Re-Engaging Dead Leads: Our Top 5 Tips to Revive Lost Opportunities

Re-Engaging Dead Leads: Our Top 5 Tips to Revive Lost Opportunities

Ever been looking through your CRM, sipping your latte, minding your own business, when suddenly zombie hands burst through the reports, grab you by the jugular, and attempt to drag you to the underworld?

Maybe not literally. (…If this is happening literally, we strongly recommend an immediate career change and extensive trauma therapy.) 

But figuratively speaking, your CRM is often full of dead leads lying lost and forgotten under the surface.

Unlike most zombie movies, you shouldn’t shoot these lead zombies through the head and call it a day. They aren’t causing you any harm (other than taking up space in your database). In fact, these dead leads have the potential to transform into new and improved versions of their original living selves if given the opportunity. 

So perhaps we should call them “only mostly-dead leads” until we’ve at least given them a hearty poke with a stick. Within the business world, this poking is better known as “re-engaging” dead leads.

Why Do Leads Die?

Every company deals with dead leads, so when a prospect suddenly disappears, don’t take it personally. There are a variety of reasons why leads can go cold.

• They may have become super busy or taken on a new job.
• They were just “browsing” and decided they didn’t need your product or services.
• They chose to purchase from or work with a competitor.
• The product or service was too expensive for their budget.
• Your company response time was too long and they moved on.
• They misplaced your contact information.
• They just weren’t “feeling it” (brand, tone, communication style, etc). 

As you can see from this list, some reasons are avoidable and can be corrected. Others are not within your control. As you move forward to re-engage dead leads, you can gather info to better understand why your leads are dropping and if there are measures your company can take to avoid it

Why Should I Re-Engage? 

It might seem like a waste of time to chase down dead leads, but trust us, it’s not. Not only is it good business practice and shows you’re a company that cares, it has very practical benefits. 

• Keeps your database current. If you have outdated addresses, phone numbers, and emails, not only are you just wasting space, but email servers can start marking your emails as spam if too many addresses bounce. 
• Keeps your pipeline full. You spent so much time curating your list of leads and you’ve already done the research on the company or contact. A personal check-in can quickly turn dead leads into live opportunities and fill up your pipeline.

• • Increases sales. Whatever the reason your lead went cold, the fact that they were on your list in the first place means there is still potential. And when you show you care enough to pursue a connection, it speaks well for your company and builds relationships.

• • Saves moolah. You’ve already spent the money on your leads—so it’s only sensible to make the most of every opportunity you have. Plus, a lead that is already familiar with your company and products/services is likely to buy quicker than a brand new lead.

So What Do You Do With Dead Leads?

We’ve established some reasons why dead leads zombify and why you should seek to bring them back to the land of the living. But how exactly do you accomplish this?

We’ve compiled our top strategies for re-engaging dead leads.

1. Do Your Prep Ahead of Time.

It might seem a little obvious, but we have to emphasize the importance of “re-researching” your dead leads before you make contact. Data decays rapidly, and depending on the span of time that has passed between your last communication and now, some things may have changed. Plus you need to brush up on what transpired between you and your lead.

Double-check contact information and make sure it’s current with names, positions, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. There’s nothing quite so embarrassing as calling for the head of marketing only to find out they aren’t working there anymore. 

Once that’s done, take a peek over whatever notes you have on your last interaction with the lead to gain a clearer picture of your history and give you some personalized stepping stones moving forward. 

2. Give Your Lead a Chance to Open Up.

Not sure why your lead up and died? Give them a chance to enlighten you. 

A simple survey or “feeler” can allow your dead leads to let you know the reason behind their untimely departure. You can ask them directly. Run through the list of reasons why leads die and present them in the form of genuine questions. 

Ex: 

“Hey (lead’s name)!

It’s been some time since we last spoke! We were disappointed that we didn’t get a chance to connect and move forward together. 

We just wanted to check in and get a better sense of why things didn’t work out.

1. Maybe life just got cray cray and you just didn’t have the time to get back to us?  (We get it! If you’re still interested, let’s reconnect!)

2.Perhaps you decided you weren’t interested in [whatever it was you were offering]. If that’s the case, we’ve got a lot of other options that might reignite your interest!

3. Maybe you decided to go with someone else? It’s ok, we won’t take it personally (but we might cry a little). Just let us know and we’ll quit bugging you!

4. Or perhaps you’ve grown weary of modern civilization and have gone to live off-grid in Arizona (…if so, you will never receive this email, but we wish you all the best!). 

Please let us know what happened so we can better understand and serve you. 

Thank you so much in advance! We look forward to hearing from you.

All the best, 

(Contact Name and Information)

Knowing your leads and their preferred communication style, tailor the text and tone as needed to give yourself the best chance of reviving those dead leads.

 3. Reach Out Strategically During a “Trigger Event.”

A trigger event is defined as a change in a company’s circumstances, process, or priorities. Some dead leads can be re-engaged at certain key moments because their circumstances or needs have shifted since your last contact. 

The best marketers know that establishing urgency is an effective selling tool, and in situations where a trigger event has occurred, the event itself accomplishes that for you. A change in leadership, a new website or location, or even a large-scale event like a shift in the economy can open up doors of business that were once closed. 

Keep an eye out on your leads’ social media accounts and stay on top of their business news in general. Following companies and prospects on LinkedIn is an easy way to do this, or you could even set up Google alerts for certain dead leads on your list. A trigger event can offer a very easy and natural opportunity to reach out and make contact, even if it’s a soft reach with a simple congrats for a stunning site!

But don’t wait forever. If the opportunity arises, seize that window of opportunity ASAP! Otherwise move forward with another strategy. 

 4. Repurpose Content to Engage Dead Leads

If you’re already creating great content for your company (and if you’re not…you really, really should), you can use relevant content as an opening to reach out to your dead leads. 

Targeted content that offers value and genuinely helpful information specific to a lead’s industry, needs, or interests can kick-start a conversation and lead to more. Things like blog posts or podcasts make great shareable content. But don’t just dump it in their inbox. Have good manners and inquire first to see if they are interested. Their response can give you a quick glimpse into whether or not they’re likely to re-engage and make the leap from cold lead to active lead. 

BONUS PRO TIP: You can really liven up a lead by asking them to join in the creative process. You could ask if they would be interested in writing a guest post for your blog, or join you as a guest on your podcast. This is an incredible way to build a real relationship while also offering the lead a chance to showcase their own company to a whole new network. 

5. Just Make the Call!

Sometimes it’s just as simple as that: picking up the phone (or reaching for the keyboard) and taking that first step of communication. Especially for those dead leads who ghosted with no explanation, it’s reasonable to reach out quickly before they disappear forever. Just make sure you are still prepared with good information and value to offer them personally. 

If you have a new service or product that just dropped, give them a call and let them know about it. You never know when something is going to tip them over into deciding to close. 

A special discount or offer is a particularly enticing way to breathe some life into a dead lead’s lungs. FOMO is real and no one wants to miss a great deal. If they’re on the fence or have a tight budget, a special offer can be just the thing to help them move down the pipeline to a sale.

Or…Leave It To The Experts. 

So a little Squeeze secret…Dead leads are kinda our thing. 

Right from the start, our founder, Carson Poppenger, saw the potential being left behind every day in dead, uncontacted, unconverted leads. He developed a process to turn those zombie leads into living, breathing streams of revenue, and his overwhelming success led to Squeeze being born. 

Since then we’ve become the leading sales experience company, and our trained teams are ready to take on your dead leads and turn them into increased revenue for your company. 

Just consider our client Americor. Within the first 60 days of partnering with Squeeze, they saw 3,038 new sales opportunities and a whopping 105% increase in sales from remarketing data. 

We know what we’re doing, and you can trust us to bring the same level of success to your company. Contact us today and let’s go zombie hunting together!