How much money do you lose by calling leads late? The formula and an example
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
Here is how to work out what calling leads late costs: monthly leads × (share reached when calling fast − share reached when calling late) × share of those reached who buy × profit per sale. For example, a car dealer with 400 leads a month, 70% and 45% reached, 5% buying and 3 million so‘m profit loses about 15 million so‘m a month to the delay. Measure the shares yourself from the times in your CRM. If an AI operator makes the fast calls, you pay only for talked minutes.
Why a late call costs money
Someone who just left a request is interested right now: phone in hand, question in mind. A few hours later they are at work, on the road, or have already talked to another company. The delay shows in two places: fewer people pick up, and fewer of those who do end up buying. No report shows this loss as a line of its own, so you need a formula to find it.
The formula and an example
Loss = leads × (share reached when fast − share reached when late) × sale share × profit per sale.
For example, the Yo‘ldosh Avto dealer gets 400 requests a month from its website, and the profit from one car is 3 million so‘m. These numbers are only an example; the shares differ in every business:
| First call | Reached | Talked to | Sales (5%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Within 5 minutes | 70% | 280 | 14 |
| After 3 hours | 45% | 180 | 9 |
| Difference | 25% | 100 | 5 × 3 million = 15 million so‘m |
That’s only the gap in reaching people. If fewer of those reached late also buy, the loss is bigger still.
How to measure your own numbers
- Export a month of leads from your CRM, with the request time and the time of the first call.
- For each lead, work out the delay: first call time − request time.
- Split the leads into groups: up to 5 minutes, 5–60 minutes, 1–24 hours, next day or later.
- In each group, count how many were reached and how many bought.
- Look separately at leads during working hours and those in the evening or at weekends: they usually wait longest.
- Put the difference between the groups into the formula.
Why leads end up waiting
- The manager is on another call or in a meeting.
- The request came in the evening or on Sunday, and everyone is at home.
- Requests arrive in different places: website, Instagram, lead forms, Telegram, and nobody sees them all at once.
- Nobody is assigned to call: everyone assumes someone else will.
The fix is simple: every request should land in one place, with one owner who calls at once, a person or an AI operator. Write down who that is and check the delay every week.
What a call one minute after the request sounds like
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, this is Malika from Yo‘ldosh Avto. You’ve just left a request about the new sedan on our website, is that right?
Caller: Yes, just now. That was quick!
Sado: Are you thinking of paying in cash or in instalments?
Caller: Instalments, I’d say.
Sado: I see, our manager will explain the terms in detail. Would you like to see the car and take a test drive first? Tomorrow or Saturday?
Caller: Saturday afternoon.
Sado: Fine, you’re booked for a test drive on Saturday at three. The manager will call you tomorrow about the instalments.
With Sado’s AI outbound calls the AI operator calls each new request from your website, Instagram or lead form right away, asks your questions and books a test drive or a meeting. You set the calling hours. More for car dealers: AI operator for car dealers.
The example’s 280 two-minute conversations: 280 × 2 × 800 = 448,000 so‘m, no monthly fee: Sado pricing. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
How quickly should I call a lead?
As fast as you can, within minutes of the request. Measure what each extra hour costs with your own numbers, using the steps above.
What about requests that come in at night?
You set the calling hours, for example 09:00–21:00. Keep requests that arrive outside those hours on a separate list and contact them first thing in the morning.
Isn’t calling that fast expensive?
With Sado you pay only for talked minutes, and a number that doesn’t answer costs nothing. It is usually far cheaper than the lost sales, but compare with your own numbers.