Leads will go dark—it’s part of the game. What separates growing agencies from the ones spinning their wheels is how they handle that silence. Instead of chasing every unresponsive contact, we use a clear, automated system that identifies who’s still worth our attention and who’s not. It keeps our pipeline organized, protects our time, and still gives quiet leads a path to reengage when they’re ready.
Table of Contents
Nurture Sequence: The Basic Flow
When someone does not book the call, they go into a nurture sequence. This sequence is automated and designed to do two things: stay on their radar and give them a reason to reengage. We do not spend endless time on every quiet lead. Instead we use a mix of email, social touches, and a few value adds for those who showed strong interest earlier in the process.
Here is the basic flow we use:
- Tag the lead by engagement level when they first reply.
- Send a short series of follow-up emails over a few weeks.
- Do light social outreach like tagging their business page in a public post.
- Offer a free rep video or review commercial if they have five star reviews.
- Segment unengaged leads into a long-term drip that we revisit in 6 or 12 months.
What “engaged” looks like
Not all replies are equal. We pay attention to how much the lead interacted before we asked them to book the listing review call. If they replied quickly, answered questions, and went through the steps of the automated delivery process up until the booking prompt, we mark them as more interested. Those leads get extra attention and value. If the communication was sparse, we mark them as likely not interested and put them into a lighter nurture track.
Automated Communication: How We Use It
Automation is the backbone of our approach. Between the initial cold email reply and the booking request, a lot of communication is already happening automatically. That makes it easy to see who was interacting and who was not.
We use automation to:
- Send appointment reminders before a scheduled call.
- Trigger a different email sequence if the lead moves through the delivery steps but does not book.
- Tag leads based on replies, clicks, or form actions.
Automation saves time and gives us a clear view of who deserves more personal outreach. If a lead was clearly engaged and then went quiet, we will add personal touches like a rep video or a follow-up email that references the five star reviews on their Google Business Profile.
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Rep Videos and Reputation Marketing
One of our favorite moves is to create a short review commercial or rep video for leads who already have five star reviews. We have hundreds or even thousands of credits to make these videos, so we give them away freely. It is an easy win to get someone interested again.
Here is how we use rep videos:
- Check the lead’s Google Business Profile for five star reviews.
- Create a short review commercial that highlights their top reviews.
- Email the video with a short note and a booking link.
A sample email we send might look like this:
- Subject: Congrats on your five star reviews — here’s a free video
- Body: Hey, just wanted to celebrate your great reviews. We made a short review commercial for you. Use it on your social media or website. If you want more ideas to get more leads from your reviews, book a quick call here.
That type of message does two things. It gives value, and it gives a reason to respond. Many business owners will open that email and either use the video or book a call because it looks like a low risk, high reward offer.
Social Media Outreach: The Gentle Nudge
Social outreach is simple and effective. One tactic we use is tagging the business page in a Facebook post from our agency page. Tagging sends a notification to the business. It is public, friendly, and not pushy. It can catch the lead’s attention without a direct message or phone call.
Other light social touches include:
- Commenting on a recent post with praise for a project.
- Sharing a useful tip and tagging the business if it fits.
- Sending a short direct message on Instagram or Facebook if we already had some back-and-forth.
We do not spam social feeds. The goal is a small nudge that brings the lead back to the inbox or to a booking link.
Follow-up Schedule and Email Examples
Consistency matters. Here is a follow-up schedule we use for leads who do not book right away:
- Day 1: Booking request plus automated steps completed.
- Day 3: Short reminder email with the booking link.
- Day 7: Soft value email. Share one tip or a short case study.
- Day 14: Offer rep video if they have strong reviews.
- Day 30: Final short note that keeps the door open and invites them to rebook anytime.
Sample short follow-up subject lines:
- Still interested in boosting your reviews?
- We made a quick video from your reviews
- Quick follow up about your listing review
Each email is short, friendly, and to the point. We always leave a clear call to action, usually a direct link to book a short call. We also include a calendar link to make scheduling easy.
Appointment Reminders
Reminders are part of the booking process. We send reminders an hour or two before the call. The reminder gives the lead a chance to reschedule and shows we respect their time. If they reply and say they are tied up, we reschedule. If they no show twice without communication, we cut them loose.
Our policy is simple: if they no show twice without telling us, we stop pursuing them. If they give notice ahead of time, we are happy to reschedule. Business owners get busy, and we understand that. A message saying they are tied up is fine and we work with them.
When to Stop Pursuing a Lead
Not every lead is worth a long chase. We use these rules to save time:
- If there was little to no engagement early on, we put the lead in a low-touch long-term drip list.
- If a lead ghosts us twice on scheduled calls, we stop active pursuit.
- If a lead was engaged but then went quiet, we do a few extra touches like the rep video and social tag before moving them to long-term follow-up.
We always leave notes in the CRM so the next person who touches the lead knows what happened. If the lead reopens a message months later, we can pick up quickly with the right context.
Segmentation: How We Tag Leads
Segmentation is the trick that keeps follow-up efficient. We tag leads based on how they interacted during the initial outreach and delivery steps. Tags we use include:
- Highly interested
- Engaged but went dark
- Low engagement
- No show
Tags determine which sequence the lead goes into. Highly interested leads get the most personal attention and value offers. Low engagement leads get a light drip that reaches out again after six or twelve months. This keeps our pipeline clean and our time focused where it has the best chance to pay off.
Practical Scripts and One-Liners
Keep language short and clear. Here are some scripts and one-liners we use:
- “Hey, we made a short review video from your Google reviews. Here it is — feel free to use it. If you want help getting more leads from those reviews, book a 15 minute call.”
- “Quick reminder — your listing review call is in two hours. If you need to reschedule, here is the link.”
- “You looked interested when we were talking. Did something come up? Happy to reschedule or send a few quick ideas over email.”
Scaling This System
If we are doing outreach at scale, we keep the same rules but rely more on automation and clear tagging. We build templates for the emails, automate the rep video creation for eligible leads, and set rules in the CRM for moving leads between sequences.
Scaling also means being strict about when to stop chasing. Time is limited, and a clear policy on no-shows and low engagement helps protect our team’s time while still giving interested leads a good experience.
FAQ
What do we do if a lead replies once and then goes quiet?
We check how much they engaged before going quiet. If they were highly engaged, we add a personal touch like a rep video and follow up. If engagement was low, we move them into a low-touch long-term drip and try again later.
How many times do we let a lead reschedule before we stop?
If a lead gives notice and reschedules reasonably, we are flexible. If a lead no shows twice without communication, we stop active outreach.
Do rep videos cost the lead anything?
We give rep videos away for free to interested leads, especially if they already have five star reviews. We use these videos to show value and reengage the lead.
How often do we try social outreach?
We use social outreach sparingly. A tag on Facebook or a short comment is usually enough for a gentle nudge. We do not spam social feeds.
When do we reach out again after the nurture sequence ends?
For low-engagement leads we typically wait six to twelve months before recontacting. For more engaged leads, we may try a few targeted touches within the first 30 days.
What if a lead opens the email but never books?
Open rates help us know they saw the message, but we focus on clicks and replies. If they opened but did not act, we try one more value offer like a rep video or a short case study, then move them to long-term follow-up.
Final Notes
Leads will go quiet. The smartest move is to have rules that protect your time while still giving the right prospects more chances. Use automation to track engagement, offer free rep videos to warm them up, do light social nudges, and be clear about your no-show policy. That keeps the pipeline healthy and lets us focus on closing the leads that want to work with us.