Proof That Marketing Automation Works
If a lead converts on your website, what do you do? Celebrate with a coffee run? Do a celebratory dance? Throw the office a pizza party? Before you go invest in that lakefront property, take a step back and think about how you’re going to nurture your lead. According to the Lead Management Response Study, your chance of connecting with a lead is 100 times greater if you reach out within the first 5 minutes. This means that when a lead comes in, the first thing you should be doing is picking up the phone – not running to Starbucks.
Since time is of essence, it’s a good idea to write down a list of questions that you plan on asking the lead when you do call. As you get more comfortable with the types of questions you should be asking, you can fine tune your list to fit your needs. In the meantime, here are some ideas to get you started.
Content Conversions
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Did it download okay?
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How did you find it?
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Did you learn anything new?
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Did this help with your pain points?
Webinar Conversions
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Why did you sign up?
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What are you hoping to learn?
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Did you enjoy listening to the speaker?
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What were the main takeaways?
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Were you given a follow up?
Conference or Event Conversions
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Was this your first time attending?
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Have you been to other events like this?
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What are you hoping to learn?
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Who are you hoping to meet?
Now that you have some questions in your back pocket, what are some other factors you should keep in mind when connecting with leads?
Day of the Week
The Lead Management Response Study looked at the days of the week to determine if any one was better than another to contact and a qualify a lead. According to the research, it was found that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days to call and make contact with a lead. Tuesdays are the worst days. Wednesdays and Thursdays are also the best days to qualify leads.
Monday scored consistently low in every category, so you may not want to run for the phone at the start of the week when everyone has a case of the Mondays. Fridays, on the other hand, perform well in contacting a lead, just not qualifying them. It’s possible that people are willing to connect on Fridays, but they just aren’t ready to make a commitment going into the weekend. However, beware when they say, “Call me on Monday!”
Time of the Day
The study also looked at the time of the day and how that impacted lead contact and qualification. Could it really make a difference to call a lead at 10 am versus 2 pm? Actually, it could.
According to the study, 4 to 6 pm is the best time to make contact with a lead. It’s much more effective than calling between 11 or 12 am, right before lunch. Qualifying a lead is a different story. The study found that 8-9 am and 4-5 pm are the best times to qualify a lead.
If there’s one thing to take away from this part of the study, it’s that contacting or qualifying a lead right before or right after lunch isn’t in your favor. Maybe people have trouble making decisions when they’ve had too much or too little to eat.
Response Time
Remember at the start of the article when we pointed out that the best time to connect with a lead is in the first 5 minutes? Let’s take a look at where this 5 minute idea came from.
The study looked at the first 20 hours from the time a lead converts. What happens in these hours is of interest to all marketers. How serious is the lead? Are they willing to talk to a salesperson? Do they want to make a purchase today? To better understand what leads are thinking about during this time, the researchers looked at the first three hours and divided them up into 5 minute segments.
Here’s what they found:
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The odds of calling a lead decrease by over 10 times in the first hour
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The odds of qualifying a lead drop 21 times from 5 minutes to 30 minutes
In the end, it’s clear that making contact with your lead in the first 5 minutes is beneficial for both connecting with them and qualifying them. You should also be mindful of the time and the day that it is as well. If a lead converts right before lunchtime, for instance, it may be better to forgo the 5-minute rule and wait until later in the afternoon to connect with them. Finding what works for your audience is always a matter of trial and error.
Marketing Automation Software
Responding quickly to your leads isn’t just a matter of when but how. Who is tracking the leads as they come in? Who is responsible for calling the leads? What types of questions are you planning to ask? To be efficient and productive, you need a strong sales team that is properly trained and capable of acting fast.
This is where marketing automation software can help. You can use this software to craft content and emails that guide customers through the buying funnel. When they convert, your sales team can be ready to make contact with the list of questions suggested at the start of this article. When you nurture your relationships with leads and then have salespeople ready to make contact, you can have a major impact on your sales.
Conclusion
Sales is full of mysteries, many of which we’ll never fully understand. But if there’s one thing your sales team should be paying attention to, it’s response time. The proof is there. Making contact with newly converted leads is an important part of developing a strong relationship, being responsive and meeting your customers’ needs.
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