The phone's ringing. The enquiries are coming in. Yet the sales aren't.
Most owners blame the leads. "They're tyre kickers." Sometimes that's true. Most of the time it isn't.
Here's what I usually find when I get inside a business.
1. No one follows up
This is the big one. A lead comes in, gets one call or one email, then nothing. People are busy. They don't buy on the first touch.
If your team gives up after one go, you're handing sales to whoever calls second.
2. Leads sit too long
Speed matters. An enquiry that waits two days has usually gone cold or gone elsewhere. Ask yourself how long it takes for a new lead to hear from a real person.
3. Everyone sells their own way
No process means no consistency. One person nails it. Another wings it. You can't see what's working because no one's doing the same thing twice.
4. The team is talking features, not outcomes
Customers don't care about your spec sheet. They care about their problem. A good salesperson asks questions first & talks second.
5. No one is tracking the pipeline
If it's not written down, it didn't happen. No CRM, or a CRM no one updates, means deals fall through the cracks & you can't see why.
6. No one owns sales
The owner is too busy. The team has no targets & no one holding them to account. So it drifts.
This one sits under all the others.
Where to start
Pick one number: how many leads came in last month & how many turned into sales. That's your conversion rate. Know it, then work out where the leads are dropping off.
Usually it's not the leads. It's what happens after they arrive.
Not sure where yours are dropping off? That's exactly what my Commercial & Sales Growth Review looks at. I work with small & medium businesses across Melbourne & the Mornington Peninsula. Call 0434 522 983 or send an enquiry.