Your websiteās job is to get people interested. But hereās what most people donāt realize: the work doesnāt stop there. If you donāt handle things properly after someone shows interest, they wonāt become paying customers. The real show starts after someone clicks your button or fills out your form.
In this guide, weāll show you how to improve your CRO and stop losing leads after they leave your website. Weāll cover simple tips for handling leads, better sales strategies, and how to get your team working like a well-oiled machine.
How to Handle Potential Clients to Improve Your Lead Conversion Rate
When people talk about improving conversion rates, they often focus onĀ creating better websites. This includes things like designing simple landing pages, adding clear action buttons, and making it easy for visitors to navigate the site. While these aspects are important, they represent just one part of aĀ much larger picture.
Even the best website wonāt help your business grow if you donāt have a solid plan to follow up with potential customers. The real work starts after someone fills out a form, makes an inquiry, or takes any action on your website.Ā A fast, friendly, and organized approach after they leave your site is just as important as the website itself.
Lead Handling
Turning a potential customer (a lead) into a paying customer is the goal of any business. After capturing a leadās contact information, what happens next is critical. If you handle leads well, youāll improve your chances of making sales. Hereās how you can create a simple, effective lead-handling process, even if youāre new to all this:
1. Build a Simple System to Keep Track of Leads
Think of a lead as someone raising their hand and showing interest in your business. You need a way to record their information and follow up.
Let’s try to picture it with an example. Letās say you run a catering business. A potential customer calls to ask about wedding packages. If you write down their name, event date, and budget in your system, youāll have all the information ready when you call them back. It also helps you avoid asking the same questions twice, which can frustrate people.
You could keep a notebook or use a digital tool like Excel or Word to organize everyoneās contact details. If you want to be more professional, consider using a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. A CRM is like a digital filing cabinet for leads. It keeps all customer information in one place so you can see when they called, what theyāre interested in, and what follow-up is needed.
2. Focus on Your Best Leads First
Not everyone who shows interest will buy from you right away. Some people are just browsing, while others are ready to make a decision. You can save time by prioritizing the people most likely to buy.
If you own a gym, you might offer a free trial to potential members. If someone tries your gym and asks about memberships, theyāre a strong lead. Focus on them first. On the other hand, someone who just browsed your website but didnāt take any action might not be ready yet and need a little, friendly nudge (but weāll talk about it later).
You can create a simple system to score leads:
- Hot Lead: Contact them immediately (e.g., they asked for prices or showed high interest).
- Warm Lead: Stay in touch but donāt push (e.g., they visited your website but didnāt call).
- Cold Lead: Keep their info but donāt spend much time (e.g., no response to follow-ups).
3. Use Automation to Save Time and Effort
If youāre busy, automation can help handle repetitive tasks. Automation means setting up tools that do things for you, like sending emails or assigning leads to the right person on your team.
Say you sell handmade furniture and someone fills out a form on your website to ask for a quote. You can set up an email that automatically thanks them, sends your price list, and promises a follow-up call within 24 hours.
Some tools can help you automate these tasks without needing technical skills. This ensures that leads are handled quickly and without effort.Ā
4. Try AI-Powered Assistants to Answer Calls
AI voice assistants like Emet Voice AI can answer calls, take down details, and even answer common questions for you. This is especially useful if you donāt have a big team or work odd hours.
If you own a repair service, you might not always be able to answer calls while working. An AI assistant could take the call, ask the customer what they need (e.g., āIs this about a plumbing or electrical issue?ā), and schedule an appointment for you. The AI can also log this information into your system so you know exactly what the customer needs before you call them back.
Lead Nurturing
Now itās time to talk about those who show interest in your product or service but arenāt ready to buy right away. Some people need more time and information before they make a decision. Lead nurturing is the process of staying in touch with these potential customers to build trust and help them move toward a purchase.
Think of it like watering a plant: you donāt dump all the water on it at once, you give it a little at a time to help it grow. Here are simple ways to nurture your leads:
1. Follow Up Quick and Balanced
When someone shows interest (like filling out a form or messaging you), try to follow up as soon as possible, within minutes if you can. You can use tools, like a virtual voice assistant, chatbots, Emet Digital’s Yelp Autoresponder, or automated emails to send an immediate response.
After your first follow-up, donāt bombard them with messages. Pay attention to their behavior: if theyāre opening your emails or clicking links, theyāre interested. If theyāre not engaging, give them more space before reaching out again. The goal is to stay in touch without being pushy.
2. Personalize Your Communication
People donāt like generic messages. They want to feel like you understand their specific needs. Use any information you have about a lead to send them messages that feel personal and relevant.
If someone says theyāre struggling to organize their business, you could send them a guide on how your product helps with organization. If another person asks about saving time, you could send a video showing how your service speeds up tasks.
When you show people that you “get” them, theyāre more likely to trust you and see your product as the solution they need.
3. Provide Value First
Before you ask someone to buy, focus on offering something genuinely useful that addresses their needs. By solving a small problem or answering a pressing question, you build trust and demonstrate that your priority is helping them, not just making a sale.
Offer a free eBook, a how-to video, or a practical checklist that addresses a common challenge they face. For instance, a guide on improving social media engagement or a video tutorial on setting up a Google My Business profile. These small but impactful resources create goodwill and position your business as a helpful authority in your field.
4. Stay in Touch Regularly
Leads need reminders about who you are and what you offer. Staying in touch keeps you top-of-mind.Ā
- Send a monthly email newsletter with updates, tips, or stories of how your product has helped others.Ā
- Connect with your leads on platforms where they spend time. Share content and respond to their questions or comments.
- Encourage leads to take the next step by offering them something special. Maybe a special offer or discounts only for them.Ā
5. Be Patient
Not every lead will turn into a customer right away. Nurturing leads isnāt about pushing them to buy, itās about building trust and showing that youāre here to help. Keep providing value and be ready when theyāre ready to buy.Ā
Tools to Help you Improve your Lead Conversion Rate
Even if your website is amazing, people wonāt become paying customers unless you follow through properly. Here are some simple and practical tools you can use to manage your leads effectively.
1. Email Campaigns
Email is one of the easiest ways to stay connected with potential customers. You can set up automated emails that go out over time, based on what a person is interested in.
If someone looks at a product on your website, you can send them an email with more details, like how it works or a customer success story. A few days later, you might send another email with a discount or a how-to guide.
This keeps the conversation going. Plus, if you group your leads by interest (e.g., one group for product A and another for product B), you can make sure the right people get the right emails, ensuring your messages hit home at the perfect moment.
2. SMS and Messaging Apps
Using SMS and messaging apps is an excellent way to communicate quickly and directly with your audience. Most people check their text messages immediately, making this one of the fastest ways to get a message across.
These tools are most effective for:
- Sending appointment reminders
- Sharing time-sensitive offers (e.g. āFinal hours to save 25% on all items!ā)
- Following up with interested leads
Remember to be clear, personal, and considerate of your recipientās preferences. Start small by sending a few well-crafted messages and refine your approach based on the responses you get. By focusing on these key scenarios, you ensure your messages are relevant, timely, and appreciated, making them a powerful tool for engaging your audience effectively.
3. Voice AI Assistants for Real-Time Engagement
Voice AI assistants excel at reaching out to potential customers, engaging them in natural, human-like conversations. For instance, if someone fills out a form or requests a quote, Emet Digitalās Voice AI can promptly follow up with a call to provide more details or exclusive offers. This ensures that every lead gets a quick response, reducing the risk of losing potential clients to competitors who respond faster.
Close More Deals with Emet Digital’s Help
Conversion optimization is more than just a website metric. It’s about creating an experience that guides visitors toward taking action. Your website may attract the right people to knock on your door, but how you treat them after they walk in is what really counts. Want to see how you can improve and make the most of every lead? Contact our team today. Weāre here to help you optimize, grow, and succeed.Ā