Learn how to bring a cold lead back into your sales funnel with these thirteen conversation starters built to create conversation.
A cold lead is a little like chatting with someone on a dating app but never actually meeting up for a date. There was an initial attraction, you both swiped right, where did it go wrong?
Except in this case, it’s a potential customer, maybe even one who requested more information about you at some point, who hasn’t taken any action.
So, how do you skate across their icy exterior without pressuring them so hard that they crack? It’s a delicate balance, but we’ve got the scoop on how to write the perfect message to throw a little fire back under cold leads.
We suggest using text messages as a way to reach out to cold leads for a few reasons. First, it’s more personal and statistically less likely to be ignored or lost in the shuffle.
Second, it’s not high pressure like a phone call, which can put people on the spot.
Third, they’re short and to the point, which is best practice for any messages to a cold lead.
And finally, because they work!
Texts have a record of increasing conversion rates by as much as 328% when used regularly as follow-ups.
An objectively good text message to a cold lead should be:
Your recipient should know why you’re reaching out to them now, what you want, and how it’s going to benefit them. If that feels like a heavy order for a 160-1600 character message, that may be because you need help finding a focus point.
Below are 13 different ways you could approach a cold lead. While not a one-size-fits-all approach, each example can be tailored to your customer base.
When you reach out to a lead who you haven’t connected with in a while, you may not want to jump right into a sales pitch. Instead, your goal should be to receive a response. And what better way to set someone up to respond than feeding them a question?
Do you want to ask a question but you don’t have as much information on the lead? Keep it simple by introducing yourself and asking to verify some basic contact information. This is a great way to segue into further questions that might lead to more insight into why they haven’t engaged with your business.
Has a lead gone cold since they interacted with your brand’s first offer or trial? A great way to reignite their interest is by putting the offer that hooked them in the first place back onto the table. This time around, be sure to add in a little something extra that will hopefully drive them to convert.
It’s possible a lead has gone cold because, for whatever reason, they stopped getting your messages. A great, non-threatening way to reengage that lead would be to check-in and see if that’s the case. From here, you can easily follow up with some information gathering questions to find out why they stopped interacting.
A great way to demonstrate attentiveness and value is by approaching a lead with a solution to a problem you’re aware they have/had. Be sure to end your message with a question to increase your odds of a response.
Sometimes a lead goes cold because they’ve chosen a competitor whose product had something yours didn’t. But things change over time, and what was once missing may now be just what a lead is looking for. If your business has had any updates or changes use that as an opportunity to message cold leads and share some information.
Alternatively, if your brand doesn’t have a brand new release, but it’s planning on some changes, that’s still a valid reason to reach out. Use this as a way to ignite curiosity, a powerful force that can drive conversions if the news is juicy enough!
When you contact a cold lead the last thing they want to feel like is just another name on your call sheet. A great way to earn their attention is by offering the most valuable asset of all: your time. Instead of offering monetary incentives maybe what a lead needs instead is some of your time or expertise.
A great way to rekindle the old business flame is by bringing attention back to something you and that lead have in common. It may be a business partner, vendor, common goal, etc. But by highlighting the commonality between you and your lead it naturally makes your message harder to ignore.
Flattery gets you somewhere, especially when it’s genuine. Odds are you’re chasing a cold lead because you value their business. So a great way to earn it is by honestly sharing why it’s important to you. When all else fails, some thoughtful pitches will help you stand out from a sea of cold calls.
There could be something going on in the world that affects your lead’s life and your business. Perhaps you even have a solution to a current problem. Leverage the buzz and use current events as a way to start a conversation with your lead.
Your cold lead may not be the right fit for your business. If you’ve reached out a few times and received a frosty response, that doesn’t mean they still can’t be of service to you. As a last resort, you can reach out to your lead and ask if they know anyone who might be interested in your business.
Our final template is a fitting last suggestion as it should likely be the last message you send a cold lead before considering them dead. At some point, it may no longer be worth your effort to keep chasing a cold lead. At that point, your strategy should be about gathering information. As a final effort, ask your lead if they would like to stop hearing from your business. And if they say yes, take the opportunity to ask them if you could do anything differently. Hopefully, this information can serve as it’s own valuable nugget.
If you feel ready to contact your cold leads, the final piece of advice we’ll leave you with is this: when in doubt, run your message through the AIDA test. Short for attention, interest, desire, action.
If your message grabs attention, generates interest, expresses a desire for their business, and gives them an action to take, it’s cold lead approved!
Meghan Tocci is a content strategist at SimpleTexting. When she’s not writing about SaaS, she’s trying to teach her puppy Lou how to code. So far, not so good.
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