ProblemSales
Why do people enquire and then not buy?
Enquiries that go quiet are not a marketing failure. Something happens between the first message and the money, and it can be found.
Enquiries are lost in five places: the reply is slow, the reply gives a price and nothing else, the wrong people were attracted in the first place, paying or booking is awkward, or nobody follows up. Go through one week of chats and note where each conversation stopped. The step where most of them stop is the one to fix first.
What you see, and what it usually means
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| They ask the price, you answer, they vanish | The reply was only a number, or the price was a surprise. |
| They were keen, and replied to nobody after a day | The first answer came too late. They bought elsewhere. |
| Many ask, few could ever afford it | The adverts or posts attract the wrong people. |
| They say “I will come” and do not | No booking, no deposit, no reminder. |
| They were ready and gave up | Paying, ordering or finding you was too awkward. |
What you can do yourself
These cost nothing but time.
Count one week
Go through last week's enquiries. For each, note where it ended: no reply from you, no reply from them after the price, said yes and did not come, or bought.
Measure your reply time
Write down how long each first reply took. Anything over an hour during business hours is costing sales.
Rewrite the price reply
Answer with the price, what it includes, one reason to choose you and one next step: “Shall I book you for Thursday?”
Set up quick replies
In WhatsApp Business, save answers for price, location, hours and how to pay, so replies are fast and consistent.
Follow up once
Message everyone who went quiet after the price, once, the next day. A single polite follow-up recovers some of them.
Make paying easy
State the payment methods you accept in the first reply, and take a booking or a deposit where it fits.
- Most enquiries come from people outside your area or your price range.
- The adverts promise something the business does not deliver.
- Enquiries are fine in number and you still cannot say where they come from.
What we would do
We look at where your enquiries stop, tighten the adverts so they attract people who can buy, and set up the reply and follow-up routine with WhatsApp Business. If the gap is on the sales side and not the marketing side, we say so.
Paid campaigns are planned from your budget, from N$1,499.99. You get a written plan before you pay, and the budget planner shows how any amount is divided. Setting up an enquiry and follow-up system is quoted.
Common questions
Should I put prices in my adverts?
Usually yes, or at least a starting price. It reduces the number of enquiries and raises their quality, which saves your time.
How fast should we reply?
As fast as you can during business hours, and within the hour if possible. Set an automatic away message for the rest, saying when you will answer.
Is it a marketing problem or a sales problem?
If the right people enquire and do not buy, it is a sales problem: reply, price, follow-up. If the wrong people enquire, it is a marketing problem: the audience or the message.
Tell us your budget. We will send back a plan.
Say what you are marketing, who you want to reach and what you can spend. You get a written plan with the channels, the duration and a traffic target before you pay anything.