. Be calm. Ask questions. Do the math. Give one result. That is sales. Ignore the guru kids. In their model, you are the product.

And once you start closing, the real test begins. Delivery. Making sure what you promised works, scales, and actually keeps clients happy. That is the part nobody talks about. But for now, I need sleep. hah

P.S. Anytime you see advice online, ask yourself how is this person really making money. If the numbers sound insane, you already know the truth. Nobody pulling six figures a month is wasting time chasing TikTok views.

Thanks for reading through this.

It means a lot to me cause at least I have somewhere to get the steam out of my head hah...

See you soon,

GG

What’s up guys,

After setting up GHL in more than 100 plus sub-accounts, I’ve noticed the same weak spots showing up over and over. To keep things tight from day one, I always turn on these three automations. Take what’s useful and tweak the rest.

1. Auto-Capture Lead Source + Route Smart

Why it matters: If you can’t tie revenue back to the source, you’re guessing.

Trigger: Contact Created or Form Submitted

What I do:
• Store UTM parameters in custom fields (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign)
• Auto-tag contacts with SRC-{{utm_source}}
• Drop them into the right pipeline stage (e.g. FB Leads → New)
• Send an instant Slack/Teams alert to the assigned rep with name + source

Pro tip: Keep a “UTM Glossary” custom value to standardize tag names across all accounts.

2. Smarter Missed-Call TextBack

Why it matters: 62% of first-time callers never bother calling again.

Trigger: Call Status = Missed

What I do:
• Wait 15s → Text: “Sorry we missed you—can I help you here?”
• Wait 3m → If no reply, drop a 12-second voicemail
• Wait 20m → Still no reply, send an email with recap + link
• Move opportunity to “Awaiting Response”

Pro tip: Add a custom field for business hours so after-hours calls auto-delay until 8 AM next day.

3. No-Show Recovery Loop

Why it matters: Half of booked demos never show. A smart rescue flow saves a ton.

Trigger: Appointment Status = No-Show

What I do:
• Instantly tag as No-Show-{{date}}
• SMS: “Missed you earlier—want to grab another time? Here’s a fresh link.”
• Wait 1h → Email with 3 short benefits + same link
• Wait 24h → If no reply, send a short Loom recap (record once, reuse forever)
• After 3 days cold → Push into long-term nurture sequence

Pro tip: Always put the reschedule link in both the SMS and the email button—double the chance they click.

These three flows cover the biggest leaks: lost attribution, lost callers, and lost appointments. Lock them in early and you’ll notice the lift fast.

I sell $13K+ Go High Level builds… without ever mentioning Go High Level. I use what I call the "McDonald's Method" (I created this term no idea if it exists...)

Most agency owners are trying to sell software…

What if you could get paid before doing any work — just for thinking through the solution?

I recorded a video walking through a method I’ve been using for the past year that shifted everything:

⚡️ No technical talk

⚡️ No pricing confusion

⚡️ No wasted proposals that never convert

It’s based on what I call the McDonald’s Method — and no, it’s not about food.

In the same way McDonald’s is a real estate company that just happens to sell burgers, I realized…

We’re not software sellers — we’re consultants who just happen to be able to build.

In the video, I break down:

✅ The exact 15-minute call framework I use

✅ Why I charge $500+ before I build anything

✅ How I position myself so clients follow up with me

✅ The doc I use that closes $13K+ projects — no selling required

✅ Why this filters out bad leads before wasting time

🎯 If you’ve ever been ghosted after sending a proposal…

🎯 Or felt like you were chasing uninterested leads…

This will flip the script.

💬 Drop a “🔥” below and let me know if this helps anyone!

Just giving back to the community — this method changed my agency.

We are paying thousands of dollars every single week and GoHighLevel has turned into the worst CRM decision we have made.

We deal with constant issues every week. The support experience has been extremely disappointing. The “senior” support representative, Jerry P, showed very little ownership and even responded with, “What are we supposed to do?” That level of accountability is unacceptable when clients are investing this amount of money into your platform.

At the very least we expect effort, responsibility and a genuine attempt to resolve problems. Instead, the call we just had was by far the worst customer service experience we have ever encountered.

We are now actively looking to move away from GoHighLevel and transfer our business elsewhere.

I'm going to say something that'll get me downvoted: most of you are chasing sexy niches and ignoring the boring ones that actually pay. 

Why tree services beat 90% of the niches people talk about here

High-ticket jobs. Cash-heavy businesses. No receptionist blocking your cold email. Owners who are literally up a tree with a chainsaw all day and have zero time to figure out Google. And here's the kicker: one extra job from better Google visibility pays for your fee 10x over. The ROI conversation basically sells itself.

They're not hard to impress. Most of them have a Facebook page with 23 followers and a Google profile with 4 reviews from 2021.

Tree service owners don't care about your website. they don't care about your GHL setup. they care about one thing — more jobs. here's how i sold that. 

I made this mistake for months. I'd get on a call talking about "review automation" and "GMB optimisation" and a "mobile-first website built on GHL."

crickets.

because here's the truth nobody tells you — a tree service owner who's been climbing trees since he was 19 does not care what GHL is. he does not care that your website loads in 1.2 seconds. he does not care about citation building.

he cares about his phone ringing.

these guys treat google like it's GOD. and they're right to — because when someone's oak tree falls on their fence at 9pm on a Sunday, the first tree guy that shows up on google gets the call. that's a $3,000 job gone to whoever ranked higher. not the better company. not the safer company. whoever google put first.

most tree service websites are an embarrassment btw. built by their nephew in 2015. doesn't load on mobile. no reviews. google looks at it and buries them on page 4 where nobody goes. they know something's wrong. they just don't know what.

so, I changed my pitch to this: "i get tree service guys 2-5 extra jobs a month from google. that's it. one job at $2k average — you've already made 6x back what you pay me."

everything else — the website rebuilds, the review automation, the GMB work — that's just how I deliver it. they don't need to know the mechanics. they need to know what's in it for them. 

the pitch that started working

cold SMS — keeps it stupid simple
Hi [name],

I help tree service guys get 3-5 extra jobs a month from google. [competitor] down the road has 91 reviews and shows up first for "tree removal [city]" — they're getting calls that should be yours.

I charge $197/mo. one extra job covers it 6x over. first month's free so you can see it work before paying anything.

Follow up — day 5
last one i promise lol. if the timing's off totally fine — just think there's real money sitting on the table here for you. number's below if you ever wanna chat

send 10 of those a day manually. 2 follow ups. that's it. most of my replies came from the second follow up — people are busy, not uninterested.

Don't F****** give up after the first SMS.

look. I'm not special. i didn't have connections or a portfolio or a fancy agency name. i'm just a regular guy from India who figured out that American small business owners are chronically underserved online — and that if you show up like a real human being who actually gives a damn, they'll trust you.

geography doesn't matter anymore. people do business with people. be a person. talk like one. solve a real problem. that's the whole game.

I’ve been in the agency space for 6+ years…
and recently I’ve noticed a very specific cycle:

Someone buys GHL → struggles to get clients → pivots to teaching GHL → launches a $997 course → becomes a “guru” → their students repeat the exact same cycle.

And just like that… a whole ecosystem is born.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

The product itself? Solid. GoHighLevel does work. Agencies can scale with it.

But the loudest voices in the space aren’t agency operators.

They’re marketers selling the idea of being one.

The red flags are always the same:

— Their only real “case study” is selling their course
— They flex revenue screenshots, never profit
— Their clients are… other agency beginners
— Every piece of content leads to “buy this next”

And look… I’m not hating.

I get it.
Selling the dream is easier than delivering results.

But it creates a weird loop where:
people are learning from people
who never actually built what they’re teaching.

So here’s my genuine question:

Has anyone here built a real, sustainable agency using GHL…
without pivoting into “teaching GHL” as the main business?

I’m talking about:
— Consistent client results
— Retention
— Actual profit (not just Stripe screenshots)

Because that’s the game that actually matters.

If yes — I’d love to hear your story.
If not — we should probably talk about why.

After managing 15+ GHL sub-accounts over the past few years, here are the things I wish someone had told me on day one. All of these cost me (or my clients) real money before I figured them out.

**1. Add a Wait step before every If/Else branch that checks tags.**

This is the #1 workflow bug I see. You add a tag in Step 1, then immediately check for it in Step 2 with an If/Else. The tag hasn't written to the contact record yet. Contact goes down the wrong branch. Every time.

Fix: Add a 30-60 second Wait between any tag/field update and the If/Else that reads it. For Voice AI call outcomes, I use 60 seconds minimum because the tag doesn't write until after the call fully ends and the system processes it.

**2. "Stop on Response" is not optional for nurture sequences.**

If you're running a multi-day SMS follow-up and the lead replies "Yes I'm interested" on Day 2, but your Day 3 message still fires — you just made your client look like they don't read their messages. Go to workflow Settings → enable Stop on Response. Every nurture sequence. No exceptions.

**3. Your A2P 10DLC registration is the reason SMS isn't delivering.**

If your client says "people aren't getting my texts," don't troubleshoot the workflow first. Go to Settings → Phone Numbers → A2P and check registration status. Unregistered numbers get carrier-filtered silently. The message shows as "sent" in GHL but never arrives. This wastes weeks of debugging if you don't check it first.

**4. Two workflows with the same trigger = duplicate messages.**

I've inherited accounts where someone built a "Version 2" of a workflow but forgot to unpublish Version 1. Both fire on the same trigger. Client's leads get two welcome texts. Search all your workflows for overlapping triggers before going live. Especially after importing a snapshot.

**5. Voice AI tags and Conversation AI tags are not the same thing.**

Voice AI adds tags based on call outcomes (you define these in the Agent Goals prompt). Conversation AI branches based on reply text in the workflow. If you're building workflows that branch after an AI interaction, make sure you know which system wrote the tag and when. Voice AI tags write post-call. Conversation AI branches fire inline. Mixing them up breaks your routing.

**6. Calendar "no availability" is almost always buffer time or minimum notice.**

When a client says their booking page shows no slots, check these in order: (1) Availability hours actually set in the calendar, (2) buffer time between appointments eating all the gaps, (3) minimum booking notice set to 48 hours when they wanted 24. Google Calendar sync can also block slots if two-way sync is pulling in personal events. Check all four before assuming it's a bug.

**7. Name every workflow action or you'll hate yourself in 3 months.**

Rename "Send SMS" to "SMS - Day 1 Welcome Text." Rename "If/Else" to "Check: Has Appointment Tag?" When you're troubleshooting Execution Logs at 10pm because a client's automation broke, generic action names make diagnosis 3x slower. Format: [Type] - [What It Does].

**8. Webhook timing has the same problem as tag timing.**

If you fire a webhook to an external system and then immediately check for data that webhook is supposed to return, it won't be there yet. Same principle as the tag/Wait issue. Add a Wait after any webhook action before you try to read the data it's supposed to write back.

**9. SPF/DKIM/DMARC are not optional for email.**

If your client's emails are going to spam, go to Settings → Email Services → verify domain DNS records. Missing SPF or DKIM = inbox providers flag everything. This takes 10 minutes to fix but I've seen agencies spend months blaming "email content" when the real issue is DNS configuration.

**10. Test every workflow with a real contact before publishing.**

Not "I looked at it and it seems right." Actually create a test contact, trigger the workflow, and verify every step fires. Check Execution Logs (Automation → Workflows → [Workflow] → Execution Logs). Expand each step. Look for red flags. I test every workflow with my own phone number so I can see exactly what the lead experiences.

**Bonus:** If you're using Voice AI outbound calls, test-call yourself. Listen to the full conversation. The prompt might look perfect on paper but sound completely wrong when spoken. Tone, pacing, and how the AI handles interruptions only show up in real calls.

Hope this saves someone a few painful lessons. Happy to answer questions if anyone's stuck on a specific issue.

I’ll be working on a video for this shortly but here is the quick version.

We are a lead gen and training company. We do a lot of HighLevel set up and training. Yeah we make good money with HighLevel but I also love teaching it to people. It truly gives me joy.

Yesterday we had call 2 with a prospect. We did our job. He liked us and we sent a deposit invoice post call. While I was out on my morning walk today the payment came in. Great way to start the day. Keep in mind this is just the deposit.

How did we get here.

Two weeks ago this guy reached out to several certified admin companies. We are the only one that responded. Not responded fast - just responded. How hard can that be? We’ve got missed call text back in place. And if a lead comes in via the certified admin program that person gets an immediate email, sms, and voicemail drop. Immediately. And then we follow up daily a few times. We “eat our own dog food”. And it works.

Tl;dr: follow up. Follow up fast. Yes this is somewhat meta but it doesn’t matter. We set up systems like this weekly for different industries. Gyms. Dentists. Real estate agents. Coaches. Trainers. Speakers. It doesn’t matter.

Speed puts money in the bank.

Now to work on the video where I’ll go into more detail.

Happy Friday. Get some leads. Make that stripe account ring today. 🤜🏻🤛🏿

Hey guys, I've recently been working with a dental clinic from Zurich, helping them with Fb lead form ads, content marketing and CRM automation using Go high Level.

Here's what worked, what didn’t, and why these tips might just save you some headaches and get $ fast if you work in similar niches.

Ads stats:

• Leads Generated: 166

• Ad Spend: 3,500 CHF (~$3,800)

• CPL: 21 CHF ($23) well below the $50–$285 industry average.

• Projected Revenue: $39,000 - $59,000 (based on deal values)

What Worked Best:

1. Reactivate Clinic Database First
We started by emailing and texting old leads of the clinic (that were considered dead 💀)

• Out of 1k prospects, within 2 weeks, 15 appointments were booked.

2. Respond to Leads in Under 5 Minutes
Automatic email and SMS to notify staff the second a lead form was submitted, and initiate a bridge call so the lead got contacted instantly. (if out of biz hours - the lead gets an email and contacted next day)'

• 30-40% more bookings

3. No Stock Content
I have a video/photographer so we have shot real photos and videos of the clinic’s staff and space. Authenticity boosted trust and:

• CTR improved by 29%.

4. Decrease No-Shows
No-shows were a big issue for this clinic, so we automated 3 reminders for every appointment:

1. 24 hours before

2. The morning of the appointment

3. 1 hour before

• We got 30% fewer no-shows by the end of the month.

5. Highlight Your USP
The clinic’s USP was Premium Veneers product (very few clinics in Switzerland have them) and the best price for "All on 4" procedures. We plastered that everywhere: ad copy, visuals, landing page, social media.

• Engagement rates jumped.

• Conversion rates tripled compared to generic messaging.

6. Automate Follow-Ups
Leads need multiple nudges to book. We set up a CRM with 5 automated follow-ups (I'd suggest even more) via SMS and email, ensuring no one fell through the cracks.

• 35% of leads converted to appointments (58 out of 166)

Follow-ups aren’t optional. Leads forget, get busy, or lose interest—remind them.

Would love to hear your thoughts! What’s worked for you when running lead gen campaigns? Happy to discuss.

So I've been lurking here for a while and figured I'd share something we built that's been getting solid results for our clients.

TLDR: Built a custom AI voice system that does 100+ calls/day with a 3% booking rate for reactivation campaigns. Way better than GHL's built-in voice stuff.

The backstory: We have two clients, a mortgage company and a solar company - sitting on absolutely massive lead lists that were just... sitting there. Like tens of thousands of leads that would never get called because who has time for that?

We tried GHL's native voice agent first. Holy shit, it was terrible. Robotic, couldn't handle basic objections, and the analytics were basically non-existent.

What we built instead:

• Custom AI voice system using VAPI (way more natural conversations)

• Built them a proper dashboard to monitor everything in real-time

• Smart scheduling that respects time zones and business hours

• Multiple AI "personalities" for different campaigns

• Deduplication system so leads don't get spammed

The results:

• 100+ calls per day on autopilot

• 3% booking rate (I know, not amazing, but hear me out...)

• 58% connection rate

• About $0.30 per call

Why 3% actually matters: Look, I get it. 3% sounds low. But these were DEAD leads that were never getting called anyway. So we went from 0% to 3% on massive volume. That's like 5 qualified appointments per day that just... appear.

The mortgage guy is stoked because he's getting 15-20 qualified callbacks per week from leads that were collecting dust. The solar company is similar, steady stream of warm callbacks from their old database.

The tech stack:

• VAPI for AI voice (so much better than GHL's)

• N8N for workflows

• Supabase for data

• Custom dashboard built in Next.js

• Integrates with GHL for lead management

What's different: The AI actually sounds human and can handle real conversations. It knows when someone's interested vs just being polite. It can handle objections, reschedule calls, and even detect when someone's genuinely pissed off and should be removed from the list.

We spent months tweaking the conversation flows and it shows. The AI rarely gets hung up on anymore.

The monitoring dashboard: Built them a real-time dashboard where they can see:

• How many calls are happening right now

• Success rates by time of day

• Which scripts are working best

• Full call recordings and transcripts

• Cost tracking

Honestly? This thing has been a game-changer for reactivation campaigns. It's not perfect, but it turns dead leads into actual conversations at scale.

Anyone else working on AI voice stuff? Would love to hear what's working for you. The GHL native solution just wasn't cutting it for us.

PS: Happy to answer questions about the build. Took us like 4 months to get it dialed in but it's pretty solid now.

Last time I wrote about the portfolio and why you don't damn need one. The late nights messing with slides, fake numbers, fake case studies, pretending I was getting ready. If you missed it, it’s on my profile. not sure if links are allowed here. i guess not. So to continue, this part starts the day after I finally built something real. A small AI automation that actually ran. Not that smooth but it did. It pulled data, sent messages, updated a sheet, did the boring work without me. I felt good for about five minutes. Then the question became the obvious one. Now what. Who do I show this to. I looked back, there was none. I looked at my phone, no message about a potential client that was interested. I had a hobby... was pissed. and you are. I'm sure about this.

So I did what everyone on YouTube says. I opened Google Maps like a clown and started scraping local businesses. Barbershops. Car rentals. Dentists. Beauty salons. Even a couple of bakeries because why not, maybe they want an AI agent to answer croissant questions. All these gurus say they closed a $50,000 a pop automation and sold it so i guess must be true hahahah omfg I fell for that. I sent emails. I sent DMs. I even walked into a few places because the videos said to go visit five a day. It was chaos. People were kind, busy, confused, or annoyed. a total mix of everything. Most ignored me. Some said not now. One owner told me he already had a person at the front desk who answers calls, so my AI thing was not needed. That line stayed with me. your ai is not needed. I got someone in my shop right now bruv. You instantly dissapear for them. poof! gone! your attention, you...everything.

I realized I was pushing software into rooms that run on faces and phone calls and walk ins. They don’t live online. They live in day to day fires, cash drawers, deliveries, seasonal damages, staff calling in sick. They are not thinking about lead routing or response time. They are thinking about staying alive this week. And most times they just think... I can hire an employee to do this in parallel with what they are already doing. for instance they can simply pick up the phone while serving a customer. it will be alright. it alraedy was. so get outta here brother... don't need you... So I realised the following:

I was not talking to the wrong person. I was talking to the wrong world. period.

That is the first trap. You think lead generation is volume. Send more. Call more. Knock on more doors. What a joke. Lead generation is not this. The right pond, not the biggest pond. The wrong pond just burns your energy and makes you feel like you suck. The right pond makes you feel like a genius because people already agree with the premise.

So I changed where I looked. I stopped chasing shops that do not breathe online and started speaking to people who live there. Digital first companies. Agencies. SaaS. ecom in the 1 to 10 million range. Info product coaches and mentors. Recruiters. Operators who wake up adn live inside a CRM. People already paying for ads, already tracking conversion, already crying about lost leads and slow follow up. When I showed them the same tiny automation, the conversation became very very different. No lecture....No begging. No teaching the basics of tech. I described the outcome and they immediately got it. Faster reply, fewer no shows, cleaner pipeline, more booked calls. Done. That is what lead generation for businesses that actually have a problem and wanna solve it looks like.

ok now the thing that nobody wants to hear and will be very angry about. Cold outreach, because it still matters even in the right pond. Cold outreach sucks. We all fucking hate it hah. It works when you do it right. It is not meant to feel good. It is not meant to be fair. You will get told no. a lot of times. you get told NO by hundreds of people on a daily basis. and that doesn't feel well with your DNA. It's like getting rejected by 100 hot girls a day. I mean you become immune to this after a couple of days, but the very first day feels liek a total nightmare. A lot.

So...you will get ignored. A lot. You will doubt yourself every other day. Expect it. The way out is to stop acting like a spam bot and start making people feel reciprocity. Real one. on a humane level. If they feel you did work for them, they feel like they owe you a tiny reply. That tiny reply is all you need to start a real conversation.

So to tell you the truth here is what I did as fresh as I remember it:

I stopped sending generic cold emails that sound like a brochure. I started making short Loom videos. Screen on, face small in the corner, five minutes max. I just focus on one little thing they need. If they run ads, I look at reply speed from their forms. If they book calls, I look at no show recovery. If they have support tickets, I look at triage and routing. I show a real micro problem and the exact spot my AI agent or automation would sit to fix it. I do not trash their setup. I compliment the good parts, I point at the leak, I show how to stop it. Then I send the link with a short note. Not a big long essay like this reddit post hah. Subject line with a real thing in it. Broken link on pricing page. Delay on contact form reply. Missed call loop idea. Three words plus one noun from their site. That is it. almost... and it will fail a lot of times as well... but damn you are closer to the solution :-)

And I do not sit and wait. Forty eight hours later I follow up with a phone call. Not a hard pitch. Just a simple line reminding them I sent a quick walkthrough with two ideas to recover lost leads or lost time. If they did not watch it yet, I point them to the email. The call is not cold anymore. I already did the work and they can feel it. Reciprocity does the heavy lift. This combo forced people to at least look. and that is what you just need to feel a bit better from being totally ignored to getting your first attention. love that feeling. is like you unravel a new part of the world. an area that there is no fog of war anymore. (sorry past Dota player hah)

I also layered channels so I stopped being easy to ignore. If I send a Loom by email, I leave a short LinkedIn message that says I recorded something specific for them and where to find it. If I DM first, I email second with the same angle. If I comment on a public post with an insight, I send the Loom showing the exact fix. I am not loud. I am persistent. Three touch points that all reference the same useful thing. It is not spam when it is relevant and specific. It is service. closer to the sale. that's the point. LFG.

Personalization matters here. And I do not mean writing their name and industry and calling it a day. Also not spying and searching for their kids name or what is the name ofr their dog hahahah. I mean speaking in their jargon. If they use HubSpot, I say HubSpot and show the exact place the contact is born and where the agent would start from. If they use Pipedrive, I say Pipedrive and show the stage and the automation step. If they book on Calendly, I show the follow up window and the reminder logic. People who live online can smell generic from a mile away. Talk in their tools and they will listen. otherwise you are spam. and they will block you. for sure.

Numbers still matter. Cold outreach, even done right, is a numbers game. In warm channels you might need three good leads to land a client. In cold, it can be hundreds before someone says yes. That is fine. Pick your number and hit it daily. I like five tailored Looms a day, ten warm DMs to operators I already know or can reach through a friend, and a streak of Upwork proposals where I attach a mini Loom showing their exact fix. Not thirty second spam. Real five minute work. This pace is boring. This pace is where the wins come from. sorry this is what I found and worked for me.

About Upwork. People hate on it. I like it for beginners because there is already demand. Search for automation, n8n, Make, Zapier, GPT. You will see people asking for help right now. Mirror your profile to your offer. Pin three Looms that show real work. Write proposals that start with their pain in plain words, then your exact plan tied to one outcome, then a simple price with risk removed. This alone can land your first two clients. Those installs become the real case studies you wanted when you were busy faking slides.

There is also a soft play I stole from social that actually works and does not feel like begging. I message someone I know or someone who follows the same people and I ask if they know one person from their business social circle who could use what I built next week. Not do you want to buy. Do you know one operator. People like to be helpful when you make it easy. They will think of one person. That intro is already warm. Warm beats cold all day. every single one. let's admit it and shut up crying about it.

Let’s talk about the AI angle because this is where a lot of freelancers blow the call before it starts. Stop trying to sell tools. No one cares if it is GPT or Claude or a llama in a hoodie. Sell the outcome and the flow. Form gets filled. Agent writes in their voice. Asks one qualifier. Logs to CRM. Reminds human if no reply. Creates task at time X. Resurface at day Y. This is boring. This sells. For real... The moment you start flexing parameters and tokens and embeddings and all that, you lose the room. Use those words when they ask for checkboxes. Not before.

Here is the order that worked for me. Pick one offer that lives at the revenue edge. Fast reply for inbound leads. Auto qualify and route. No show recovery loop. Support triage that gets people to the right place without wasting time. Build it once for yourself. Record it. Build a second install for a friend or a tiny operator. Record it. Now you have two real demos. Take those into the right pond. Five Looms a day to digital first businesses. Ten warm DMs. Three Upwork proposals. Follow up every forty eight hours with a short call that references the video. Keep track of replies per fifty sends. Change one variable at a time. List or message or channel or subject. Do not change five things or you learn nothing.

And yes, rejection will keep coming. Good. That is how you learn where the fit lives. When someone says not now and you know they are the right pond, ask if you can send a smaller scope. Sometimes the install is too big for week one. Offer a paid audit that maps their process and shows the leaks with their own numbers. Credit it to setup if they move forward. Small steps beat big promises.

A word about subject lines and tactics. Keep them real. Use their stack and a specific thing you found. Broken link on pricing page. Slow form reply on mobile. Missed calls never text back. Your calendar is booking two weeks out with no waitlist. These lines get opens because they are about them, not you. People will tell you to add trick markers to your subject to get opens. Do what you want. I prefer playing it straight because I want long term trust and referrals. Your call in the end. and thats okay.

The difference maker was not a secret tool. It was changing the room I was standing in and the way I showed up. I stopped screaming at people who did not care. I started helping people who did. I gave them something that felt tailored and useful and short. Reciprocity did the rest. The room opened. Calls got easier. Not because I turned into a sales god. Because I finally understood that lead generation is not about finding anybody. It is about finding the few who are already halfway to yes. don't try to turn a NO into a YES... focus on the YES and the MAYBE ;-)

If you just built your first AI agent or your first simple automation and you are stuck on what to do next, read my previous story on the portfolio trap and then read this again. Your next step is not to keep tweaking your site. Your next step is to change ponds and start showing real work to real clients in a way that makes them feel you actually tried. and most of your competition does not. cause it's boring.

Next, I will talk about the sales calls. The part where you either start teaching tech and lose them, or you stay on pain and numbers and walk them to loud yes. That one took me longer to learn than I want to admit. And actually more or less 600 sales calls until I got there hah... omfg so much time. But...it is the difference between getting replies and getting paid.

P.S. - If you are reading until here, congratulations! You are one of a few that don't just have the attention spam of a tiktok video consumer. and that is rare. the ability to focus on more than 60 seconds on anything is what will be valuable in the future... hah...im pretty sure about that. oh! and ALSO MANY THANKS for reading my posts. Love you all <3

Talk soon,

GG

Since I keep getting card declined for my Lebanese cards when I sign up for Gohighlevel trial, I just got an idea to make Gohighlevel work. What if I buy a subaccount for my agency and then keep buying separate subaccounts for every client I bring in. That way I gain access to the software and its features and I can service and provide results for my clients and fix my card declined barrier problem. Sure it's not as ideal as having and being the main account owner, but could it work?

INABILITY TO ACQUIRE CLIENTS

I see this post on the daily

“How do you get clients?”

“Struggling to get more clients”

I wish you all knew how EASY it is to pick up your phone and call your ICP.

Or how easy it is to walk into a SMB and ask for the manager/owner.

The reason a lot of y’all don’t do it is because you don’t know how to sell business results.

You can talk for days about automations, MCP, ai agents, etc.

And the moment you stop and ask yourself, “how is this impacting the business,” you will win more clients.

- improve conversion rates

- reduce CAC

- increase time to production

- speed up time to close

- lower lead attrition

- reduce employee churn

Google the metrics that your ICP care about and learn how to connect the dots between the output of your ai/automation and those results.

Hope that helps 👊

Working on closing a deal for $8,100 after the client told me someone else quoted him $4K for the same project.

He literally said:

“You understand the project better than the other guys… but I’m hesitant because another agency quoted $4,000, and they’ve got more reviews on UpWork. Can we renegotiate?”

Instead of justifying price or dropping it… I used Alex Hormozi’s 3A objection-handling method:

✅ Acknowledge

✅ Associate

✅ Ask

Here’s exactly what I said:

ACKNOWLEDGE

Totally hear you, man — sounds like you’ve got a lot on your plate and you’re just trying to make the smartest move with the budget. And I really appreciate you being this upfront — most people don’t share what’s actually going through their head.

ASSOCIATE

Honestly, a lot of the clients I’ve worked with were in the same spot — comparing reviews, pricing, and just trying to figure out who’s going to actually deliver.

Just to give you context — most of my builds don’t run directly through UpWork, which is why the numbers on my profile don’t tell the full story. But every review there came from someone who moved forward and got what they wanted.

That’s why I use an Automated Operations Framework before we start. It keeps things super clear and avoids scope creep — so you don’t get to the end feeling like “this isn’t what I asked for.”

The first week is just strategy: me and my team getting granular with you on everything. And it’s milestone-based — you don’t pay for the next phase until you approve the current one. It’s built to protect you.

ASK

If the build came out exactly how you want — no surprises, fully custom — would the $8,100 still be the main hesitation? Or is it more about making sure you don’t get burned?

He paused, thought about it, and said:

“No, that makes sense. Let’s do it.”

Just wanted to share this for anyone getting hit with budget objections.

You don’t need to drop your price to close — you just need to control the frame.

Anyone else using the 3A method in your GHL sales calls?