Getting leads and prospects to respond is like herding cats. They filled out a form, they're qualified leads, so why aren't they picking up the phone??
This post covers the six reasons why they're not responding and what you can do to change that.
6 reasons your leads aren't answering or responding (and how to change that)
You spend too much money on marketing to reach only 20-30% of the leads you're paying for. Here's how you can improve that number to 70-80%.
1. You’re not using multiple channels
If you’re only using one channel, your chances of getting a response are going to be slim at best. Some people neglect their inboxes, others avoid phone calls at all costs. And yet others forget things easily.
When you reach out to a prospect or lead across multiple channels, you:
- Make more than one impression. The more familiar a customer is with a brand, the more it will remember and trust it.
- Demonstrate your diligence. Make a great first impression.
- Give them options to choose from. The channel most convenient for them may vary depending on when they’re able to respond.
- Activate reciprocity bias. When someone is making efforts to reach out, we feel a natural pull to reciprocate.
All of these advantages not only increase the chances of reaching a lead, but also of getting a response.
2. You’re not texting them
Most, if not all, of our customers are hesitant about business texting at first. After all, phone call has been the industry standard for years. But once they start seeing the results, they’re kicking themselves for not adopting text sooner.
- Educate your reps. Sales reps are driven by numbers and performance. Sharing the data behind why speed to lead is important may incentivize them.
- Have a CRM. One source of truth that integrates with all of your other marketing and communication tools is essential for reaching out quickly and with context.
- Automate it. If you automate that initial outreach, not only does this save hours of manual work, but it also ensures that every lead is contacted. And now your reps have the time to engage with the people who are responding.
5. You’re giving up too soon
It takes an average of eight attempts to reach a contact. But no, this does not mean calling them eight times in a row (and hopefully you are taking my advice and staying away from real-time calls anyway). It means reaching out over the course of several days (across those multiple channels we covered earlier).
For example:
- Day 1: one text, one email, and one ringless voicemail drop
- Day 2: one text
- Day 3: one text, one email
- Day 4: pause
- Day 5: one text, one voicemail
This way, you’re being persistent, not pesky. Diligent, but not disruptive. Attentive, but not annoying. I could keep going here…
This is just an example—what works best will depend on your business and channels. But the bottom line is, it takes several attempts to get a response. But it's well worth the persistence if it means more revenue.
6. Your messages are too long
So maybe you are using multiple channels and reaching out multiple times. But you’re still not getting responses. Let me ask: Are your messages:
- Longer than 40 words?
- About your business only?
- Devoid of any questions?
If you’re bombarding them with enough text to go on a landing page or your about us page, you’re turning them away. Don’t make work for them.
Communicating with new business leads is an art.
No:
Yes:
An example of a good outreach text or email looks something like this:
Hi [Name], it's [Name] with [Company]. I got your form and wanted to get you scheduled for an appointment. When is a good time for you? Or do you have any preliminary questions?
It’s short. Easy to read. Focused on the customer. It invites a response.
Get more responses, grow your revenue
The one-call close is just not a thing anymore. Customers aren’t going to pick up a phone call, but they will respond to messages—the right messages at the right times, that is. Use the tips in this guide and you’ll be seeing a lot more responses (which means higher ROI)!
Here's a recap:
- Use multiple channels
- Make sure that includes text
- Have a text-first strategy
- Reach out within five minutes
- Keep reaching out until you get a reponse
- Stick with short messages
