You’re getting opens, clicks, form fills, downloads… but barely any meetings. Sound familiar?
You’re not alone. It’s one of the most common frustrations we hear from marketing and sales teams. The leads are coming in, the numbers are look good – but nothing’s actually moving. So why aren’t they turning into conversations?
The problem isn’t your marketing – it’s what happens next
Most marketing teams are doing a brilliant job at building awareness and getting attention. But here’s the catch: Leads need a proper follow-up. Not just another email. Not a newsletter. Not a generic sequence. They need someone to call them, speak to them like a human, and find out what they are currently using and what they actually need.
The truth is, speed and tone matter more than ever:
Up to 78% of buyers choose the company that responds first (Lead Connect)
Only 37% of businesses respond to leads within an hour (Harvard Business Review)
It can take 8 or more follow-ups to secure a meeting, but nearly half of salespeople give up after just one or two attempts (InsideSales)
Here’s how to stop leads going cold
These are the things we’ve seen make a difference time and time again:
Call quickly. Ideally within 48 hours. The longer you leave it, the less interest (and memory) they’ll have
Keep it personal. No scripts. No jargon. Just a honest, respectful conversations – which draw them in, what they’re curious about and what they need
Ask, don’t sell. This isn’t about pushing. It’s about finding out whether there’s an actual opportunity, and if so, what kind and when they might be interested
Be respectful with time. Qualify them fast – if they’re not right, don’t keep chasing. If they are, process them through a pipeline till they are ready to meet or have a quote
Bring back the insight. Whether they’re interested or not, you’ll learn something. Feed that back to marketing. It’ll improve next campaign
Try this with your next batch of leads
Track response speed. How fast are leads actually being called?
Listen to how your team follow up. Is it human, curious, and relevant?
Share what you learn. Pass useful objections, timings, and feedback straight to marketing.
Set one goal per call. Forget the hard sell. Aim to understand where they are in the buying process.
Repeat. The more consistent your approach, the more reliable your conversions.
This is what turns interest into action. Not another round of “Just checking in” emails. Whether your leads are coming from digital campaigns, downloads, events or referrals, the first follow-up makes the biggest difference. Handle it right and the conversion will start early – before your sales team even pick up the conversation.
