Make the Most of Every Lead 

Follow these helpful lead parameters to connect with potential customers.

By Angie’s List.  

There’s an art to connecting with a prospective customer. You want to plan and develop an approach that makes sure leads won’t go cold. However, your planned efforts to reach out shouldn’t be annoying or intrusive. As they say, timing is everything, so we’ve outlined some parameters to keep in mind.

Responding to initial contact. When a customer first contacts you or you receive a credible lead, be sure to respond within 24 hours. Better yet, make multifaceted efforts to reach out using any method you have available (call, text, email, direct message). Be sure to mention how you’ve tried to reach them, in case one method is easier for them to use for their reply.

After that initial 24-hour period, spend the next two days trying to contact them daily using two different methods (for example: call and a text or email and a direct message).

After the third day, try reaching them once daily for the next few days. If there’s no response after that, put it aside but don’t abandon it. This is not a dead lead, it’s simply a “not right now” lead for reasons that are out of your control.

Booking the appointment. It’s important to immediately confirm a scheduled meeting with a professional email. This email should include next steps and a resource to get them thinking about the project. You might also include the proposed budget and/or an introduction (and photo) of the sales person or technician who will be visiting the customer’s house.

Before the appointment. Send the customer a reminder email or text two days before that includes the time of arrival and the name of the company representative. Repeat the reminder a day before the appointment, including the time of arrival.

During the appointment. Try to make your offer while you’re there. If you need time to create the estimate, or if your homeowner wants to think it over, set a follow-up appointment to review the quote before you leave. It’s important to schedule the follow-up appointment in the home (unless it’s a low-value project) with all decision makers present. The ideal time is within 7 to 14 days of the original meeting, depending on the complexity of the project.

After the appointment. If the customer doesn’t hire you right away, be sure to reach out daily during the first three days to keep the conversation going and work toward a decision. Promise to follow up while you’re initially meeting with them in their home and let them know you’ll be consistently reaching out. That will make your persistence a fulfilled promise rather than an irritation.

After three days with no response, follow up with the customer every three days until you connect. Make sure you move the conversation toward a decision. If no decision is reached, let them know you’ll call back in a few days. It helps to have a deadline on your offer or a special incentive to support the urgency you’re trying to create.