7.5 Follow-Up Cadence

After someone enquires (contact form, phone call, booking request), follow up systematically:

• Touch 1 (within 5 min): Phone call or personalised email. Speed wins. Leads contacted within 5 minutes convert 9x higher than those contacted after 30 minutes.
• Touch 2 (day 1): If no answer on the call, follow up with an email: your response to their enquiry, pricing if relevant, and a clear next step.
• Touch 3 (day 3): SMS follow-up: "Hi [Name], just following up on your enquiry about [service]. Happy to answer any questions -- reply here or call [number]."
• Touch 4 (day 7): Email with added value -- a case study, FAQ, or relevant resource. Not a "just checking in" email.
• Touch 5 (day 10): Phone call attempt #2. Leave a voicemail if no answer.
• Touch 6 (day 14): Email addressing common objections or sharing a testimonial from a similar client.
• Touch 7 (day 21): Final email: "I don't want to be a pest. If the timing isn't right, no worries. I'll leave the door open -- you can reach us at [contact] whenever you're ready."

Not every touch needs to be manual:

• Automated: Emails 2, 4, and 6 can be email sequences (section 7.2). SMS on day 3 can be automated.
• Manual: Phone calls (touches 1 and 5) should be personal. The final email (touch 7) is more effective when personalised.
• Use your CRM or automation platform to trigger the automated touches and create tasks/reminders for the manual ones.

A multi-channel cadence outperforms single-channel by 3x:

• Email -- detailed information, links, attachments
• Phone -- personal connection, urgency, complex discussions
• SMS -- high open rate, short messages, time-sensitive
• Don't use the same channel twice in a row. Alternate to avoid fatigue.

Measure these metrics monthly:

• Response rate by touch: Which touch gets the most replies? (Usually touch 1 or 3)
• Conversion rate: What percentage of enquiries become customers?
• Average touches to conversion: How many contacts before they buy?
• Drop-off points: Where do people stop responding? That touch might need improvement.
• If you don't have a CRM, a simple spreadsheet works: Lead Name, Date, Touch 1 Date, Touch 2 Date, etc., Outcome.

Common objections and how to handle them in follow-up:

• "Too expensive" -- reframe value, share ROI examples, offer a smaller starting package
• "Not the right time" -- respect it, add to a quarterly check-in list, send them value content in the meantime
• "Using someone else" -- congratulate them, ask if you can stay in touch. They may switch later.
• No response at all -- after touch 7, move to a long-term nurture list (monthly newsletter). Don't delete them.