• 6 min read
Capture every lead in one place
Website forms, chat, phone, and inbound email should all create a record with the source, timestamp, and original message attached. Leads that live only in someone's inbox never get measured.
Route by intent, not round robin
Use the form fields you already collect — service, budget, and timeline — to send each enquiry to the right person. Simple rules beat sophisticated scoring for most teams under fifty leads a week.
Score with behaviour, not demographics
Pages viewed, pricing visits, and reply speed predict conversion better than company size. Keep the model to three or four signals so the sales team trusts the number.
Automate the follow-up, keep the human touch
Send an immediate acknowledgement with a real next step, then a personal follow-up drafted by automation but sent by a person. Full automation past the first message reads as spam and hurts reply rates.
Report weekly, not monthly
A short automated weekly digest — new leads by source, response time, and deals moved — surfaces problems while they can still be fixed.