Many companies put a lot of effort into lead generation, through online advertising, seo, sem, social media, etc. – all good, no issues there. I just hope that they pick up the phone when it rings.

I recently called a Digital Marketing agency to get a quote for a social media campaign. The phone took 7 rings to be picked up. When it was answered, it was by a security guard who was more concerned about who I was and how I got this number than about actually connecting me to anyone, the call was eventually handed over to a second person who referred me to a third person – who finally agreed to send me more details in 2-3 days.

This isn’t the best was to take advantage of your lead-gen & advertising spend. Effective lead management is just as important as generation, otherwise your lead-gen efforts are being wasted. It’s a good idea to test your current capabilities, and it’s easy to do. Ask a friend to call your published numbers at different times of the day and note down what responses you do (or don’t get). The feedback might surprise you!

If you’re short on staff & can’t answer the phone, use a Virtual Office service, they’re cheap and very professional. Same goes for your email/web inquiries, if you’re not quick of the base – rest assured your competition will be waiting to take advantage.