How many quotes did you build in the last 30 days?
How many closed?
If you’re like most outdoor living owners I talk to, it was 2-3% of them. One owner said it straight:
90% is just a huge waste of work and will never buy.
That’s the real cost of peak season.
Not too few leads… but too many of the wrong ones.
But then again… there is no way possible that you generate leads but don’t get sales.
You know how this goes… An hour on a quote for someone “just getting ideas for next year.” Another for someone whose budget is half the job. Another for a price shopper who emailed ten other firms and will buy from none of them.
And the one buyer who actually liked you, the product, and was ready?
They most likely got a price from a faster firm.
As one CEO told me:
Sometimes we call the client within 48 hours and they’ve already bought from someone else.
You lose most of the fish by the time the bait hits the water.
You can’t fix this with more leads… although getting more leads will increase your chance to also get some good ones.
The solution to this is to let your website send the wrong people home before they ever land on your desk.
And today I’m gonna show you how…
Add friction on purpose#
When people want something from you (aka the price/quote), you have a chance to make them do a little work before they can reach you.
When someone has to pick the design of the product, choose their options, and see it before they hit that submit button to get a price quote… 3 things happen.
- You get a lot of leads (and I mean a lot… 300-400 per month)
- Some of those leads are good quality
- Our system tells you exactly who that is
So the whole job of your website is to add enough friction to the process that filters out window shoppers, while delighting your true buyers with the experience they didn’t expect.
Two questions that tell you who’s real#
To do this on a contact form you can ask your IT guy/agency to add extra fields on the form:
1. “Is there a date you want this finished by?”
A real buyer almost always has one… summer party, wedding, before the cold…
The ones who say “no rush, just looking” are telling you the truth.
No deadline means no decision… and after 160+ of these businesses, I can tell you the date matters more than the pain. People live with the pain… but always act on deadlines.
2. “Roughly what are you looking to invest?”
Give them ranges in a dropdown so it’s easy to answer. You’re not selling on price here. You’re making sure the right options go to the right person, and that your Saturday doesn’t go to someone who was never in your range.
Now you know who’s who.
Real date and a real budget? That’s your call in the next 10 minutes. Be the first to reach out and quote… because the first to quote wins. 78% of the time.
Don’t have a date, lowest range? Create some automation or AI to follow up to keep them warm. Spend 0 minutes on them until they heat up.
Peak season is here.
Your time is the one thing you can’t make more of.
Spend it on the buyers who are ready, and let your website sort the rest before it ever reaches you.
If you want to see what that looks like for your business, book a call.