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Get Your Number Into the Parent’s Phone: Why Leads Don’t Answer, and What to Do About 2 a.m. Leads

Updated

One school owner on this week’s coaching call ran an after-school program at a local elementary school, called all 34 families on the class list, and set four appointments. Good work. Then he asked the question every owner eventually asks: how often should I keep calling the ones who didn’t pick up?

When we dug in, he had only actually talked to four or five of the 34 families. And he had set an appointment with nearly every one he reached. His problem was not his phone skills. His problem was that parents were not answering an unknown number.

That is a problem you can fix before you ever dial.

The Real Reason Parents Don’t Pick Up

People don’t answer their phones for all kinds of reasons — they’re at work, they’re driving, they’re in a meeting. But the biggest reason a parent doesn’t answer your call is simple: they don’t recognize the number. An unknown number gets ignored or sent to voicemail as spam.

If your school is saved in their contacts, the phone shows your name. Now it is a call from the karate school their daughter talks about, not a random number.

Get Your Contact Card Into Their Phone

Jeff Smith’s advice: as part of your handout material at the very first class, give parents your contact information and ask them to save it. Greg Moody takes it one step further, because he knows most parents won’t do it on their own: don’t hand them a card and hope. Make sure it gets saved while you are standing there.

  • Tap cards. An NFC business card (there are plenty of brands) lets a parent tap it against their phone to save your contact instantly. Greg keeps one in his wallet.
  • A QR code to your vCard. A vCard is simply a digital contact card. Put a QR code on your handouts, your front desk and your parent packet that opens it, so saving you is one tap.
  • Wristbands. Jeff likes silicone wristbands with the school’s name, website and phone number printed on them — kids love them, and every parent sees them. They don’t put you in the phone, so use them alongside the card, not instead of it.

When do you do it? At the moment of commitment. When a parent sets an appointment at your live-event booth, have them tap your card right then. When parents are present at an after-school program, walk over and do it with them. When a family comes in for their first intro, it’s part of the welcome.

How Often to Call

Once they know your number, here is the rule for follow-up calls — Jeff and Greg agreed on it on the call:

  • Leave one voicemail a week. Not one a day. One a week.
  • Call as often as you like without leaving a message — even two or three times a day, just like a regular intro lead. A missed call you didn’t leave a message on isn’t a disturbance.
  • Keep calling until you actually talk to someone. That’s the rule.
  • Text. Texting back is fine, and it is often the fastest way to start a conversation.

The 2 a.m. Lead

Another owner asked about the other end of the problem: online leads that come in at two or three in the morning, when nobody is answering the phone.

Greg’s answer was practical. Speed to lead is the first line of attack, so respond immediately — just not necessarily by phone.

  • A text is fine at any hour. If they’re asleep, a text won’t wake them. And they probably aren’t asleep — they just filled out your form.
  • Let your system do it. An automated text and email the moment the form arrives means every lead hears from you within seconds, even at 2 a.m. Greg has his set up exactly that way.
  • If you happen to be awake, call right away. Immediately is fine. Calling a 2 a.m. lead five minutes later is not.
  • Worry more about 4 p.m. than 2 a.m. A form submitted at 4 p.m. that gets its first reply at 9 p.m. is the real problem.

And keep it in proportion. As Jeff pointed out, midnight opt-ins are a small slice of your marketing. They won’t make or break your month. Your live events, school programs, buddy days and birthday parties will.

For how every message from your school should sound once you do reach them, read why every message should come from a person, not a company.

Quick Answers

Why don’t parents answer calls from martial arts schools?

Mostly because they don’t recognize the number. Getting your school saved as a contact in their phone — with a tap card or a QR code to your vCard at the first visit — means your calls show up with your name.

How often should a martial arts school call a lead?

Call as often as you need to reach them, even a few times a day, but leave no more than one voicemail a week. Text as well. Keep going until you have actually spoken with someone.

How should a martial arts school respond to leads that come in overnight?

Respond immediately with an automated text and email. A text won’t wake anyone, and most people who submit a form are still awake. Follow up by phone during normal hours.

If you want the whole system rather than one fix at a time, grab the free book at FillYourSchool.com, or call or text 1-720-256-0208 and ask Bob Dunne about a free evaluation of your school.

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