You cannot fix follow-up by feel. You need a few numbers you can read in five minutes every week, each one pointing at a specific problem. These six are enough for most small businesses, and every one of them can come straight out of a CRM.
At a glance
| Metric | What it measures | If it is weak |
|---|---|---|
| Speed to first contact | Median time from lead to first real attempt | Fix this first, every other number depends on it |
| Touches per lead | Attempts before you stop | Set a defined cadence |
| Contact rate | Share of leads you actually reached | Change the hours, add a channel, check the numbers |
| Meetings booked | Reached leads who agreed to a next talk | Work on the script and the offer |
| Quote to win rate | Quotes that became customers | Improve quote follow-up |
| Lost reasons | A tally of why deals were lost | The biggest group is your next fix |
1. Speed to first contact
How long between a lead arriving and the first real attempt to reach them. Track the median, not the average, so one slow weekend does not hide the picture. If the median is hours or days, this is your first fix, because every other number depends on it. Our post on lead response time explains why the first minutes matter.
2. Touches per lead
How many attempts each lead receives before you stop. If most leads get one or two, you are giving up too early. A healthy plan has a defined number, for example the seven-touch cadence, and the report should show how many leads completed it.
3. Contact rate
The share of leads you actually spoke to or exchanged real messages with. A low rate with plenty of attempts points at timing or channel. Try different hours, add WhatsApp or email, and check that numbers and addresses are correct.
4. Meetings or calls booked
Of the leads you reached, how many agreed to a next conversation. This measures how well your first conversation moves people forward. If contact is high and bookings are low, look at the script and the way the offer is described.
Quick check: how many of your leads go cold without you knowing? Get your Lead Leak Score in 2 minutes, free →
5. Quote to win rate
Of the quotes sent, how many turned into customers, and how long that took. A low rate with slow decisions points at weak quote follow-up. See how to follow up on a quote without being pushy for the fix.
6. Reasons for lost deals
Not a number alone, but a tally: price, timing, competitor, no response, not a fit. After a month the largest bar tells you what to work on, whether that is lead quality, offer or speed.
How to use them without drowning in reports
Put the six numbers on one screen, look at them at the same time every week, and change one thing at a time. Write down what you changed, so that next week you know whether it worked. Do not add more metrics until these six are stable.
A worked example: one week, read in ten minutes
Here is an illustrative week for a small home services company that receives 40 leads. The numbers are an example, not a client.
| Metric | This week | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Speed to first contact | 3 hours 20 minutes (median) | Too slow, most leads have already called someone else |
| Touches per lead | 2 on average | Follow-up stops far too early |
| Contact rate | 18 of 40 reached | Normal for two touches, it rises with more |
| Meetings booked | 6 of 18 reached | The conversation itself works |
| Quote to win rate | 1 of 5 quotes won | Quotes are sent, then left alone |
| Top lost reason | No response (9 leads) | The same leak as touches per lead |
The reading takes a few minutes. The conversation is fine, because a third of the people reached agree to meet. The leak is before and after it: leads wait more than three hours, get two attempts, then go quiet, and the lost reason confirms it. So the one change for next week is speed: a first call within five minutes during business hours. Touches come the week after. Changing both at once would hide which one worked.
Your 10-minute weekly review checklist
- Open the same screen at the same time every week, for example Monday at 9.
- Write the six numbers next to last week's six.
- Circle the weakest one, starting from the top of the list.
- Pick one change for that number and give it a named owner.
- Note the change and the date, so next week shows whether it worked.
- Read five lost deals by hand to check that the reasons are real, not guesses.
What this looks like in our system
The CRM we set up for clients records every touch, so these numbers are there without anyone building a report. Add a dedicated, trained growth expert and a manager who reviews them every evening, and the numbers turn into action. Setup is a one-time $595, see the pricing page.
Follow-up metrics questions, answered
Two ways to stop losing leads this week
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