Turning 90% of Ignored Leads into Sales: The Science of Effective Follow-Up 

You've got the leads—now what? The follow-up game is where most businesses fumble, and it's costing them big time.

The 5-Minute Rule: The Clock is Ticking

You've got 5 minutes. That's the golden window to reach out to a new lead. Sounds intense? It is, especially when you're juggling current customers. But here's how we managed to add 122 members in just 90 days (check out our blog if you missed the first two installments of this series):

• Self-Booking: A small percentage will take the initiative. Make it easy for them.

• Automations: Quick, automated responses buy you time for a real conversation.

• Persistent and Tedious Follow-Up: This is where the magic happens.

About self-booking…

Did you know that only a small percentage, roughly 1-2%, will self-book? This is why you need multiple ways for potential customers to engage with you online (see THIS blog for more details).

Still, having the option to self-book is important. Good customer service is about meeting the customers where they are, and a small percentage would rather self-book. The problem with most software, however, (i.e. Mindbody, Wellness Living, etc.) is the hoops you have to jump through to book an appointment.

The fewer steps, the better.

For reference, here's the self-booking form we used after someone claimed our offer.

Automations: Your First Hello

Automations, in our opinion, are best used to start the conversation, but can’t replace the human touch. No one wants to talk to a robot or read a super long text message, so keep the automated message short and human-like. Once they reply, just make sure there’s someone there ready to pick up the conversation.

Here’s an example of the first text message we send someone after they opt-in for our offer:

PRO TIPS:

In addition to keeping messages short, include a few misspelled words or grammatical errors. As much as you may dislike the idea of this, after 1,000’s of repetitions, we can confidently say it will increase the number of responses.

End each text with a question mark. People are trained to reply to questions, so adding a question to the end of every text message will increase the probability of a response. For example:

Prospect: “What services do you offer?

You: “We offer salt therapy - an all-natural remedy to help families breathe easier and sleep sounder. Would you like to try an introductory session?

The Art of Persistent and Tedious Follow-Up

We call it "tedious" because it is. But it's also where you win.

If someone says they’ll be out of town for two months on a trip, we follow up with them in two months and are sure to ask them how the trip went.

We keep following up with them for as long as it takes.

IMPORTANT: This isn’t spamming people. Our follow-up is respectful and short, so it’s easy to ignore if they’re not ready but we stay top of mind. If the prospect doesn’t respond, it doesn’t mean “No,” it means, “Not yet.”

I know you might be thinking, “What follow-up cadence is best?” Here’s what we use:

• Within 5 minutes

• Next day

• Next day

• Next day

• Three days later

• 7 days later

• 14 days later

• 21 days later

Every 30 days going forward

Up next, we'll dive into the art of setting appointments. It's more nuanced than you think, and it's where most businesses drop the ball. Stay tuned.

Would you like some help implementing the steps above?

Click here to schedule your demo today.