“For homicide detectives, the clock starts ticking the moment they are called. Their chance of solving a murder is cut in half if they don’t get a lead within the first 48 hours.”
This is the premise of the A&E television series “The First 48“. Although you may not be a homicide detective, you can certainly draw some parallels as a business owner. For a businesses owner, the clock starts ticking the moment you are contacted by a potential client. Your chance of winning a new client is cut in half if you don’t close the sale, or set an appointment within the first 48 hours.
Amplify Your Return On Investment
According to Hubspot, 79% of marketing leads never convert into sales, which means 79% of marketing dollars go to waste. The good news is that you have complete control to change this, so don’t be a victim of this statistic and fight for your leads! You can multiply the effectiveness of your marketing campaign by having a structured sales process. As mentioned in this post here, unless you are able to close a new client on the spot on, your best bet would be to schedule an appointment/meeting.
This is an opportunity to meet face-to-face with your client and demonstrate to them why they should choose you over your competitors.
If a lead comes through an email, follow-up the same day and schedule an appointment. If a lead phones your business, schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Time is of the essence. Never underestimate the value of a new client, because you never know what kind of referrals that client will bring you and even additional services they may buy from you.
Put Yourself In The Shoes Of A Potential Client
You are clearly in need of a service, but are not exactly sure who to go with. With the power of the internet, you can easily research and contact several different businesses in your local area. Because you don’t have a referral to go by, you are likely unfamiliar with how the service works and not sure what options are out there.
You contact a business to inquire and…
♦ Leave a voicemail. Are you going to stop your search? No, you will call the next business on the list.
♦ Send an email. Are you going to stop you search? No, you will call the next business on the list.
♦ Secretary said to call back later. Are you going to stop your search? No, you will call the next business on the list.
♦ Owner said he was busy. Are you going to stop your search? No, you will call the next business on the list.
It’s also wise to hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines to help you with some tasks like scheduling appointments in your calendar, keeping track of your to-do list, managing your email inbox, helping manage your projects, and even ordering your grocery shopping for you.