Written By Ari Greenbaum, co-founder of conXpros
What percentage of leads do you make contact with? If you are like the majority of home improvement pros, one of the most frustrating and bewildering parts of online lead generation is making initial contact with the home owner that just submitted their request to be contacted. This common challenge is what leads many pros throw their hands in the air and outright give up on lead gen as a source of new business. Whether you are at this level of frustration or are just looking to improve your contact ratio, this article will provide you the tools, insights and evidence to help you overcome this massive hurdle.
Regardless of the type of lead you are working with; a shared lead delivered to 4 or more pros at the same time (like most lead services) or an exclusive lead delivered to only you, the approach must put into action the same urgency and effort. If you are already a conXpros customer and getting our exclusive leads, you may be scratching your head wondering “I am getting these sent to only me, what is the rush?” The result often is a thought of “I will reach them when I call later.”
To understand the problem with the above-mentioned thought process, you must first put yourself into the shoes of the person submitting their information and with a need for quotes and/or work to be done. What would you think if you clicked submit with the expectation that someone would be reaching out to you and the phone didn’t ring for hours? Or better yet, even minutes? Would you continue to wait around for the call? If you are like the vast majority of human beings in today’s instant gratification world, you are not waiting minutes, let alone hours. Rather, you will click on a different ad or find an alternative source to have contractors contact you immediately. After all, if they are interested in MY business, they will call ME, correct?
This is the insight that helps create the understanding of why there is such a huge need to call the person submitting the lead IMMEDIATELY! In fact, the likelihood of making contact with an internet driven lead dramatically decreases after the first few minutes. There are multiple statistical reports out there that support this concept. Some suggest you are 100x more likely to reach a lead called within 5 minutes vs calling within 30 minutes. Another suggests that after the first 5 minutes your chances of making contact have decreased by more than 78%. Data continues to be studied, but the resounding message is clear, you MUST call your leads like a wild west gunslinger to consistently hit the target of a high contact ratio.
If you are one of the few that already deploy the gunfighter mentality, congratulations! You are doing something great that the majority of lead buying pros do not do. However, if you thought success was just that simple…. well, you are dead wrong (and probably left lying in the dusty street outside of the saloon). Calling homeowners immediately after receiving their info is one giant piece of the puzzle. There are a few pieces left to put into place before we can see the whole picture. What do you do after you have made that first call? Do you share the thought that is prevalent with other pros? The one that suggests “if they are interested, they will call me back”? Remember the insights about the homeowner above, they expect YOU to chase after them, not the reverse.
This understanding is what separates the pros that are knocking it out of the park from those just doing ok with lead generation. Throughout the many years in this business, the most common denominator among successful companies using online generated leads is the level of persistence they have in making contact with the home owner. So where does one draw the line between persistent and pest? There are many different opinions on this question. Based on feedback from the success stories, our experiences and statistical data, we suggest the following 6-point approach that allows you to toe that proverbial line without crossing it.
• Call immediately upon receipt
• Send an email or text to let them know you are interested in helping them (email/text #1)
• Call again (call #2) later the same day as receipt (most success coming with calls in the early evening)
• Make another attempt on the next day (call #3)
• Send an additional email or text to follow up (email/text #2)
• One final call on the 3rd day (call #4)
Can you do more? Of course. Many of our successful clients feel strongly about calls continuing longer than the first three days and often make contact as late as 1 week after receiving a lead. Persistence pays. Studies have shown that you increase your chances of making contact by as much as 90% when making at least 6 attempts. Unfortunately, the average contractor only attempts to reach a lead 1.8 times. The question is, are you aiming to be just average? Of course not, so call more often!
If you are one of the many home improvement pros that struggle with contacting your leads, try the process above. What do you have to lose (other than the low contact rate)? For those that are at or above the average, make a small change and reap the rewards. Who couldn’t use a few more opportunities for success? The online lead game is exactly that, a game. Just like you play a game with strategy, you must do the same here. Start playing like a pro and start wining!