Head of Content
Director
As a busy broker, there are few things more frustrating than investing your hard-earned budget into lead generation, only to be met with dead air when you pick up the phone. Getting ‘ghosted’ by prospective clients is an industry-wide challenge, but it doesn't have to be a permanent fixture in your business model.
When you have endless cases to deal with, chasing down unresponsive prospects eats into your valuable fee-earning schedule. Fortunately, by adjusting your contact strategy and understanding lead psychology, you can drastically improve your lead conversion rate.
Here are four ways to stop getting ghosted and start turning more enquiries into completed business.
The ‘Golden 5 Minutes’ rule
Speed to lead is arguably the most critical factor in conversion. In today's on-demand digital age, consumers expect immediate responses.
When a prospect submits an enquiry online, their intent is at its absolute peak. They have their finances on their mind, and they have usually carved out a few minutes in their day to deal with it. If you can make contact within the first five minutes of the enquiry being submitted, your chances of qualifying the lead and booking a full appointment increase exponentially. Wait an hour, and that same prospect has likely moved on to another task - or worse, a competitor.
Structuring your initial outreach
Sending a generic, automated email isn't always enough to secure a commitment. If a lead doesn't answer your initial phone call, your follow-up strategy needs to be multi-channel, yet highly professional.
A structured approach often works best:
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Immediate Phone Call: Make this your priority within the first five minutes.
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Follow-up Text Message: If they don't answer, a polite, concise SMS stating who you are and why you're calling often prompts a quick reply. People who cannot answer a call at work can often discretely reply to a text.
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The Intro Email: Send a brief introductory email that outlines the value you provide, along with a link to your online calendar (such as Calendly) so they can book a call at their convenience.
The difference between shared and exclusive leads
If you are buying leads from a network or directory, you are likely dealing with "shared" leads. This means the moment the prospect hits submit, their contact details are sold to you and three or four other brokers simultaneously.
By the time you make your call, the prospect may have already been hounded by several different firms. This leads to prospect fatigue; they stop answering the phone, leaving you ghosted.
Exclusive leads, on the other hand, are sold only to you. Because you are the sole professional reaching out, the prospect is far more receptive, drastically improving your chances of a meaningful conversation and a successful conversion.
The power of consumer education
Mortgages, pensions, and insurance are high-emotion, high-trust purchases. Consumers who are well-informed prior to speaking with you are typically much warmer and more willing to engage.
If a prospect has used online calculators, read up-to-date guides, or engaged with educational portals before they submit their enquiry, they already understand their fundamental needs. This pre-education warms up the prospect, meaning your initial call is less of a cold sales pitch and more of an expert consultation.
How LeadCrowd can help
If you're tired of poor conversion rates and uncontactable prospects, outsourcing your lead generation to a specialist like LeadCrowd can transform your pipeline.
Unlike traditional shared directories, LeadCrowd provides 100% exclusive leads, delivered to your inbox in real-time. This ensures you can take full advantage of the ‘Golden 5 Minutes’ rule without competing against five other brokers for the same client's attention.
Furthermore, our leads are generated through our own highly trusted, consumer-facing educational brands (such as Money Helpdesk). By the time a LeadCrowd prospect reaches your CRM, they are pre-screened, educated on their options, and waiting for your call.
With LeadCrowd's self-service platform, you can buy high-intent enquiries 24/7 that match your exact criteria. Whether you want to target specific postcodes or dial your volume up and down depending on your current capacity, you have complete control over your lead flow.
Want to see how LeadCrowd works? Register with LeadCrowd today. There are no minimum orders and no long-term contracts - just exclusive, real-time leads ready to help you grow your business.