How many attempts before closing your lead out?

Marketing and Sales departments are busy filling the sales leads buckets. They’re also encouraging salespeople to hold on to precious leads longer and not toss them out so quickly. How many times should you follow-up on an unresponsive lead before closing it out?

The answer depends on the types of leads you receive, the length of the sales cycle, the qualification criteria, and — most important — your outreach methods and communications mediums.

Some suggest 4 attempts, while others are at 8 attempts. Regardless of the formula, here are some recommendations for getting response:

1. Use uniquely designed email templates. Take the time to individually design email templates that reflect a progression and build on one another. The 1st attempt email should not look like the 3rd attempt email.

2. Vary your communications medium. Take all the communications mediums that exist today and mix them up. For example, you might make the 1st attempt voice mail and email together, while the 2nd attempt is email and LinkedIn and the 3rd attempt is GoldMail video email.

3. Last attempt emails are lucky. We are finding that last attempt emails are getting immediate response. Remember that stressed-out, crazy-busy Customer 2.0? Well, they are motivated by fear. Send a last attempt email that has a subject line such as  “Is [name of your company] on your radar?” or “Last call for [name of your company].” Then write something along these lines:

Hi Bob,

I’ve reached out to you several times in the past few weeks to discuss your content management strategies. I will close this opportunity out unless I hear otherwise from you. Thanks for your time.

Before you know it, they raise their hands and say “Wait! We are still interested! We just haven’t had time to review your offerings.”