Troubleshooting your lead follow-up process
If your leads aren't converting there are three possible reasons, they aren't answering the phone, they are answering the phone but not having a conversation with you, or they are having a conversation but not moving forward. In this article I'll help you identify what stage is breaking down, what causes those situations and how to fix them.
Why aren't prospects answering the phone?
Why aren't your prospects talking to you?
Why aren't your conversations converting into appointments and sales?
This guide will help you identify and fix the most common lead follow-up problems.
The leads might be "bad", particularly if there was a big change after they filled out the form. Heat waves kill response rates. Hurricanes will make updating their Medicare policy seem less important, higher food and electricity costs make it harder to sell life insurance to someone on a fixed income and so on. But before assuming the leads are bad, make sure the problem isn't your caller ID, your script, your follow-up process, your appointment setter, or your expectations. You want to try to fix any issues you have on your end before you decide that the entire process isn't going to work for you.
Here are the challenges you might be facing in following up on leads, what causes those challenges and how to fix them.
Why aren't your prospects answering the phone?
You should have about 10% or better of the people you call answering the phone. If not, you probably have a problem that you can fix.
1) Your Caller ID.
A) Are you broadcasting Spam Likely?
If you are, their phone may not even be ringing when you call, and the percentage of people answering the phone can drop to 1% or less. There are three main carriers, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile and if your contact rate is low then one or more of them may be showing your number as Spam Likely. You may not have even done anything wrong but recently the phone carriers are hypersensitive to spam and fraud calling campaigns and legitimate businesses are getting caught up in it.
One client was seeing less than 1% of the leads answering the phone. When I checked the status of his phone numbers, 5 of his 6 lines were broadcasting Probably Spam on all three carriers while the last line was broadcasting probably spam on 2 of the 3 carriers. Was it any wonder that almost no one was answering the phone?
If your contact rate is low, fill out the form below and I can check how your numbers are showing up on all three main carriers. If that is your problem that's actually good news because the answer is easy and inexpensive to fix.
B) Are you always broadcasting a Local Presence number?
This one can be tricky. In general, broadcasting a Caller ID in the same area as the prospect's phone number will on average increase your contact rate. But, these days people are keeping their cell phone numbers after they move, so for example in my case I know that if I get a call from the same area code as my cell phone number then it's a telemarketer, and I'm less likely to answer it.
In general, you want mostly to be broadcasting a local presence number, but it's often a good idea to also have one line that doesn't. And 4% of the people are more likely to answer a Caller ID that is an 800#, because they feel those are more likely to be a reputable business, so you may want to have one line that broadcasts and 800# as well.
If you only are broadcasting two or three different numbers, in general it's best if they are broadcasting Local Presence numbers.
Are you broadcasting your business name?
If it's a lead, they are going to be more likely to pick up if the Caller ID is a business name associated with the service they are interested in. If they are a roofing lead, and your caller ID is ABC Roofing, you should see a higher percentage answering the phone.
2) Are you calling at the right time of the day/day of the week?
If you are calling older consumers, you are probably more likely to reach them during the day, if you are calling people who are still working, you may be more likely to reach them in the early evening.
The important thing is to track your results and look at when people are more likely to answer the phone. Don't trust your memory or your perception of when the best time is, keep notes and do the math. If you have a dialer report and you need help analyzing it, let me know. It's no big deal, I've done it a thousand times. Depending on your situation I may have to charge you a small fee, but the time and money you will save makes it a no brainer.
if you are dialing manually, just keep track on a spreadsheet. if you can't figure it out, I can probably explain the process in a few minutes or do it for you.
Some people just don't answer the phone.
Some people just don't answer the phone, in general the higher the household income, the more likely you are to have to reach them via text or email. You should, however, be eventually able to get at least 50% of your leads to talk with you on the phone, although some geographies might have a higher or lower percentage.
Even after filling out a form online, some people still just won't answer the phone.
It's not a huge percentage, but don't get too frustrated when some people just never answer the phone. It's just part of the process.
I like to call, then immediately send a text if they don't answer explaining why I called, then I try calling again after a few minutes if they don't call me back.
Why aren't your prospects talking to you after they answer the phone?
It could still be the Caller ID.
Sometimes people are bored enough to answer the phone even when it says Spam Likely, but they aren't as likely to believe you or may be answering the phone just to mess with someone they perceive to be a scammer, based on your caller ID. One life insurance agent went through the entire sales process and after 45 minutes got to the point of asking for the banking information so the prospect could pay for their policy. At that point the prospect said there was no way they would give them their banking information because they were coming up as Spam Likely.
It could be your voice.
I have hired over 1,500 callers and the best outperformed the worst by a factor of ten, and that's of the ones that were good enough to get through our interview process. Try standing up and walking around, it puts more energy in your voice. Try talking slightly louder, or closing your eyes and really focusing on your voice. You want to sound like you have a "spark" and not sound flat or monotone. Think of how telemarketers sound and do whatever you have to do to avoid sounding like that.
You want to sound confident, as if you are the expert on what you do and you fully expect them to want to talk to you. If you sound uncertain, they will assume there is a reason for it.
You may be talking too fast.
I tell people to dial fast and talk slow. The goal is not to get through the script; the goal is to give the prospect the maximum probability of deciding to have a conversation with you. Also, if you are talking too fast, they may not understand everything you are saying and they may decide it isn't worth the effort to continue the conversation.
They may not "like" you.
This may sound odd since they don't even know you yet, but people decide very quickly if they like someone. If you are smiling, it will come through in your voice, that's literally why they call it "Smiling and Dialing". Smiling when you talk will make them more likely to want to talk to you. If it will help, put up a picture of someone you like and imagine that you are talking to that person.
I have a client in New Jersey who won't take a lead in New Jersey because he thinks they are all jerks, and another client in Ohio who loves New Jersey leads. I asked the one in Ohio why he gets leads in New Jersey and he replied that he didn't know what it was, he just got along really well with the people in New Jersey.
You probably won't do equally well in every state, for whatever reason. If you have eliminated every other variable, it's possible that you need to change geographies.
It might be your accent.
I had an agent who wanted to buy leads who was a US citizen and had lived in the US for 12 years, but still had an Indian accent, and I had to tell him that based on my experience with other clients who had accents people were unlikely to believe he wasn't calling from overseas so he needed to focus on setting an appointment for himself, or possibly getting inbound calls, instead of trying to make the entire sale over the phone.
It could be your tone.
Do you sound confident and optimistic? Or do you sound like they are the 53rd person you have called that day, and you aren't expecting them to be interested in talking to you?
It could be your opening.
You have ten seconds to earn 30 seconds, then 30 seconds to earn a conversation.
They answered the phone, hoping it would be a positive conversation. Did you deliver that? Did you give them a reason to believe it was a good idea to continue the conversation?
Why aren't your conversations turning into appointments and sales?
It could still be your caller ID, even at this point.
They might be talking to you because they feel safe doing that over the phone but unwilling to meet with you or buy from you. Remember the earlier example of the insurance salesperson who went through the entire sales process just to get shot down at the end? Most people won't tell you the real reason they won 't do business with you, but sometimes they do. If someone gives you feedback on why they won't meet with you or buy from you, make a note of it. If it is just one person, maybe take it with a grain of salt but if multiple people say the same thing, it's probably a real issue for you.
It could be a failure to educate.
It they don't feel comfortable that they sufficiently understand the process, they aren't likely to move forward, even if it's because they assume the problem is with them not knowing enough to make a decision.
It could be a failure to communicate.
Do they understand you? Are you talking too fast? Are you using industry jargon that you fully understand but other people rarely encounter?
It could be a lack of perceived benefits.
Do they feel like you are worth spending their time with? Did you communicate why you can do a better job than others can?
It could be a lack of credibility.
Some types of businesses often lack credibility, while for others it's a non-issue. Some people don't trust a used car salesman, while most people feel comfortable putting their money in a bank and assuming they will get it back, and so on. If you have a home improvement company in an area where there was a big scandal in your industry, you make have to do a little extra work during the conversation. In some areas, people are more cautious and, in every area, there are going to be individuals who are more cautious.
If you can, make a point of casually mentioning something like how long you have been in business, your BBB rating, recognized names that do business with you, etc. If they are uncomfortable meeting at their home, and you don't actually have to see their home for you to provide the service, sometimes you can offer to meet them at a nearby public location like a hotel lobby although obviously that won't work well for an appointment for a home improvement project.
Are you tracking the right numbers, under reasonable expectations?
Are you tracking the actual results or relying on your memory?
Because I can just about guarantee that your memory isn't going to be accurate.
If you are tracking the numbers, these days a 15% answer rate is excellent, while some people think it "should" be more like 50%.
Do you have enough data to make a determination about that number?
A good appointment set rate or sales rate is one that is profitable. If you are profitable, you can tweak the program to improve it, but don't get too wrapped up in what you think the results "should be" unless you have an actual reason for the expectations to be considered reasonable.
I'm happy to help you work through the process, particularly if you purchased leads from me. In many cases, a few small adjustments can dramatically improve results.
FAQs
What is a good contact rate?
In general; in most parts of the country, with a clean, appropriate caller ID, calling at an effective time, you can expect to contact 10% of the leads on the first try.
The contact rate will typically fall after that, until you can usually reach 50% of the leads with ten calling attempts. As always, your mileage may vary.
How many times should I call a lead?
You should prioritize calling your Call Backs at the appropriate time, followed by the rest of the leads in the order of freshness. One call center found that after 77 attempts they had contacted approximately 83% of their leads, although most organizations reach the point of diminishing returns much sooner. For most organizations they reach the point of diminishing returns after 10 attempts. For an individual salesperson using their cell phone it may make sense to only make 5 attempts at calling and texting.
Should I text leads?
In general, yes. When texting, if you can give them a benefit statement to respond to, they are going to be more likely to respond.
What if the lead says not interested?
If they ask you not to call again you must comply with that request. If they just say they aren't interested, you can choose to call them again after their situation has had a chance to change. An easy to get that permission is to ask, "Would it make sense for me to never call you again, or should I try again in 3-6 months?"
How long should I keep following up?
That's up to you, depending on your sales goals and how many leads you have. Many people say to keep working a lead until they buy or die. Realistically there are eventually three possible outcomes:
They say not to call them anymore.
They indicate they aren't ever going to need your service, for whatever reason.
They agree to an appointment, buy your service, etc.
Often "not interested" means "not interested today."
People don't have static lives, their situation changes.
If your leads aren't converting there are three possible reasons, they aren't answering the phone, they are answering the phone but not having a conversation with you, or they are having a conversation but not moving forward. In this article I'll help you identify what stage is breaking down, what causes those situations and how to fix them.
Why aren't prospects answering the phone?
Why aren't your prospects talking to you?
Why aren't your conversations converting into appointments and sales?
This guide will help you identify and fix the most common lead follow-up problems.
The leads might be "bad", particularly if there was a big change after they filled out the form. Heat waves kill response rates. Hurricanes will make updating their Medicare policy seem less important, higher food and electricity costs make it harder to sell life insurance to someone on a fixed income and so on. But before assuming the leads are bad, make sure the problem isn't your caller ID, your script, your follow-up process, your appointment setter, or your expectations. You want to try to fix any issues you have on your end before you decide that the entire process isn't going to work for you.
Here are the challenges you might be facing in following up on leads, what causes those challenges and how to fix them.
Why aren't your prospects answering the phone?
You should have about 10% or better of the people you call answering the phone. If not, you probably have a problem that you can fix.
1) Your Caller ID.
A) Are you broadcasting Spam Likely?
If you are, their phone may not even be ringing when you call, and the percentage of people answering the phone can drop to 1% or less. There are three main carriers, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile and if your contact rate is low then one or more of them may be showing your number as Spam Likely. You may not have even done anything wrong but recently the phone carriers are hypersensitive to spam and fraud calling campaigns and legitimate businesses are getting caught up in it.
One client was seeing less than 1% of the leads answering the phone. When I checked the status of his phone numbers, 5 of his 6 lines were broadcasting Probably Spam on all three carriers while the last line was broadcasting probably spam on 2 of the 3 carriers. Was it any wonder that almost no one was answering the phone?
If your contact rate is low, fill out the form below and I can check how your numbers are showing up on all three main carriers. If that is your problem that's actually good news because the answer is easy and inexpensive to fix.
B) Are you always broadcasting a Local Presence number?
This one can be tricky. In general, broadcasting a Caller ID in the same area as the prospect's phone number will on average increase your contact rate. But, these days people are keeping their cell phone numbers after they move, so for example in my case I know that if I get a call from the same area code as my cell phone number then it's a telemarketer, and I'm less likely to answer it.
In general, you want mostly to be broadcasting a local presence number, but it's often a good idea to also have one line that doesn't. And 4% of the people are more likely to answer a Caller ID that is an 800#, because they feel those are more likely to be a reputable business, so you may want to have one line that broadcasts and 800# as well.
If you only are broadcasting two or three different numbers, in general it's best if they are broadcasting Local Presence numbers.
Are you broadcasting your business name?
If it's a lead, they are going to be more likely to pick up if the Caller ID is a business name associated with the service they are interested in. If they are a roofing lead, and your caller ID is ABC Roofing, you should see a higher percentage answering the phone.
2) Are you calling at the right time of the day/day of the week?
If you are calling older consumers, you are probably more likely to reach them during the day, if you are calling people who are still working, you may be more likely to reach them in the early evening.
The important thing is to track your results and look at when people are more likely to answer the phone. Don't trust your memory or your perception of when the best time is, keep notes and do the math. If you have a dialer report and you need help analyzing it, let me know. It's no big deal, I've done it a thousand times. Depending on your situation I may have to charge you a small fee, but the time and money you will save makes it a no brainer.
if you are dialing manually, just keep track on a spreadsheet. if you can't figure it out, I can probably explain the process in a few minutes or do it for you.
Some people just don't answer the phone.
Some people just don't answer the phone, in general the higher the household income, the more likely you are to have to reach them via text or email. You should, however, be eventually able to get at least 50% of your leads to talk with you on the phone, although some geographies might have a higher or lower percentage.
Even after filling out a form online, some people still just won't answer the phone.
- Some people prefer texting
- Some people prefer email
- Some people are almost literally always on the phone.
- Some people very rarely answer an unknown number
- Some people work nights and have their phones on Do Not Disturb during the day
- Some people always have their phone on Do Not Disturb, with some known numbers set as exceptions that will ring.
It's not a huge percentage, but don't get too frustrated when some people just never answer the phone. It's just part of the process.
I like to call, then immediately send a text if they don't answer explaining why I called, then I try calling again after a few minutes if they don't call me back.
Why aren't your prospects talking to you after they answer the phone?
It could still be the Caller ID.
Sometimes people are bored enough to answer the phone even when it says Spam Likely, but they aren't as likely to believe you or may be answering the phone just to mess with someone they perceive to be a scammer, based on your caller ID. One life insurance agent went through the entire sales process and after 45 minutes got to the point of asking for the banking information so the prospect could pay for their policy. At that point the prospect said there was no way they would give them their banking information because they were coming up as Spam Likely.
It could be your voice.
I have hired over 1,500 callers and the best outperformed the worst by a factor of ten, and that's of the ones that were good enough to get through our interview process. Try standing up and walking around, it puts more energy in your voice. Try talking slightly louder, or closing your eyes and really focusing on your voice. You want to sound like you have a "spark" and not sound flat or monotone. Think of how telemarketers sound and do whatever you have to do to avoid sounding like that.
You want to sound confident, as if you are the expert on what you do and you fully expect them to want to talk to you. If you sound uncertain, they will assume there is a reason for it.
You may be talking too fast.
I tell people to dial fast and talk slow. The goal is not to get through the script; the goal is to give the prospect the maximum probability of deciding to have a conversation with you. Also, if you are talking too fast, they may not understand everything you are saying and they may decide it isn't worth the effort to continue the conversation.
They may not "like" you.
This may sound odd since they don't even know you yet, but people decide very quickly if they like someone. If you are smiling, it will come through in your voice, that's literally why they call it "Smiling and Dialing". Smiling when you talk will make them more likely to want to talk to you. If it will help, put up a picture of someone you like and imagine that you are talking to that person.
I have a client in New Jersey who won't take a lead in New Jersey because he thinks they are all jerks, and another client in Ohio who loves New Jersey leads. I asked the one in Ohio why he gets leads in New Jersey and he replied that he didn't know what it was, he just got along really well with the people in New Jersey.
You probably won't do equally well in every state, for whatever reason. If you have eliminated every other variable, it's possible that you need to change geographies.
It might be your accent.
I had an agent who wanted to buy leads who was a US citizen and had lived in the US for 12 years, but still had an Indian accent, and I had to tell him that based on my experience with other clients who had accents people were unlikely to believe he wasn't calling from overseas so he needed to focus on setting an appointment for himself, or possibly getting inbound calls, instead of trying to make the entire sale over the phone.
It could be your tone.
Do you sound confident and optimistic? Or do you sound like they are the 53rd person you have called that day, and you aren't expecting them to be interested in talking to you?
It could be your opening.
You have ten seconds to earn 30 seconds, then 30 seconds to earn a conversation.
They answered the phone, hoping it would be a positive conversation. Did you deliver that? Did you give them a reason to believe it was a good idea to continue the conversation?
Why aren't your conversations turning into appointments and sales?
It could still be your caller ID, even at this point.
They might be talking to you because they feel safe doing that over the phone but unwilling to meet with you or buy from you. Remember the earlier example of the insurance salesperson who went through the entire sales process just to get shot down at the end? Most people won't tell you the real reason they won 't do business with you, but sometimes they do. If someone gives you feedback on why they won't meet with you or buy from you, make a note of it. If it is just one person, maybe take it with a grain of salt but if multiple people say the same thing, it's probably a real issue for you.
It could be a failure to educate.
It they don't feel comfortable that they sufficiently understand the process, they aren't likely to move forward, even if it's because they assume the problem is with them not knowing enough to make a decision.
It could be a failure to communicate.
Do they understand you? Are you talking too fast? Are you using industry jargon that you fully understand but other people rarely encounter?
It could be a lack of perceived benefits.
Do they feel like you are worth spending their time with? Did you communicate why you can do a better job than others can?
It could be a lack of credibility.
Some types of businesses often lack credibility, while for others it's a non-issue. Some people don't trust a used car salesman, while most people feel comfortable putting their money in a bank and assuming they will get it back, and so on. If you have a home improvement company in an area where there was a big scandal in your industry, you make have to do a little extra work during the conversation. In some areas, people are more cautious and, in every area, there are going to be individuals who are more cautious.
If you can, make a point of casually mentioning something like how long you have been in business, your BBB rating, recognized names that do business with you, etc. If they are uncomfortable meeting at their home, and you don't actually have to see their home for you to provide the service, sometimes you can offer to meet them at a nearby public location like a hotel lobby although obviously that won't work well for an appointment for a home improvement project.
Are you tracking the right numbers, under reasonable expectations?
Are you tracking the actual results or relying on your memory?
Because I can just about guarantee that your memory isn't going to be accurate.
If you are tracking the numbers, these days a 15% answer rate is excellent, while some people think it "should" be more like 50%.
Do you have enough data to make a determination about that number?
- After calling 100 leads once, you have may enough data to make a determination about the percentage that are disconnected.
- After calling 200 leads once, you have may enough data to make a determination about the percentage that answer the phone.
- After talking to 30 people, you may have enough data to make a determination about the appointment set rate.
- After talking to 50 people, you may have enough data to make a determination about the sales rate.
A good appointment set rate or sales rate is one that is profitable. If you are profitable, you can tweak the program to improve it, but don't get too wrapped up in what you think the results "should be" unless you have an actual reason for the expectations to be considered reasonable.
I'm happy to help you work through the process, particularly if you purchased leads from me. In many cases, a few small adjustments can dramatically improve results.
FAQs
What is a good contact rate?
In general; in most parts of the country, with a clean, appropriate caller ID, calling at an effective time, you can expect to contact 10% of the leads on the first try.
The contact rate will typically fall after that, until you can usually reach 50% of the leads with ten calling attempts. As always, your mileage may vary.
How many times should I call a lead?
You should prioritize calling your Call Backs at the appropriate time, followed by the rest of the leads in the order of freshness. One call center found that after 77 attempts they had contacted approximately 83% of their leads, although most organizations reach the point of diminishing returns much sooner. For most organizations they reach the point of diminishing returns after 10 attempts. For an individual salesperson using their cell phone it may make sense to only make 5 attempts at calling and texting.
Should I text leads?
In general, yes. When texting, if you can give them a benefit statement to respond to, they are going to be more likely to respond.
What if the lead says not interested?
If they ask you not to call again you must comply with that request. If they just say they aren't interested, you can choose to call them again after their situation has had a chance to change. An easy to get that permission is to ask, "Would it make sense for me to never call you again, or should I try again in 3-6 months?"
How long should I keep following up?
That's up to you, depending on your sales goals and how many leads you have. Many people say to keep working a lead until they buy or die. Realistically there are eventually three possible outcomes:
They say not to call them anymore.
They indicate they aren't ever going to need your service, for whatever reason.
They agree to an appointment, buy your service, etc.
Often "not interested" means "not interested today."
People don't have static lives, their situation changes.
- Tax refunds arrive
- Kids move out
- Utility bills increase
- The roof starts leaking
- Retirement gets closer
- Someone offers to buy the house IF repairs are made.
- and so on.
Laser Marketing | Spend Less | Sell More.
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Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions
Solar Installation leads Roofing Leads Windows Leads Mortgage leads Burial Leads Final Expense Leads Medicare Leads Mortgage Protection Leads Medicare Leads Payday loan leads Selling Preneed Funeral arrangements