You only get ONE chance to make a 1st impression. Unless you don’t even get that.
Some prospects find you through your branded ads, your social media or a google search that leads directly to your website.
Those leads already have a first impression of your business when they hit your system.
They already made a choice to hear from you.
However, with a 3rd party unbranded lead the first impression for your business does not happen until you contact the homeowner.
Even if you buy exclusive leads you still have to reach out quickly to make contact. It’s not like a homeowner is going to submit their information to your lead provider, shut off their computer and sit by the phone waiting for you to call.
Homeowners typically submit their information to several home improvement sites when looking for remodeling services. Often in the same online session.
Until you make contact, you don’t exist… and the prospect is open to hearing messaging from your competition.
If your competitor gets to that prospect first – you will be measured against the first impression they make.
It’s vital to get to a new 3rd party lead as quickly as possible to prevent that from happening.
Successful contractors respond to leads within 30 seconds.
Not hours.
Not Minutes.
Seconds.
Often a lead is still on the website where they entered their contact information when they hear from the successful 3rd party lead buyer. They are catching the homeowner still in the mode of searching for help for their project. It’s a great time to make a first impression.
How dos that happen?
Successful Contractors use automation coupled with a dedicated call center to get in front of a lead as quickly as possible.
As soon as that lead hits their system (in real time) these contractors are notified by text, email and their CRM that they have a live lead on the hook and it’s time to go to work.
What happens next varies by the contractor but it always involves some combination of phone, text, live chat and email (all in compliance with the law on consumer contact of course).
There was a time where a small team of 1-2 people answering the phones and reaching out to a lead the day after it came in worked. That was 1990 – or maybe even 2010. Not 2022.
Now you have seconds to make a first impression. Or someone else will.
If you need exclusive leads… or you’re looking for help setting up your follow up processes, let’s schedule a call.
