There are many ways to generate leads for your business. There is traditional advertising like direct mail, print, radio, and TV. And there is also digital advertising which includes search engine optimization, content marketing, email marketing, social media, blogging, podcasts, and pay-per-click advertising.
Getting leads into your sales funnel is important but it all comes down to your follow-up. On average, how quickly do you respond to a lead? Is it 1 hour, 1 day or 1 week before you call, email or text them?
Did you know that 50% of leads go with the business that responds first? After 5 minutes, the odds of qualifying a lead drop by 80%.
If you want to turn to convert more leads into sales it is critical that you respond as quickly as possible. Figuring out a find a way to respond to a lead within 5 minutes could transform your business.
What’s the problem?
The problem that most businesses have with following up with leads within 5 minutes, is they don’t have a system to notify them the instant a lead appears and even if they did, everyone in the company is busy doing their job so they can’t respond right away.
What’s the answer?
You need to leverage technology to help you address this problem. With follow-up automation it is possible to send a combination of email, text, and voicemail messages to leads immediately that give you the best chance at converting that lead into an appointment. Automation can be used through the entire process, from scheduling an appointment to appointment reminders.
You have probably heard that it can take as many as 7 touches, even more before a prospect takes action. The image below represents a 12-step lead follow up sequence that is a combination of emails, text messages, outbound phone calls, and voicemail messages. The instant a prospect responds to any one of these communications, they are removed from the campaign and then the client handles all communication moving forward.
The software I use for follow-up automation with all my clients is called HighLevel. If you click the link below, you can give it a try for 14-days for FREE.
Do you need follow-up automation?
Not sure if you need to invest in follow-up automation? Here are a few questions that will help you determine whether it’s right for you.
- Do you currently have a series of emails and text messages that are automatically sent to new leads?
- Can your staff send text messages to leads without using their personal phone?
- Do you have the ability to listen to a recording of conversations between new leads and your staff?
- Do you currently have a way of knowing if your staff is following up with leads within 5 minutes?
- Do you currently send automated email and text messages to no-shows encouraging them to re-schedule?
- Do you currently have automated replies set up for people who message your Facebook page?
If you answered NO to one or more of these questions, you’re leaving money on the table and letting qualified leads go to your competitors.
What else is possible?
Follow-up automation can be used in more ways than just for lead capture and appointment setting. You can use it to reactive dead leads, upsell past clients, get Google reviews, or promote a new product or service. The possibilities are endless.
Want Follow-Up Automation?
If you don’t want to invest in HighLevel but want to add follow-up automation into your business, I am now offering a subscription service where we will create a follow-up automation solution that is custom for your business.
If you would like to learn more, reach out to me at david@socialprooflocal.com
