Secret Shopping Pulls Back the Curtain on Bungled Lead Follow-Up
How quickly and consistently are your agents following up with prospects? It’s well known that speed to contact is the single greatest contributor to successfully establishing a relationship with a new prospect. (For the unconvinced, check out this study on the effect of speed on lead conversion rates).
And that when it is not possible to reach a prospect immediately, following up with them via emails and phone calls strategically, (i.e., in accordance with proven best practices) is the next most important step that a sales rep or enrollment counselor can take to try to establish a relationship.
So are these things being done? Are calls being made immediately when leads are received? Are leads being followed up on? If you’re using a lead management system, it’s easy to take steps to ensure that every lead is called immediately, and followed up on appropriately. It’s automatic.
But if you are not using a lead management system, there is still a way to see how quickly leads are being called and how consistent is the follow up. Secret shop your reps. Get a Google voice number and submit a bogus lead with it. See how quickly it gets called and how often. I think the results might surprise you. Even in the biggest for profit schools, mortgage lenders, and insurance carriers sometimes earn failing grades when it comes to following up with leads.