A Proven 2-Step Method To Turn Dead Leads Into Customers

This is a guest post by Joel Fortner. He is a Small Business Marketing Coach and the creator behind Get Serve Keep.

Just because someone inquires about your product or service and then disappears doesn’t mean they’re not still interested.

It’s very common to mistaken a quiet lead for a dead one.

Don’t mistaken a quiet lead as a dead lead. Sometimes you just need to revive and bring it back to the surface.

The thing is people often inquire when they’re most interested and have time to think about what you offer and how it may help them.

So they email or call and then life happens. They get busy with stuff or distracted or even forget they ever inquired.

The worst thing you can do is write them off and say things like this. “They just must not be interested anymore,” or “If they really want it, they’ll inquire again.”

These statements come from not wanting to be salesy or pushy, or even a fear of rejection.

Don’t do this and instead take the lead.

Here are 2 tested and proven ways to revive leads:

1. The “tiny” email

It goes like this.

Keith – Are you still interested in ferrets?

Joel

That’s it. No more. No less. Send.

Now the tendency is to send a sleek-looking, well-crafted and well-intentioned email, pitching your product or service. Don’t do it. Why?

It comes across as salesy, like an ad, and impersonal.

Instead, send a plain text, tiny email in the form of a question.

2. Propose a specific day/time to chat

If your sales process involves talking with people, this tip is good for any lead, not just quiet ones.

That said, leads who have gone quiet may need a little more nurturing. So when they reply to your tiny email and say they’re still interested, propose a specific day and time to talk.

It looks like this.

Hi, Keith! Good to hear from you! Are you available to chat Monday at 3 pm ET? If you are, what’s a good number to reach you at?

Thanks!

Joel

This is superior to this alternative.

Hi, Keith! Good to hear from you! Let me know when you’re available to talk about the ferrets!

Thanks!

Joel

Leaving it up to them is not as effective because you’re putting work on them and asking them to figure it out. You want to make this as easy as possible at the time they open the email. That’s when they’re most likely to act.

So offer up a specific day and time. Then, all they have to do is check to see if they can do it or not. If they are, great! If they’re not, they’re more likely to see when they are available and respond to you because at that point they’re engaged in the process. That’s key.

I have used this 2-step method numerous times to revive leads and nurture the relationship to conversion. You can, too!

You can go deeper with marketing by downloading Joel’s free eBook, Small Business Guide to Marketing: Ideas You Must Know & Mistakes You Must Avoid, by subscribing to his marketing blog getservekeep.com.

Question: How do you keep leads alive? Share below!