A prospect hits your radar.
The clock starts ticking.
At 5 seconds, you pounce. The sale is yours.
At 5 minutes, the prospect’s hesitation creeps in. You lose ground, and now it’s an uphill battle.
At 5 hours, the low-hanging fruit gets picked clean. The prospect has already contacted someone else and gotten a response.
At 5 days, leads rot from the inside out. The opportunity is no longer on the table.
At 5 weeks, they're ghosts. They might as well have never been a lead in the first place.
This is the harsh reality of the follow-up game.
Happened to me… a great lead popped into my inbox while I was on vacation.
Had I gotten that client, it would have changed the game for me.
Instead, I waited until I got back to the office a week later.
Turns out, they went with another agency.
Delay… and the opportunity decays.
Be quick or be forgotten.
Opportunities only stay fresh for so long.
Like food dropped on the floor, leads lose appeal quickly.
Invisible forces - doubt, distraction, competition - set in fast.
Never underestimate the self-doubt prospects feel the longer you wait… along with their willingness to seek alternatives.
Don't wait for perfect timing.
Seize the moment.
Now I’m not saying you have to respond to a new prospect literally within 5 seconds.
If you can’t engage right away, you can still use technology to respond on your behalf.
Even if your inital call happens a few days later when you’re back from vacation, you’ve still responded and marked your turf.
Speed wins deals.
The difference between a fresh breakthrough and a wilted, decaying opportunity is taking action quickly.
Don't let leads slip away.
Talk to them before it's too late.