How to follow up leads step-by-step

How to Follow Up Leads Effectively: The 7-Touch Framework

Following up with leads is critical for converting potential customers into paying clients. However, sending generic emails and making sporadic phone calls rarely yields results. This article dives deep into the 7-touch framework, a structured approach to lead follow-up that maximizes engagement and conversion rates. Learn how to implement this framework, craft compelling messaging, and leverage automation tools for optimal results.

Table of Contents

• Understanding the 7-Touch Framework
• Crafting Personalized Follow-Up Messages
• Leveraging Automation for Efficient Follow-Up
• Tracking and Analyzing Follow-Up Performance
• Adapting the Framework to Different Lead Types

Understanding the 7-Touch Framework

The 7-touch framework is a systematic approach to lead nurturing that suggests a minimum of seven interactions are necessary to convert a lead into a customer. It’s not just about contacting a lead seven times; it’s about strategically planning these interactions to provide value, build trust, and address potential concerns. The framework emphasizes consistency, personalization, and multi-channel communication. This structured approach increases the likelihood of staying top-of-mind and building a relationship with the lead, ultimately boosting conversion rates compared to ad-hoc follow-up efforts.

The core principle behind the 7-touch framework is based on the “rule of seven” in marketing, which posits that a prospect needs to see or hear a message approximately seven times before they take action. However, simply bombarding leads with repetitive messages is counterproductive. The 7-touch framework focuses on delivering value with each interaction, tailoring the message to the lead’s interests and pain points, and using different communication channels to maximize reach and engagement.

The Seven Touch Points

While the specific touch points can be customized based on the industry, target audience, and lead source, a typical 7-touch sequence might look like this:

• Touch 1: Initial Contact (Email): A personalized welcome email acknowledging their interest and providing valuable resources (e.g., a relevant blog post, a case study).
• Touch 2: Follow-Up Email (3 days later): Offering additional information or addressing a specific question related to their initial inquiry.
• Touch 3: Phone Call (2 days later): A brief phone call to introduce yourself, understand their needs, and offer assistance.
• Touch 4: Social Media Engagement (LinkedIn Connection Request – 1 day later): Connecting on LinkedIn to build rapport and share relevant content.
• Touch 5: Value-Added Email (3 days later): Sharing a relevant article, industry report, or a free tool that addresses their pain points.
• Touch 6: Second Phone Call (5 days later): Checking in to see if they have any questions and offering a demo or consultation.
• Touch 7: Final Follow-Up Email (7 days later): A final offer or a summary of the value proposition, including a clear call to action.

Example 1: Initial Contact Email

Subject: Welcome to [Your Company] - Let's Solve Your [Problem]

Hi [Lead Name],

Thanks for your interest in [Your Company]. We understand you're looking for solutions to [Problem].

We've put together a helpful resource that addresses this issue: [Link to Blog Post/Case Study].

Feel free to take a look, and let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards,

[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Your Company]

This email aims to provide immediate value and spark a conversation without being overly sales-y.

Example 2: Phone Call Script (Touch 3)

[Ring Ring]

You: "Hello, this is [Your Name] from [Your Company]. Is this [Lead Name]?"

Lead: "Yes, speaking."

You: "Hi [Lead Name], I hope you're having a great day. I'm calling to follow up on your recent inquiry with [Your Company]. Did you have a chance to review the resource we sent over?"

Lead: "Yes, I did."

You: "Great! I wanted to briefly introduce myself and see if I could answer any initial questions you might have about how [Your Company] can help with [Problem]."

[Listen actively to their response and offer relevant information/solutions.]

You: "Would you be open to a brief demo or consultation to see our solution in action?"

This phone script is a starting point. Adapt it based on your understanding of the lead’s needs and the context of the conversation.

Expert Tip: Don’t treat the 7-touch framework as a rigid formula. Adapt it to the specific needs and behavior of each lead. For instance, if a lead is highly engaged and responsive, you might accelerate the sequence. Conversely, if a lead is unresponsive, you might need to adjust your messaging or touch points.

Crafting Personalized Follow-Up Messages

Personalization is the cornerstone of effective lead follow-up. Generic, impersonal messages are easily ignored and can even damage your brand’s reputation. Crafting personalized follow-up messages requires understanding the lead’s specific needs, interests, and pain points. This involves researching their company, their role, and their previous interactions with your organization. The goal is to demonstrate that you understand their challenges and can offer relevant solutions.

Personalization goes beyond simply including the lead’s name in the email. It involves tailoring the content, tone, and call to action to resonate with their individual circumstances. This requires segmenting your leads based on their industry, company size, job title, lead source, and other relevant criteria. Each segment should receive a customized follow-up sequence that addresses their specific needs and concerns.

Techniques for Personalization

• Use Dynamic Fields: Insert the lead’s name, company name, job title, and other relevant information into your emails using dynamic fields.
• Reference Previous Interactions: Acknowledge previous conversations, website visits, or content downloads in your follow-up messages.
• Address Specific Pain Points: Identify the lead’s key challenges and explain how your product or service can solve them.
• Share Relevant Content: Provide articles, blog posts, case studies, or other resources that are tailored to their industry, role, or interests.
• Personalize the Subject Line: Use subject lines that grab their attention and pique their curiosity by referencing their company, industry, or a specific problem they’re facing.

Example 1: Personalizing Based on Website Activity

Let’s say a lead visited the pricing page on your website.

Subject: Considering [Your Product]?  Let's Discuss Pricing Options

Hi [Lead Name],

I noticed you were recently checking out our pricing page. I wanted to see if you had any questions about our different plans or if there's a specific feature set you're interested in.

We offer customized pricing options to fit various needs and budgets. I'd be happy to schedule a quick call to discuss your requirements and find the best solution for you.

Best,

[Your Name]

This email shows that you’re paying attention to their activity and are proactively addressing their potential concerns.

Example 2: Personalizing Based on Industry

If you know the lead is in the healthcare industry:

Subject:  Streamlining Healthcare Operations with [Your Product]

Hi [Lead Name],

I'm reaching out because [Your Company] has helped numerous healthcare organizations like yours improve efficiency and reduce costs with our [Your Product].

We understand the unique challenges facing the healthcare industry, such as regulatory compliance, data security, and patient privacy.  [Your Product] is designed to address these concerns and help you deliver better patient care.

I'd love to share a case study of how we helped [Similar Healthcare Company] achieve [Specific Result] using [Your Product].

Would you be available for a brief call next week to discuss your needs?

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

This email demonstrates your understanding of the lead’s industry-specific challenges and positions your product as a relevant solution.

Expert Quote: “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek. Personalization is about understanding the lead’s “why” and aligning your messaging accordingly.

Leveraging Automation for Efficient Follow-Up

While personalization is crucial, manually executing the 7-touch framework for every lead can be incredibly time-consuming and inefficient. Marketing automation tools allow you to scale your follow-up efforts without sacrificing personalization. These tools enable you to create automated email sequences, schedule phone calls, track lead activity, and trigger actions based on specific behaviors.

Automation is not about replacing human interaction; it’s about streamlining repetitive tasks and freeing up your sales team to focus on building relationships with qualified leads. By automating the initial touch points, you can ensure that every lead receives consistent and timely follow-up, while still allowing for personalized interactions later in the sales process.

Setting Up Automated Follow-Up Sequences

Most CRM and marketing automation platforms offer features for creating automated email sequences. Here’s a general outline of how to set up a 7-touch sequence in such a platform:

• Define Your Lead Segments: Segment your leads based on relevant criteria such as industry, company size, lead source, or product interest.
• Create Email Templates: Design email templates for each touch point, incorporating dynamic fields for personalization.
• Set Up Trigger Events: Define the events that trigger the automated sequence, such as form submissions, website visits, or demo requests.
• Schedule Email Deliveries: Schedule the delivery of each email in the sequence, taking into account the optimal send times and intervals between touch points.
• Implement Branching Logic: Use branching logic to customize the sequence based on lead behavior. For example, if a lead opens an email, trigger a follow-up phone call. If a lead doesn’t open an email, send a different message with a more compelling subject line.

Example 1: Configuring an Automated Email Sequence in HubSpot

This example outlines the general steps; consult HubSpot’s documentation for precise instructions as the interface evolves.

• Log in to your HubSpot account.
• Navigate to Automation > Sequences.
• Click Create sequence.
• Choose a template or start from scratch.
• Add your email templates to the sequence.
• Customize the delay between each email.
• Enroll leads in the sequence based on specific triggers (e.g., form submission).

Example 2: Using Zapier to Connect Your CRM to Other Tools

Zapier can be used to automate tasks across different platforms. For example, when a new lead is added to your CRM, you can automatically send a connection request on LinkedIn.

Zapier Trigger: New Contact in CRM (e.g., Pipedrive)
Zapier Action: Send Connection Request on LinkedIn

Configuration:

Connect your CRM and LinkedIn accounts to Zapier.
Map the contact fields from your CRM to the LinkedIn connection request fields (e.g., first name, last name, company name).
Customize the connection request message.

This automation saves time and ensures consistent follow-up across multiple channels.

External Link: Explore HubSpot’s free CRM for managing leads and automating some follow-up processes: https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm

Tracking and Analyzing Follow-Up Performance

Implementing the 7-touch framework is only the first step. To ensure its effectiveness, you need to track and analyze the performance of your follow-up efforts. This involves monitoring key metrics such as email open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and time to conversion. By analyzing these metrics, you can identify what’s working, what’s not, and make adjustments to optimize your follow-up strategy.

Tracking and analysis provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your messaging, the optimal timing for follow-up, and the most engaging communication channels. This data-driven approach allows you to continuously improve your follow-up process and maximize your conversion rates. It also helps you identify bottlenecks in the sales process and address any issues that are preventing leads from converting into customers.

Key Metrics to Track

• Email Open Rate: The percentage of leads who open your emails. A low open rate suggests that your subject lines are not compelling enough.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of leads who click on a link in your email. A low CTR indicates that your email content is not engaging or relevant.
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of leads who take the desired action, such as scheduling a demo, requesting a quote, or making a purchase.
• Time to Conversion: The average time it takes for a lead to convert into a customer. This metric helps you understand the length of your sales cycle.
• Lead Source Conversion Rate: The conversion rate for leads from different sources (e.g., website, referrals, social media). This helps you identify your most effective lead generation channels.

Example 1: Analyzing Email Campaign Performance in Google Analytics

You can use Google Analytics to track the performance of your email campaigns by adding UTM parameters to your email links.

Example UTM Parameter:

?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=7_touch_sequence

In Google Analytics, you can then view the traffic and conversions generated by your email campaign by navigating to Acquisition > Campaigns > All Campaigns.

Example 2: A/B Testing Subject Lines

A/B testing involves sending two different versions of an email with different subject lines to a portion of your leads. The subject line that generates the higher open rate is then used for the remaining leads.

In this example, Subject Line B performed better and should be used for the remaining leads.

Expert Tip: Use a CRM or marketing automation platform that provides built-in analytics and reporting features to simplify the process of tracking and analyzing your follow-up performance.

Adapting the Framework to Different Lead Types

The 7-touch framework is a flexible guideline, not a rigid rule. Its true power lies in its adaptability to different lead types and scenarios. Not all leads are created equal; some leads are more qualified or further along in the buying process than others. Tailoring the framework to the specific characteristics of each lead type ensures that you’re delivering the right message at the right time.

For example, leads generated through inbound marketing efforts (e.g., content downloads, webinar registrations) may require a more nurturing approach, focusing on providing valuable information and building trust. Sales-generated leads, on the other hand, may be more receptive to a direct sales approach. Referral leads often come with a higher level of trust and credibility, allowing you to accelerate the sales process.

Customizing the Touch Points

• Inbound Leads: Focus on providing educational content, addressing common pain points, and building a relationship. Use email marketing to nurture them through the sales funnel.
• Sales-Generated Leads: Take a more direct sales approach, highlighting the key benefits of your product or service and offering a demo or consultation.
• Referral Leads: Leverage the credibility of the referrer to build trust and accelerate the sales process. Offer a personalized thank-you gift to the referrer.
• Cold Leads: Start with research and identify their needs and pain points before reaching out. Warm them up with valuable content before attempting a sales pitch.

Example 1: Adapting the Framework for Inbound Leads

Let’s say a lead downloaded an ebook from your website.

• Touch 1: Thank-you email with a link to download the ebook.
• Touch 2: Follow-up email with related blog posts or case studies.
• Touch 3: Email inviting them to a webinar on a relevant topic.
• Touch 4: Email with a free checklist or template.
• Touch 5: Email offering a free consultation to discuss their challenges.
• Touch 6: Phone call to understand their needs and offer assistance.
• Touch 7: Personalized demo of your product or service.

This sequence focuses on providing value and building trust before attempting to sell.

Example 2: Adapting the Framework for Referral Leads

• Touch 1: Personalized email mentioning the referrer and thanking them for the introduction.
• Touch 2: Phone call to connect and learn more about their needs.
• Touch 3: Personalized demo or consultation.
• Touch 4: Proposal or quote.
• Touch 5: Follow-up to answer any questions and address any concerns.
• Touch 6: Negotiation and closing the deal.
• Touch 7: Onboarding and customer success.

This sequence accelerates the sales process due to the existing trust and credibility.