The Most Effective Lead Follow-Up Strategies

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I recently got a question from a client. He says that he's getting a lot of leads off the internet and he wants to know the best way to follow up on them, and how many times to call the prospect before giving up on them.

I've always heard that 80% of sales are made on the 5th-12th contact, and I share this fact on page 27 of my book. Almost 48% of salespeople never even call a prospect back, which is crazy! Why even gather leads if you're not following up on them? Only 10% of salespeople make more than three contacts. Some of these statistics are pretty mind-blowing.

This has lead us to the creation of the 3-4-12 system. We try to call the lead three times within the first 72 hours (preferably within 5 minutes). If that doesn't work, you want to call four times within the next four weeks. Try calling them on Wednesdays and Thursdays, because studies have shown that this is the best time to call. You can send texts and leave voicemails or emails as well. Now, the 12 in this equation is the nurture campaign where you contact them once per month for 12 months.

Online leads tend to be people who have just started the process, so you'll only convert about 15% of them. The other 80% tend to be nurture leads for later on. It's important not to forget to contact these leads in the following months because otherwise you're just losing leads.

When calling prospects, shoot to contact them in between 8-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. It's important to call your leads as soon as you get them, because the longer you wait, the less likely you are to call the lead back.


Don't give up on leads too early because you paid good money for them. If you have any more questions on the most effective lead conversion strategies, please don't hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you!