Free training · Process & sales · 6 min
The first five minutes decide it.
A lead's interest is highest in the minutes after they reach out, then drops fast. A Harvard Business Review study of 1.25 million leads found that businesses that responded within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify the lead as those that waited longer. Here's what that means for your numbers.
01Why speed matters more than the pitch
When someone fills out a form or calls, they're usually comparing two or three businesses at once. The first one to answer gets to shape the conversation and often gets the job before the others reply. Being second isn't half as good as being first; it's often nothing.
02Find your real response time
Not the time you think you reply in; the time between the lead's message and your first reply, averaged over your last 20 leads. Check your inbox and call log. Most owners are surprised by the number, especially for leads that arrive while they're on a job.
03Three ways to get under five minutes
- Instant automated reply to every form and missed call, so the lead knows you saw them while you finish what you're doing. The text-back training writes the messages.
- An AI receptionist for calls, so the phone is answered on the first ring whether or not your hands are free.
- A call-back rule you actually keep: every lead gets a human reply within the hour during business hours, with an alert to your phone when one arrives.
04Measure it weekly
Put "average response time" on your weekly scoreboard next to leads and bookings. It's the one number that improves everything downstream, and it's the easiest one to move.
Your turn
What your response time is costing you
An estimate using the study's ratio. Your own numbers decide the rest.
Model: the HBR study found a ~7× difference in qualification odds between replies within an hour and later ones. We scale your current booking rate by where you sit on that curve. It's an estimate to size the problem, not a forecast.
Keep it
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You'll get the link to this page and your exercise results, and the next training in the series. One email, no sequence chasing you. Privacy.
The three texts that keep a lead from walking.
The three messages to send automatically (missed call, form reply, two-day follow-up), generated for your business.
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