Once your storm campaign has been launched and leads start coming in, you may be wondering how to respond effectively. Storm campaign leads are highly qualified and self-selected, but they may require a slightly different approach than typical retail leads.
The guidelines below explain our recommendations for handling storm campaign leads effectively.
Recognize What Makes Storm Leads Unique
Before you respond to any storm campaign lead, it's important to understand how these leads differ from traditional quote form submissions, chatbot interactions, or other types of online leads that your company may typically receive.
When a person requests an extreme weather/storm report, you'll immediately know that this person meets 4 key criteria:
- Falls within the specific wind/hail/storm swath and geographic area that you selected
- Has been identified as a homeowner who meets certain specified demographics
- Has seen and interacted with your company's storm ads on Facebook
- Has shown interest in learning how recent weather has affected their home
These 4 traits are what make storm campaign leads such a valuable opportunity for your business. You'll know right away that the homeowner has been affected by weather, is engaged enough to fill out a form, and is generally aware of the problem of extreme weather hitting their home.
Although the homeowner has expressed clear interest by requesting a storm damage report, it's critical to remember that they have not yet requested an appointment. Also, they may or may not remember that it was your company that provided the weather report. You should approach the homeowner with a conversational tone and not expect them to be ready to set up a quote or appointment immediately (although they might be!).
How to Respond to Storm Campaign Leads Step by Step
1. Call the Homeowner Quickly
When a storm campaign lead comes in, try to call the homeowner within 30 minutes of the lead submission. By acting quickly, you'll be contacting the homeowner when your storm ad is still top-of-mind.
Save a PSAI shortcut to your phone's home screen for quicker access.
You can very quickly find the lead's phone number by going to your PSAI Com Portal, clicking on the lead to see the lead's summary page, and viewing the "Contact" tab that appears. (Since the lead has just come in, he or she will likely be at the top of the lead queue—but you can also use the search bar or filter to find a specific lead easily.)
Having trouble responding quickly? Make sure that you've set the right notifications for your storm campaign. You can add up to 3 phone numbers for SMS notifications and unlimited email addresses for email notifications, making sure that the right staff member gets instant notifications and can follow up in a timely manner.
Learn more about setting and changing lead notifications here.
2. Take Advantage of the Com Portal
When you call the homeowner, be sure to have your PSAI Com Portal open to their lead page. In addition to providing key contact information, the Com Portal summarizes everything you need to know before approaching that lead.
Lead Summary Information
From the lead's detailed information as shown above, you'll get a helpful snapshot of all relevant information:
- Home address and contact information
- The specific extreme weather report generated for this lead
- Any previous chat or SMS communications
- Any uploaded files sent to or from the homeowner
From the right-hand toolbar, click "Map Address" to view a Google Map street view of the property. This can give you great insight into the style and age of home as well as general demographics of the neighborhood.
Predictive Technology
For even more information within your Com Portal, get a Predictive Portrait and Predictive Match Index (PMI) for the lead.
By doing so, you'll instantly receive a summary of detailed psychographics, household information, and a list of recent weather events that have touched that home. You can use these details to establish a friendly rapport and guide your conversation.
Take the power of predictive technology one step further by using it to guide your choice of product, message, and/or sales rep. For example, maybe you pair a certain homeowner with a certain rep based on probability of good rapport; maybe you encourage a more premium product for homeowners within a certain age, demographic, or lifestyle.
3. Follow a Script for the Call
When you call the homeowner, try relying on an outline or a basic script to make sure the most important points are covered. Take a friendly, conversational tone that focuses on providing helpful information.
Remember—the homeowner is likely still in the "interest" stage and wants to learn about the impact of weather on their home. You can gently guide the homeowner toward scheduling an appointment with your company, but keep a casual and informational tone throughout.
Jump down to the suggested storm campaign script below to get a good idea of how to lead the conversation.
4. If No Answer, Send an Email
If the homeowner has not answered your call, leave a voicemail and send a follow-up email that presents a summary of key information. Be sure to explain that your company provided the extreme weather report that the homeowner requested. (As much as possible, avoid using the exact same language in your voicemail and email, but do provide the the same key information.)
Again, you can easily find all contact information, including the email address, within your Com Portal. It takes only a few clicks.
5. Follow Up Daily
If there's no response to your email or phone call, continue following up with a daily phone call to the homeowner.
Depending on your workflow, you could even use the "Notes" tab to keep track of your follow-up efforts and any response you get from the homeowner. Remember, these notes are private and only viewable to your team.
Suggested Script for Storm Campaign Leads
You can start with the script provided below, but be sure to personalize it to fit your company's brand personality and core messaging.
What If the Lead Doesn't Follow Through?
Even though storm campaign leads are definitely interested in extreme weather events that have affected their homes, not every lead will end up following through and scheduling an appointment with your company. If the homeowner does not respond to your follow-up phone calls or emails (or declines to schedule an appointment at this time), their contact information, storm report, and all previous interactions will be saved within your Com Portal.
In the future, you can easily add these homeowners to a rehash program to attempt to get the most value out of your storm campaign leads.