How do I follow up with leads who go quiet?
By the Margin Media team · Updated
To follow up with leads who go quiet, a service business should reply fast the first time, then keep in touch by short, useful texts over the following days and weeks until the person books or says no. Most quiet leads haven't chosen someone else. They got busy, and nobody reminded them.
Why do leads go quiet?
Leads go quiet because life got in the way. Someone asked what a new system would cost, or about implants, or about a consultation, then went back to work. They meant to reply. A week later they have forgotten which business they asked.
Some are comparing quotes. Some are waiting on a partner to agree. Very few have decided against you, and the ones who have will usually tell you if you ask.
What is a follow-up routine that works?
A routine works when it is written down and doesn't depend on anyone remembering. Here is a plain one any office can run, whether it books repairs, treatments or consultations.
- Reply to every new enquiry the same day, by the route they used to reach you.
- Send a short text the next day asking one easy question they can answer in a word.
- Offer two specific times in the following message, so replying takes no thought.
- Space the later messages further apart, and make each one useful and brief.
- Ask plainly whether they still want help, so a no is as easy to give as a yes.
- Stop as soon as they book or say no, and note which it was.
What should you avoid?
Avoid pressure, and avoid silence. Daily messages that say just checking in read as nagging. One call and then nothing reads as not caring. Never keep texting someone who has asked you to stop.
Avoid leaving it to memory. Follow-up is the first thing dropped on a busy day, which is exactly the day when the most new enquiries arrive.
How does Margin follow up?
Margin hands follow-up to Mia. Anyone who asked but didn't book keeps hearing from her by text until they book or say no. When they are ready, she finds an open time and books it.
The limits: texting starts once phone carriers approve your business's number, which takes days to a couple of weeks. Bookings land on the portal calendar and the office is told. Every thread is in your portal.
What Margin sets up for this.
- Follow-up until they book or say no
- Booking onto your calendar
- Missed calls texted back within a minute
- Your portal: every call, text and booking
What a business needs is decided on its audit. It is a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee, with exact numbers on the audit.
Related questions
How long should a service business keep following up with a lead?
Until they book or say no. For a quick repair that may be days. For a remodel or an elective procedure, people think for weeks or months, so a service business should keep in touch at a slower pace.
Is it better to call or text a lead who has gone quiet?
Text first. A text can be answered in a meeting or at a child's game, and a call can't. A service business can still call for larger jobs, but the text is what usually gets the reply.
What do I say to a lead who stopped replying?
Keep it short and easy to answer. Name your service business, mention what they asked about and offer two times. A later message can simply ask whether they still want help, yes or no.