When your leads fail to respond to your outreach, it's natural to wonder if they are simply bad leads or if they're just having a rough day. Let's leave these questions to the philosophers because, unlike them, you don't need to constantly ask yourself "What if?" when planning your initial outreach to new leads. Once you understand why people become unresponsive, you'll know how to craft messages that compel them to hit the 'reply' button.

Here are four reasons why your leads might not be engaging with you and four pro-tips on how to overcome these challenges:

1. Using the wrong communication channels for your first outreach

There are numerous ways to reach out to your leads, such as phone calls, emails, SMS, WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram, and more. However, certain channels tend to yield better response rates than others.

In the realm of B2C communications, text messages have shown greater effectiveness in eliciting responses compared to phone calls. This is mainly because responding to a text message requires less time and effort compared to answering a call from an unknown number.

Before you initiate contact through messaging, it's essential to consider the specific channel you'll use. Will it be SMS, WhatsApp, iMessage, or another messaging app? This decision holds significance because the right messaging channel can significantly impact your reply rate.

For instance, in countries where WhatsApp is the primary platform for chatting with friends and family, it's more advisable to connect with leads through WhatsApp rather than sending an SMS. Usually, people reserve SMS for receiving bank OTPs or delivery tracking information, and they rarely respond to those messages. Similarly, emails are typically associated with bills, order confirmations, and newsletters. While people read emails, they may not necessarily respond to them.

🛠️ How to address it: Instead of calling your leads, try initiating contact through messaging and choose the appropriate channel. As a general rule, start by using the most popular messaging app in your country, such as WhatsApp or iMessage. By making it extremely convenient for leads to reach out to you, they will be more inclined to reply and engage in business with you.

2. Your message appears suspicious or spammy.

If your message gives off the impression of being a scam or spam, your leads are unlikely to read the entire message or respond to it. Keep in mind that many people read messages from their notifications, which means they only see a brief preview of your message initially.

If your leads cannot immediately discern the purpose of your message from the preview, you won't capture their full attention. They will likely dismiss the text without further consideration, treating it as just another spammy, scammy, or generic message in their daily influx.

🛠️ How to rectify it: Provide context within the first 10 words of your message to grab your leads' attention and encourage them to read the entire message and respond. In general, include their name and mention the specific product or service they have shown interest in. To learn more about effectively messaging new leads and increasing response rates, explore strategies tailored to this purpose.

3. You're contacting your leads at the wrong timing.

If you reach out to your leads during busy moments in their day, whether through calls or texts, they are less likely to respond. At those times, they may have other pressing priorities (work, friends, appointments, etc.) that take precedence.

However, since we can't read minds, it can be challenging to determine the best time to contact our leads. The solution is simple: It depends on how quickly you contact them, so there's no need to guess their active hours. The ideal time to reach out is immediately after they have expressed interest in your product or service.

🛠️ How to address it: Aim to contact your leads within 15 minutes of them providing their contact details. Typically, they are still engaged on social media or generally available after filling out your lead form, at least for the next 15 minutes. This guideline works best for text messages, as most people are unlikely to answer a call after midnight!

4. Your message is difficult to read and respond to quickly.

If a lead reads your message but fails to reply, the issue may lie in the message itself. It could be that you've included excessive content in a single message or asked questions that prospects find challenging to answer, especially if they are still in the "I'm just exploring options" phase.

If they cannot respond immediately, they may set your message aside for later and eventually forget about it completely. That's why every successful B2C salesperson adheres to the 10-Second Rule when reaching out to leads for the first time.

🛠️ How to fix it: Ensure that your leads can read and reply to your message within 10 seconds. If it takes longer than that, the lead is likely to go cold, which might lead you to believe they are a "bad lead" when, in reality, they are simply too occupied to respond. Determine if your message is easy to reply to by referring to our article on the 10-Second Rule of Messaging.