Are You Following Up With Online Leads The Right Way?

Do you know the best way to follow up with a request that comes through your website? This is called a lead. Basically, the information that someone sends to you when they’re interested in your services. Usually, it will include their name, email address, phone number and a message to you requesting information. The more visitors that are coming to your website, the more of these leads you’ll be getting.

After a lead has contacted you and shown interest, what do you do next? Follow these eight steps.

Contact Immediately

Don’t wait until tomorrow. This is the number one mistake that I see entrepreneurs and consulting agencies make. Simply put, the faster you follow up, the greater your odds are of signing up the potential client. Several studies have confirmed this such as research published in Harvard Business Review, “Companies that try to contact potential customers within an hour of receiving queries are nearly seven times as likely to have meaningful conversations.” So, follow up as soon as possible. Better to follow up within a few hours than to follow up a day later.

Keep your Emails Short

When following up by email, keep in mind that you must keep your emails short. The goal of your first email is just to get them to respond by effectively asking one simple, specific question: “What has been the biggest challenge with getting results and growing your business?” Be brief and show your lead that you’re actually interested in helping them reach their full potential.

Be Persistent

Don’t be afraid to be persistent, your lead will appreciate you for it. Call right away, leave a voicemail and then send an email. If you don’t hear back within 24 hours, call and email again. Also, don’t be afraid to send a text message either. Some clients prefer texting over anything else as many of my clients do. Just remember to show common courteous to your prospect. Either speak to them on the phone or get them to email you back. Unfortunately, you’ll never hear back from many of your leads but at least you were persistent in trying.

Focus on Their Needs

One of the most important rules of marketing is it’s all about your client. Focus on the needs of your prospect and what they’ve already told you. When you send them an email or leave a voicemail, tell them how you understand that they need help with what they’re looking for and that you’ve successfully helped a certain number of clients with this same need already. The truth is, they don’t care so much about you, as they do about their own needs. They want results.

Make Sure They Can Afford Your Services

Pay attention to clues about whether your lead can or cannot afford your services. Beware of the common red flag when the first question from them is, “How much does it cost?” This is a sign they are price shopping or that your fees might not be within their budget. To avoid wasting yours and their time, be upfront about your costs.

Be Realistic about Your Lead-to-Sign-Up Ratio

It’s not uncommon to only sign up one or two leads out of 10. First, you have to get them on the phone or get them to reply to your email. Then, you have to set up your free consultation, and then they have to commit to working with you. There are many steps along the way that can lose your prospective client. So don’t expect a very high lead-to-signup ratio.

Build Rapport

This is one of the most important factors during the process of signing up new clients. And it starts from the very first email you send or the first phone call that you make (even if it’s a voicemail). It’s imperative to come off as approachable, easy to talk to, casual and comfortable. Don’t try to sign them up in your first email; build a relationship and get to know each other first. The goal of your first communication is simply to get them to respond or get them on the phone.

Setting up Your Consultation

After you’ve gotten your lead to respond to your email or you’re speaking to them on the phone, your next aim is to set up your consultation. What’s their schedule like? When are they free to talk more about their challenges? Set the date and time for as soon as they are available, otherwise they’ll lose interest or forget about the appointment. One thing to remember is to be ready. Do this by being fully knowledgeable of what their business is about, what they are looking for and how you plan to get them the results they’re looking for.

The process of how you follow up with leads you receive will determine how successful you are in landing that potential client. Your response time and how well you communicate with what they’re looking for are all imperative to ensure you’re following up with your online leads the right way.