Who Gets to the Customer First?
I was talking recently with a friend, a local car salesman I trained 13 years ago. He reminded me of something. He said, “You told me years ago that a quick response is what wins the customer.” Then he admitted he had never liked texting his prospects, and he didn’t really like calling them either. When it came to lead follow-up, he was letting buyers slip away.
Recently, while he was talking to the number one salesperson at his dealership, that top performer told him, “I never call anybody. I text immediately.”
His reasoning was simple. People today would rather text than talk on the phone. So that’s what he does, all day long. The moment a question, an inquiry, or a new contact comes through, he responds, no matter what he’s in the middle of. He doesn’t let leads sit. He answers right away, on the fly.
And he’s the number one salesperson in that dealership.
He isn’t winning because he talks better than everyone else. He’s winning because he answers first, and he answers the way buyers want to be reached.
And this isn’t just the car business. Whether you sell cars, fix air conditioners, or repair plumbing, the same rule applies: the business that answers first usually wins the customer. Today, rapid lead follow-up is more efficient than ever but still the most overlooked step of the sale process.
How Are Today’s Customers Different?
We live in a world of TikTok Stories, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook Reels. Entertainment comes in seconds, answers come instantly, and people have gotten used to that speed in every part of their lives, including how they buy.
Many business owners haven’t caught up yet. They still answer leads the way they did before social media took over, calling back later in the day or the next morning even if they have lead follow-up systems in place. Back then that was fine. Today, by the time you call back, your prospect has often already moved on to someone who answered or replied faster.
How Long Before You Lose Your Customer?
This isn’t just my opinion. The numbers back it up.
The well-known Harvard Business Review study on lead response found that companies that respond within an hour are seven times more likely to qualify a lead than those that wait longer, and about sixty times more likely than companies that delay lead follow-up for 24 hours.
Expectations keep rising, too. Salesforce’s State of Sales report found that 64% of consumers now expect real-time responses when they contact a business, up from 58% in 2023.
And Forrester’s research found that 53% of online consumers will abandon a purchase if they can’t get a quick answer to their question.
In other words, slow responses don’t just cost you a little. They cost you the sale.
What Can You Do Right Now?
Respond in minutes, if not instantly. Lead follow-up cannot be delayed for hours. Treat every new inquiry like it’s urgent, because to the customer, it is.
Meet people where they are. If your customers prefer texting, text them. Don’t force a phone call on someone who would rather send a quick message. The same goes for Instagram and Facebook messages: a boutique, a contractor, or a salon that answers DMs within minutes wins the customer who’s deciding who to call.
Make speed a habit. The top salesperson in that dealership didn’t wait for a convenient moment when it came to lead follow-up. He built his whole day around responding immediately.
Use tools that help. Notifications, templates, and automation can help you reply fast even on your busiest days.
Speed Wins the Sale, Follow-Up Keeps the Customer
Getting back to a lead quickly is how you win the sale. But the best salespeople know the relationship doesn’t end there. The customers who come back again and again, and send their friends and family, are the ones who keep hearing from sales professionals long after the deal is done.
In over 40 years in sales, I’ve heard it again and again: customers would much rather go back to a salesperson they already know and trust than start over with a stranger. These repeat fans don’t require the same urgency of lead follow-up as a first time, cold inquiry.
That’s what we do at Emerging Growth Systems. We help businesses in any industry set up simple follow-up systems that turn one-time buyers into customers for life. Our app CarConnect Pro is one example: it helps car salespeople stay in touch with their customers for the long haul, so they become the only friend their customers know in the car business. Everyone loves to say, “I know a guy or gal who can help you”. If you’d like a system like that for your business, reach out.
Be quick to respond, and stay in touch. In today’s market, that’s how you win. Want to see? Contact us now from here!
James Johnson Emerging Growth Systems
Sources
- Harvard Business Review lead response study, as summarized in Lead Response Time Statistics (2026)
- Salesforce, State of Sales Report, as summarized in Lead Response Time Statistics 2026
- Forrester Research, as summarized in Speed-to-Lead Statistics 2026