Losing Leads? It Might Be Your Reply Time

Hey hey,

This week, I want to talk about something that might be quietly draining your revenue.

Not your pricing. Not your positioning.

Your reply time.

Common Problem: You’re losing revenue because leads go elsewhere before you respond

Here are two examples from my own attempted purchases recently.

A few weeks ago, I filled out a form for a car dealership. No reply. Two weeks later? Still nothing. I decided to take my business elsewhere.

Then I messaged a local florist about an order. No response. I went with another shop that got back to me within the hour.

Ironically, the florist was an advocate of “shop local” - I went with a large florist as I knew it would work.

Both businesses probably thought I was a warm lead.

But I didn’t wait around.

Neither will your prospects.

When someone reaches out, they’re in the zone - researching, comparing, ready to move.

But if you’re slow to respond, they don’t pause and wait for you. They move on.

You’re not just missing a reply. You’re missing the revenue.

Simple Solution: Prioritise response speed and reduce friction in your lead flow

The data backs it up:

• Replying within 5 minutes makes you 21x more likely to convert a lead compared to a 30-minute delay.

• Conversion rates jump by 391% when you respond within the first 60 seconds.

• But after 10 minutes? Your chances start to drop off a cliff.

You don’t need to reply with a full proposal. You just need to show up - fast.

Here’s how to make that easy:

1. Use tools to surface leads instantly

• If you use Tally, Typeform, or Jotform, hook it up to Slack, Email, or WhatsApp using Zapier or Make

• If most of your inbound comes via email, set up filters so lead emails are starred, labeled, or moved to a ‘Leads’ folder automatically

2. Save a “fast first reply” template
You’re not writing the full pitch. You’re buying time while showing interest.
Try this:
“Thanks for getting in touch - just seen your message. I’ll send over some thoughts later today. In the meantime, is there anything specific you’re deciding between?”

Save this in Gmail, Superhuman, or Spark so you can send it in two clicks.

3. Block two 15-minute reply slots a day
Quick responses don’t mean being “always on.” Add a morning and afternoon block to reply to anything new. That’s it.

4. Automate smart routing
If you get different types of inquiries, use Calendly Routing Forms or basic logic in your form builder to direct people to the right next step.

Bonus: if you want to add more speed, plug new leads into Clay, Folk, or ChatGPT to get instant enrichment and draft faster follow-ups.

Take Action

• Audit your last 5 inbound leads…how fast did you respond?

• Set up a simple alert (Slack, WhatsApp, or inbox label) for new leads

• Write one “fast reply” email and save it as a template

• Add two short calendar blocks per day to check and respond

That’s it for this week.

A good lead isn’t lost because of your price or pitch. It’s lost because you didn’t reply fast enough (and someone else did).

Speed builds trust. Start there, and the rest gets easier.

See you next time,
Mark