You did it. After countless hours perfecting your outreach, your content, your whatever else marketers swear by these days, someone finally bit. You got a lead. But before you break out the bubbly or order a custom plaque for your wall, there’s one critical question to answer—what now? In the world of lead generation online, getting the lead is just the beginning. It’s like getting a match on a dating app: exciting, but unless someone shows up for the date, you’re just sitting alone with overpriced coffee and your best anecdotes going to waste.
Let’s talk turkey about what to do once a lead comes in—how to secure the meeting and actually get the prospect to show up, ready to talk business.
Why Most Leads Fizzle (and What You Can Do Differently)
Here’s the cold truth: 80% of leads never convert into sales. (Source: MarketingSherpa). That’s not just disappointing—it’s wasteful. Businesses pour money into email campaigns, SEO efforts, and social media strategies, only for leads to vanish like your willpower on cheat day.
What goes wrong? It’s usually not the lead—it’s the follow-up. Too many businesses treat leads like lottery tickets. They cross their fingers and hope the prospect takes the next step. But in most cases, people need a nudge, a reminder, and, occasionally, a reason not to ghost you.
That’s where your lead generation online strategy needs to pivot from “get the lead” to “guide the lead.” And fast.
Turning Online Leads into Real Conversations
Getting someone to book a meeting requires a little finesse. You’ve got to strike while the iron’s warm, and sometimes that iron cools in minutes. Research from InsideSales.com shows that if you follow up with a lead within 5 minutes, you’re 9 times more likely to convert them. Wait 30 minutes, and your odds drop like a cell signal in an elevator.
So, what does this mean for you? First, make sure your system is ready to alert you the second a lead comes in. If you’re still manually checking forms at noon every day, you’re missing the boat.
Next, your first message—whether it’s email, text, or a social media DM—needs to be clear, personal, and frictionless. Don’t ask the lead to jump through hoops. Instead, offer a simple scheduling link (like Calendly) with a short note that references their interest and what they can expect.
And above all, be human. Nobody wants to meet with a robot—even if it’s a very polite one.
The Art (and Science) of Getting Leads to Actually Show Up
Let’s assume you’ve got the meeting scheduled. Bravo. Now comes the second great vanishing act—no-shows. According to data from HubSpot, nearly 20% of business meetings end in a no-show. That number climbs even higher when there’s no personal connection beforehand.
So how do you make sure your lead actually shows up?
Reminders help. A gentle email 24 hours before, and maybe a text an hour before, does wonders. Add the meeting to their calendar during the booking process. It’s amazing how people suddenly remember things when their phone buzzes about it.
And yes, include a brief note in your reminder that reminds them why they booked in the first place. What pain point are you addressing? What curiosity are you scratching? Make it personal. Make it relevant. Make it impossible to ignore.
Even Netflix sends you a nudge when your show is about to drop—and they’ve got a $200 billion valuation to play with. If it works for them, it can work for you.
Keep Your Digital House in Order
Sometimes, the issue isn’t your follow-up—it’s your digital footprint. If a lead Googles your business and finds a ghost town of a website or a LinkedIn page that hasn’t been touched since Obama’s first term, you’re giving them cold feet.
Your online presence has to match the promise of your outreach. That means your home page should clearly say who you are and who you help. Your LinkedIn profile shouldn’t look like a resume from 2012. And if your business claims to be results-driven, there better be some actual results posted somewhere.
Companies like HubSpot and Salesforce are masters of this. Their messaging is clear. Their branding is tight. You never feel like you’re walking into a mystery meeting.
We’re not saying you need to run a Super Bowl ad—but a functioning website and some recent case studies never hurt.
Persistence Without Pestering
Here’s the thing. Following up is essential. But there’s a fine line between being persistent and being that guy. You know the one. Sends six emails, three LinkedIn messages, and a voicemail that ends with “just wanted to circle back.”
Studies show it takes an average of 8 touches to get an initial meeting (Source: Rain Group). That’s fine—just make sure those touches are spread out, varied, and genuinely useful.
Instead of saying “just checking in,” try sharing a relevant article, asking a specific question, or offering a different time slot. Be the person they’re glad popped up in their inbox, not the one they hope lands in spam.
When They Don’t Show—And What To Do About It
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the lead flakes. Life happens. Don’t take it personally, and don’t burn the bridge.
Send a short, kind follow-up asking if they’d like to reschedule. Keep the tone light, and let them know you’re still interested. Often, people appreciate the grace and will come back when the timing’s better.
Just don’t fall into the trap of chasing the ghost for weeks. If they go radio silent after two or three messages, put them on a nurture sequence and move on. Leads are like buses—another one is always around the corner. Especially if your lead generation online engine is humming.
Final Thoughts
Leads aren’t sales. They’re invitations. And just like any invitation, how you follow up, frame the meeting, and show your value makes all the difference.
Getting a lead is exciting, sure. But what you do next separates the maybes from the paying clients. From the speed of your first response to the care in your reminders, and even your ability to bounce back from a no-show, the game is won in the follow-up.
In the noisy world of lead generation online, the businesses that win aren’t just the ones who get the leads—they’re the ones who know what to do once they land them.
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