|
He was getting plenty of leads. Most of them died after one phone call.
Mitch, a solar company owner, came to me wanting more leads. "Our cost per lead looks fine. We just need more volume."
I asked to see what happened after the lead came in instead. That's where it fell apart.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Week: The Segment Was Real. The Follow-Up Wasn't.
Most leads got one follow-up attempt. If that didn't land, nothing happened next. 30% of leads were going cold after a single touch. Average time to first contact was 1.5 days.
Mitch stared at the screen for a second. "Holy moly. I had no idea this was happening." By the time someone reached out, the moment that triggered the inquiry - a roof quote, a high utility bill, a new EV - had already cooled off. Nobody was tracking which stage a lead was sitting in, or who was responsible for it moving forward.
The lead didn't disappear because the interest wasn't real. It disappeared because nobody owned it past the first attempt.
"The lead didn't disappear because the interest wasn't real. It disappeared because nobody owned it past the first attempt."
We built a simple sequence around three things.
1. An owner assigned at each stage. First contact, follow-up, nurture, and close each had a named person responsible. No more leads sitting in a stage with nobody watching them.
2. Multiple touches scheduled automatically. If a lead didn't respond to the first attempt, a second and third touch went out on a schedule — no one had to remember to follow up. The system carried the weight the team had been carrying inconsistently.
3. Full visibility into where every lead was sitting. One view showing exactly which stage each lead was in and who was responsible for it. No more leads quietly aging out with nobody noticing.
30% of leads recovered into active conversations within the first 60 days. Same lead volume. Same ad spend.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Week's Micro-Syncs
On The One Touch Trap
A single follow-up attempt isn't a follow-up process - it's a coin flip. If the first call doesn't land, most operators have nothing scheduled after it. The lead doesn't get nurtured. It just sits, cooling, until someone notices it's gone quiet. By then the moment that triggered the inquiry has usually passed.
On The Moment Behind The Lead
Every inquiry is triggered by something specific - a quote, a bill, a decision point. That urgency has a shelf life. The longer a lead waits for a real response, the more that original trigger fades into the background of someone's life. Speed isn't about being pushy. It's about reaching the buyer while the reason they reached out is still front of mind.
On Ownership Versus Activity
Plenty of teams are busy. Few have clear ownership. A lead can get a call, an email, and a text and still fall through if nobody is accountable for what happens if none of it lands. Activity without ownership produces noise. Ownership without activity produces stalled leads. You need both, assigned and visible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Cheat Sheet PDFs:
Segment Alignment Worksheet
Match your retention signals to your actual converting segment before the silence becomes a departure.
Download Now!
Access these and previous issues at the bottom of this email.
Stay tuned for more Segment Sage insights next week.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
1 Insight: 
Segment Sage Resources: 