Introduction

In today’s competitive marketplace, generating qualified leads is only half the battle. Contacting, quoting and converting these leads can also be a very challenging piece of the puzzle.

There is true enterprise value in how effectively your team follow up and convert your leads into sales. Research has consistently shown that a structured, persistent follow-up can dramatically improve your sales conversion rates.

Consider this: Companies that make contact attempts within 5 minutes are 100 times more likely to successfully connect with their leads compared to those who wait 30 minutes. 

This guide outlines proven strategies to ensure you’re getting the maximum return on your lead generation investment.

1. Speed to Lead: The 5-Minute Rule

How long does it take you to make first contact with a lead?

If you’re saying hours (or heaven forbid, days), then you need to increase your speed to lead. Best practice would suggest that contact attempt 1 be made within 5 minutes of an enquiry. 

Why Speed Matters

• Get them while they’re hot: Contacting a lead as close as possible to when they were thinking about your product/service (solar, air con, etc) is essential. Lead temperature drops quickly, i.e. interest and intent decrease dramatically after the first hour
• Demonstrate professionalism: Making contact with leads swiftly demonstrates that you’re a professional organisation that has clear systems and processes in place. The inverse is also true, sloppy follow up demonstrates sloppy processes.
• Competitive advantage: Many companies can take hours or days to respond, giving you an edge to “get in first” and lead the lead’s buying journey rather than reacting to what they’ve already been told by another company

Implementing the 5-Minute Rule

1. Designate lead response owners: Who’s job is it to jump on these leads as quickly as possible? Is it likely that this person’s role allows them to do so?
2. Set up instant notifications: LeadsHQ uses email, SMS and CRM implementation to ensure leads are sent immediately.
3. Leverage templated initial responses: Take time to create well thought-out, professional response templates to ensure your quick response.
4. Use automation where possible: Use a CRM & automated responses to reply quickly. However, do not use this as a replacement for fast and effective manned follow ups i.e. do not use this as an excuse to be sloppy.
5. Track response times: What is measured is managed, so make sure that response time is tracked, reported on and rewarded.

Best Practices for Improving Speed To Lead

• Use mobile-friendly CRM tools
• Set up automated SMS or email confirmations
• Have scripts and templates ready
• Establish a clear lead handling process
• Monitor and measure response times

2. The Power of Persistence

The “10 in 10” Contact Standard

Research shows that while most sales teams give up after 1 – 2 attempts, a more comprehensive follow-up strategy significantly improves BOTH contact and conversion rates.

Our recommended “10 in 10” approach (10 contact attempts over 10 days) maximises your chances of making successful contact with your leads.

Here’s why this level of persistence matters:

• Less than 40% of leads are contacted successfully with just one call
• Success rates increase to 90%+ with 6 or more contact attempts
• Most competitors give up after 2 – 3 attempts
• Extended follow-up captures leads who may be busy or traveling
• Multiple touch points across different channels increase visibility

Example “10 in 10” Contact Schedule In Practice

Day 1:

• Morning: Call & Voicemail + SMS
• Afternoon: Second Call & Voicemail

Day 2:

• Morning: Call & Voicemail
• Afternoon: Email or SMS (Introduction & Value Proposition)

Day 3:

• Morning: Call & Voicemail
• Afternoon: SMS

Day 4:

• Morning: Email (Social Proof/Case Studies)
• Afternoon: Call & Voicemail

Day 5:

• Morning: Call & Voicemail
• Afternoon: SMS (Different Time Slot Offer)

Day 6:

• Afternoon: Email (Industry Insights/Educational Content)

Day 7:

• Morning: Call & Voicemail
• Afternoon: LinkedIn Connection Request (if applicable)

Day 8:

• Afternoon: Email (Special Offer/Time-Sensitive)

Day 9:

• Morning: Call & Voicemail
• Afternoon: SMS (Final Contact Attempt Notice)

Day 10:

• Morning: Break-Up Email (Final Follow-up)

3. Multi-Channel Communication Strategy

Channel Mix

Different leads prefer different communication methods. Be sure to use a mix of:

• Phone calls (from varying mobile, landline and private numbers)
• SMS messages
• Emails
• Voicemails (test whether this works for you)

Example Channel Best Practices

Phone Calls

• State your name and company clearly
• Reference to their specific enquiry
• Keep voicemails brief
• Provide a clear call to action (“text me back the best time to call you”)
• Dial from a combination of different mobile, landline and private numbers

SMS Messages

• Keep messages professional
• Include your name and company
• Be brief and clear
• Include a call to action
• Send during business hours

Emails

• Use clear subject lines
• Keep content scannable (headings, bold, dot points)
• Include social proof
• Provide multiple ways to respond
• Use professional signatures

4. CRM & Automated Lead Nurturing

As you can see from the information presented above – following up leads quickly, effectively, and persistently is likely to benefit from your use of automated lead nurturing and a CRM. Doing all of this manually would be impossible for most businesses.

If your company is not leveraging these tools, then you are highly likely to benefit from, at the very least, a simple implementation of a CRM.

Useful CRM Features To Think About

• Contact tracking – ideally tracking emails, calls, and SMS
• Task automation – don’t leave lead followup to chance
• Email automations – sending  automated emails based on user input (missed emails, appointments booked confirmation, appointment reminders, etc)
• Reporting capabilities – ideally measuring contact attempts, contact rates, appointment rates and sales conversions (more below).

 Platforms To Consider

• CRM: Pipedrive, Hubspot, GoHighLevel, Monday.com, or Zoho.
• Email Nurturing: MailChimp, ActiveCampaign,
• Phone Call Tracking: AirCall, JustCall

5. Documentation, Reporting, and Analysis

As we state earlier – what is measured is managed.

If you want to improve the outcomes of your lead generation efforts then you need to make sure you and your team are following a documented lead management process that can be tracked and (if required) improved over time.

Key Metrics to Track

We recommend tracking a few key metrics:

• Response time – time between lead created and contact attempt 1
• Contact rate – percentage of leads you successfully contact
• Conversion rate – lead to appointment, appointment to sale
• Number of contact attempts – ideally across team member (is everybody following the 10 in 10 rule?)

This data will allow you to remain on top of:

• Team member effectiveness – best appointment setters, best sales person etc
• Channel effectiveness – what’s the most effective channl l mix
• Performance across each of your lead sources
• Changes in performance over time (both up and down!)

6. Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Having an effective lead management approach is not necessarily easy – but it is straight forward. Doing the simple things well will ensure you stand out from many of your competitors.

Regardless, here are a few pitfalls that you should work to avoid.

• Inconsistent follow-up: Consistency is key, so be sure to set a contact cadence for your business that you are happy with, and follow it.
• Poor lead distribution: Make sure that leads are delivered quickly and evenly across your sales team members.
• Lack of accountability: Ensure that the key metrics are tracked and reviewed to drive accountability and adherence to processes. Even consider public scoreboards or leaderboards.
• Generic messages: Ensure your messages are customised for both YOUR company and also the lead you are sending them to. Use the information that LeadsHQ provides about a lead to personalise your contact.
• Incomplete documentation: Leave no stone unturned in ensuring that your team know exactly what they should be doing, and when they should be doing it.

Conclusion

Implementing these best practices will significantly improve your lead conversion rates.

Remember, consistency and persistence are key.

Start with the basics and gradually build up to more sophisticated approaches as your team becomes comfortable with the process.