Web Generated Leads – How Soon Before They Get Cold?
We have said it once and today we will say it again – following up with web generated leads as soon as possible is a good idea. A 2008 study by MIT and InsideSales.com, should helpto increase your businesses sales.
- According to the MIT study, “the odds of contacting a lead if called within 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drops 100 times.” Statistics for qualifying leads are equally as surprising – “the odds of qualifying a lead in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes drops 21 times.” Since the qualification stage is where we find out the purchasing potential of the web generated lead we should pay close attention and strive to follow up with all leads within 5 minutes.
- What’s interesting about this study is that it only takes into account leads that were called upon at least one time. Many studies exist that show between 30-80% of web generated leads are never followed up on. If your business has any leads that fit this category, maybe it is time to add additional sales staff or other tools that can help your sales team quickly follow up on web generated leads.
- The best times of the day to make contact is between 4 to 6 pm. 7-8 AM and 11-12 were some of the worst times to call during the day. The study seems to suggest that calling leads around breakfast and lunch time is not the prime time for contacting or qualifying leads. The study still leads the reader to believe that regardless of the time called – calling within 5 minutes is the most ideal follow up time.
- The study also found that Wednesdays and Thursdays are the best days to call in order to contact web-generated leads. Tuesday is the worst day to make contact with a lead, with Thursday being a 49.7% better day to call. Now, we wouldn’t suggest that everyone takes off Tuesdays for the rest of the year, but maybe Tuesdays should be earmarked for learning sessions and quarterly off site meetings for your sales teams.
If you don’t already have a way of making sure your web generated leads are being followed-up with quickly – you should set a process in place right away.