The Importance of a Follow-Up
Chris Mulvaney is the CEO of CMDS. I make things... I’m the creative entrepreneur with passion for (re)making brands and inventing solutions to problems no one knows exist.
If we build it, they will come (but only if you follow-up)!
This is not the “Field of Dreams” folks. Even if we build the most stellar, mobile-friendly, responsive website design that generates multiple leads a day for your business (which we do very well), it’s up to you to follow through to turn these leads into customers. Every small or medium-sized business (SMB) has the potential to turn an inbound sales lead into a satisfied, loyal customer. How, you ask? By simply following up.
Respond to Online Sales Leads…FAST!
Every minute counts. Because information moves so quickly in today’s digital world, our leads have short attention spans (look…a squirrel!) and high expectations. The faster you can respond to the initial contact, the better chance of converting. In fact, the first company that follows up gets 50% of the business. In addition, if you can respond within the first 5 minutes of contact, your chances of conversion goes up almost 300 times. But, it’s not enough to just be the first company to respond, you must also be the first to respond and completely answer their questions. This will build your credibility, trust, and win them over! So, respond like your survival depends on it…because it kinda does.
Don’t Give Up on the First call…or the second…or the third…
Did you know 44 percent of all sales people give up after one follow-up call? Pick up the phone to find out what they’re interested in. Just ask. That lead now becomes something that can contribute back to you, so once you get that lead, you must ask for their business. Make the appointment. Close the sale. Schedule the visit. Whatever your business may be, it is critical to follow up your online leads and generally it takes about eight attempts to get in contact with your customer. Eight.
Don’t Ignore Your Customers
You’re probably gasping, “I would never ignore my customers!” But yet, 65 percent of all companies admit that they have no process to nurture leads. And since every lead should be treated like a future customer, if a customer is not receiving a response, they’re being ignored. So, if the phone calls aren’t working out for you, vary your methods of contact before you delete the lead. Reach your prospect by text, social media, personal visits, emails, send video…send smoke signals if you have to (or you could try video chat; that might work, too).
Follow-up Facts
Share the facts about lead response and make a commitment to follow up at your company. These shocking stats, compiled by Entrepreneur.com can help you realize the importance of connecting with your leads to differentiate yourself in today’s market:
• Average response time for an Internet lead is 44 hours.
• 65 percent of all companies don’t nurture the lead.
• Only 25 percent of all salespeople make two contact attempts.
• It requires eight follow up attempts just to qualify the lead.
• 80 percent of all transactions require five to 12 follow-ups.
• If you include texting in your response, you increase your conversion rate by 40 percent. When effectively used, texting can improve conversion by over 100 percent.
Plan of Attack
Create a follow-up plan of attack for sales leads and keep it on your business’ front burner. Remember, your first impression is an important one, so consider an outside eye to help connect the dots on all your marketing touch points and communications. Our consulting team of marketing professionals at CMDS can guide you on the right path to propel your brand toward unseen success. Contact us today at 732-706-5555.