Speed to Lead: The Cheapest Growth Lever You’re Probably Ignoring

Lead generation has never been more expensive, and for most businesses it is still the lifeblood. You pay for the click, the directory listing, the referral or the networking breakfast, and then everything depends on what happens in the next few minutes.

We all know the rule. If an enquiry isn’t answered, the enquirer calls somewhere else. If they reach an answering machine, they rarely leave a message, especially when the matter is critical or personal. A burst pipe, a legal problem, a worrying survey result or a client in a panic will not wait for you to ring back on Monday.

Take the Quiz: Three Questions

Answer honestly, and score yourself as you go.

The Mechanics: Normal Office Hours

Start with the ordinary working day and look honestly at how an enquiry moves through your business.

  • How long does it take to process an incoming lead? Is it dealt with immediately, or does someone have to call back?
  • Is every lead logged and visible to the team, or does it live in one person’s inbox, notebook or memory?
  • Could more than one person respond? What happens when the one who normally answers is on another call, at lunch or off sick?
  • What is your average time to follow up? Not what you think it is. What it actually is.
  • What happens when there are more calls than lines?
  • What happens when you have the lines but not the capacity to answer them?

Most businesses have never measured any of this. They assume it works because nobody has complained, but the people who would complain are the ones who went elsewhere without telling you.

The Mechanics: Outside Office Hours

Evenings, weekends and bank holidays are when many of the most urgent and highest-value enquiries arrive. Think of the emergency breakdown, the client panic, or the person who has finally found the time and courage to make a difficult call.

  • What happens at 7pm on a Friday?
  • Could you be there 24/7? In person, almost certainly not, and you shouldn’t try.
  • Would it benefit your customers if you were? For many businesses the honest answer is yes. Even a prompt, helpful and accurate response that captures the details and promises a callback is far better than silence.

The Cost Is Smaller Than You Think

All of these problems can be solved, in most cases, at a cost of pennies per call. Instant logging, automatic acknowledgement, call routing, overflow handling, out-of-hours answering and emergency flagging no longer need a night shift or a call centre.

For most businesses, one saved client per year pays for everything required. Everything after that is profit you were previously handing to a competitor.

Find out where your enquiries go missing

Your score tells you where the process leaks. It doesn’t tell you what each leak is costing you, or what it would take to close it.

I’ll go through how an enquiry reaches your business today: who sees it, how long it takes to get a reply, and what happens at 7pm on a Friday. It takes about 15 minutes. You will leave with a clear view of the gaps, whether or not you decide to act on them.

Most of the fixes cost pennies per call. One client saved in a year is usually enough to cover the lot.

Ring me, David White on 0208 264 9844. If I’m on another call, leave your name and number and I will ring you back the same working day.

Or send your details and I will come to you. Fill in the form and I will reply the same working day.