Warm leads are people who have already made a move toward you. A comment, a message, a question at the end of a talk. These people are not waiting for you to convince them. Instead, they are waiting for you to reply.

Ten days ago, we made a decision at Meriaky: no more writing to strangers while warm leads are waiting. Here is why, and what it changes in a working week.

Warm leads: the definition that changes your list

Warm leads are not people who match your target. They are people who moved. The difference looks small. However, it reshapes your whole list for the week.

Take two people. The first runs a service business with ten employees, exactly your ideal client. But she has never heard of you. The second runs a smaller business, less obvious on paper. On the other hand, she commented on your latest post and asked a question.

So the second one belongs with your warm leads, not the first. According to RAIN Group, it takes an average of eight touchpoints to get a first meeting with a new prospect, and top performers do it in five. With someone who has already raised a hand, several of those touchpoints are already done.

The signs that never lie

Warm leads leave traces. Those traces are visible, as long as you look at them every day rather than once a month.

  • They commented on or reacted to one of your posts, twice rather than once.
  • A message came in from them, even a short one, even an off-topic question.
  • After a talk, they stayed behind to chat.
  • A client recommended them, or they mentioned your name to someone.
  • They filled out a form, downloaded a document or replied to a newsletter.

In fact, the last point is the one small businesses miss most. Someone replies to an automated email, and nobody sees it, because the reply lands in an inbox nobody watches.

What we saw at a talk for twenty-two people

The turning point came after a talk in front of twenty-two business owners. A full room, when the organizers expected ten or fifteen. But the number is not what struck us.

During the session, two clients shared their experience without anyone asking. Then several people who were hesitating came to see us. A peer’s story had done what our talk alone never could.

Hands warming a cup in front of a fireplace, the image of warm leads you keep warm

Over the following days, those people reacted to our posts, sent messages and asked precise questions. In other words, they had become warm leads. Meanwhile, we kept writing to strangers. That no longer made any sense.

How to talk to warm leads

With warm leads, you reply. You do not sell. That nuance makes all the difference between a conversation and an ignored message.

First, reply fast, the same day. Interest cools down as fast as a coffee forgotten on a desk. Then, reply to their move: thank them for the comment, pick up their question, ask what brought them there. Finally, suggest a call only if the conversation justifies it.

For example, someone comments that this is exactly their problem, under a post about forgotten follow-ups. The reply is not a link to your offer. It is a question: how many quotes are sitting unanswered on your side right now? That is the start of a conversation, the kind we describe in our article on how to follow up with prospects who went quiet.

Where the time goes when you flip the order

When you put warm leads first, your week changes shape. Fewer messages sent, more real conversations.

Concretely, every morning, we first look at who moved: reactions, comments, replies, referrals. Those people get an answer before noon. Then, only if time is left, we open the list of strangers.

However, this requires seeing the moves. A reaction on a social network, a reply to an email, a completed form: these signals arrive in four different tools. So the real building block is the one that gathers them in one place every morning. Without it, warm leads cool down before anyone has seen them.

Ask yourself this question this morning

How many people made a move toward you this week without getting a reply? Each of them is one of your warm leads going cold.

And if you want those moves to land in one place every morning, write to us.

Frequently asked questions

What are warm leads, concretely?

Warm leads are people who have already made a move toward you: a comment, a message, a question after a talk, a referral from a client. They already know you a little, and they have shown interest.

How do you talk to warm leads without being pushy?

Reply to their move, not to your need to sell. Thank them, ask a question about their situation, and suggest a call only if it makes sense. The message goes out the same day, while the interest is still there.

Should you stop cold outreach completely?

Not necessarily, but it comes second. As long as warm leads are waiting for a reply, every hour spent writing to strangers is an hour taken from people who already raised a hand.

Terry Vilver, co-founder of Meriaky

About the author

Terry Vilver · Co-founder of Meriaky

A computer engineer with 5 years of experience between EDF (France’s national electricity provider) and Meriaky. At EDF, he built a ticketing system that automatically assigns customer files to the right operators. For the past 2 years at Meriaky, he has been helping small business owners free themselves from repetitive tasks: client follow-up runs automatically, and they save time and money.

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