It’s a great feeling to see your inbox full of enquires directly from your website. But, it’s a better feeling when these leads convert to tangible sales. Website leads are great enquiries, however, many businesses struggle to convert them.

Here are the most common mistakes:

1. Pick up the phone!

Most businesses are afraid to pick up the phone and contact the prospect. Instead, they will send a generic email or quote, this is first mistake and why your conversion rates take a slump – 1/10, 1/18…… Keep in mind the prospect has contacted YOU, in fact they have probably left enquiries to a couple of places who have also sent an email and an email only. The best conversion rates are achieved when the prospect is called, speaking to a fellow human is a lot more personal and your ability convert the client is much greater.

2. Delay in getting back to a prospect:

Getting back to a prospect after 24 hours is a big no no…… In fact 24 hours is even too long…. When 24 hours hits, the prospect has probably gone with another company. Consumers today demand service and efficiency. It is crucial that you respond to your prospects with either a call or email within 24 hours of receiving their enquiry. (Unless your in a 24 hours service, eg: emergency plumbing, locksmiths, electricians etc) The moral of the story, get in contact with the prospect as soon as you can.

Now that we’ve identified the common mistakes, here are some tips to ensure your web lead conversion rates improve!

1. Listen…

You make an enquiry these days and all you get back is a pitch or a price. Instead of pushing your leads, listen, they will often tell you what they would like, need and have a budget for. Actually listen to what they require, need and advise, not push, the best possible solution you have available for them. You’ll surprise yourself….

2. Don’t pitch your product, educate the consumer

In most cases, a prospect enquires due to a problem they are not fit or competent to handle. Instead of pitching your product, EDUCATE your prospect on how your service has helped others and how it will resolve the issue at hand. Be the authority and expert, remember, people will buy and pay for quality and expertise, at the end of the day, they want the best for them, everyone does….

3. Understand what they’ve enquired for

Your ability to understand the exact product your prospect has enquired for increases the likelihood of conversion. Your website should have designated pages for specific services. These landing pages should also contain content to reduce objections and fear associated with purchasing your product.  Your ability to understand how the prospect has enquired and your ability to competently answer their questions will dramatically increase your web-lead conversions.

4. Timing

If your auto-responder says someone will be in touch within 24 hours, make sure someone calls back within 24 hours. A big negative to consumers is waiting. Today’s consumers want answers and solutions yesterday, the faster you can get in contact with your customers and impress them, generally, the faster and more efficiently they’ll close.

Web leads are great leads. Your ability to extract and provide the correct information is they key to improving web-leads conversion rates. The key point here is the fact that the prospect has enquired, so it’s your job to find out why. This is the trade off between average conversion rates and spectacular conversion rates.