[Mike Halliday]

had this sent as an email

Internet marketing is all the rage. Hardly a day goes by that another offer (or several) to "put your Website at the top of Google search results" doesn't find its way into your inbox. So is it worth it? Will the marketing magic of the Internet result in money-making jobs on your appointment schedule?

Not unless the leads generated are followed up right away. Did you know that according to a recent study conducted by Professor James Axelrod of MIT, the number one factor determining who wins the sale is "immediacy of response"? Simply put, this means that the first one to respond usually gets the job. In fact, responding within five minutes increases your chances of success by 100 times compared to responding in 60 minutes. So if you are out on cleaning appointments or gone from the office for the evening when a hot Internet lead comes in, the odds are it will be cool to downright cold by the time you respond.

I can see why a quick response will increase results, but a 100 times more chance of success is a big exaggeration in my opinion.

[derek west]

i'd agree all be it exaggerated. which is a good way of getting the point across.

[Colin Day]

i'd agree all be it exaggerated. which is a good way of getting the point across.

I agree 1,000,000,000% Derek

[Helen]

No idea what our stats or percentages would be but the number of jobs we have lost because we waited 3 hours to return the e-mail/phone call, whilst the number of jobs we have gained because we dealt with it within minutes.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

How would you like to be dealt with if you asked a potential supplier a question, now, tomorrow, some time next week.

I agree the figures are exagerated to make a point but we had a 'don't get many jobs from email's' and 'can't really be bothered to reply to email' thread a few days ago.

Put the two together and you have your answer.

Cheers

Doug

[Colin Day]

I know that if I want a quote/service, I will phone one company, leave a message then try and phone another company straight away, if they answer right away they would probably get the job... So there is a lot of sense as to what you have quoted Mike....

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

Stating the obvious really.

No difference to responding quickly to a voicemail message - leave it an hour and they will have booked someone else.

That's the benefit of having a smart phone - I can respond to e-mails immediately and win a lot of work as a result.

[Jim_77]

I've got a smart phone.  Trouble is, there's a dumb-ass on the end of it!

P.S. In reference to your question Mike, I partially agree.

The point is the same as the thread Doug mentions - if they are serious they will ring you.  If they are serious they won't expect an "instant" email response - why not phone if they want an instant response?

If I lose a job because I didn't email back within 5 minutes they can sod off, not my kind of customer.

[wynne jones]

Maybe this a marketing ploy we can all learn from.

Get some research by some Phd to give it cred, then slant it to your own devices! 

I'm sure it is correct, however there are lots of other criteria that don't necessarily follow for us. For instance it's well know the greater cost of something the slower the decision making and the more interactions are required before you get a buying decision. So may it depend on your average job value?