Every channel in your marketing ends up here. You can rank first on Google and run perfect ads, and still lose the job if a competitor calls back first. Follow-up is the cheapest place to win more work, because you have already paid for the lead.
Chapter 1
Why does response speed matter so much?
Short answer: buyers often contact several businesses at once, and the first to respond usually gets the conversation. Waiting even half an hour costs real jobs.
The best-known study on lead response came out of MIT and InsideSales.com. The odds of reaching a lead were about 100 times higher when the first call came within 5 minutes than at 30 minutes. The data is old, and later studies point the same way.
Source: MIT and InsideSales.com Lead Response Management study, as summarized by Callingly, State of Speed to Lead.
You are on a job, in a showing, or with your family when leads come in. A person cannot answer every lead in five minutes. A system can.
Chapter 2
What does a good follow-up sequence look like?
Short answer: an instant confirmation, a fast call, several more touches over a week by call, text, and email, then long-term nurture for leads who are not ready.
- Within 1 minute: automatic text and email confirming the request and what happens next.
- Within 5 minutes: a call, or a booking link if you cannot call.
- Days 1 to 7: several more touches across call, text, and email until you connect.
- Weeks 2 to 12: useful check-ins and content for leads who are not ready yet.
- After the job: review request, referral ask, and seasonal reminders.
Chapter 3
How do you make sure no lead slips through?
Short answer: route every source into one inbox, text back missed calls automatically, and tag every lead with its source and stage.
- One inbox for website forms, calls, texts, Google profile messages, Facebook, and Instagram.
- Missed call text back. An automatic text when you cannot answer saves the caller from dialing the next business.
- Clear ownership. Someone is responsible for every new lead, every day.
- Stages. New, contacted, booked, quoted, won, lost. You cannot manage what you cannot see.
Chapter 4
What should follow-up messages say?
Short answer: keep them short, personal, and useful. Confirm what they asked for, make the next step easy, and give a reason to reply.
- Use their name and the service they asked about.
- Offer two specific times or a booking link.
- Answer the question they probably have, such as price range or timing.
- Sound like a person, not a robot. Write the way you talk.
- Stop when they ask you to, and honor opt-outs right away.
Chapter 5
What should you do with leads who are not ready?
Short answer: stay in touch with useful content and occasional check-ins until they are. Many buyers take weeks or months to decide, and the business they remember wins.
Most businesses give up after one or two attempts. A simple nurture sequence of helpful emails and texts, sent every week or two, keeps you in front of buyers without pestering them. Send cost guides, seasonal tips, and answers to common questions.
Chapter 6
What parts of follow-up should be automated?
Short answer: automate the instant replies, reminders, missed call texts, nurture, and review requests. Keep real conversations human.
Automation handles the speed and persistence people cannot. People handle the conversations that win the job. The combination beats either alone. Done well, leads hear back instantly, appointments get reminders, and nobody falls through the cracks.
Grade your marketing systemNineteen questions, a score for each part of your system, and your first fixes.
Take the scorecardThis guide is part of The Local Business Marketing Playbook, our complete guide to digital marketing and media for local businesses.
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