I ve spent the last few years working closely with sales teams, and one thing never changes, we often start talking too soon.
A potential customer shares one small detail, and we immediately jump into explaining, pitching, or convincing. But the truth is: most people don t need more information, they just need to feel understood. When we slow down and listen really listen the conversation changes completely. They open up. They tell you what s actually holding them back. And suddenly, closing the deal isn t about persuasion anymore, it s about alignment.
According to Harvard Business Review s classic study The Short Life of Online Sales Leads , companies that try to contact a new lead within the first hour are nearly 7 more likely to qualify that lead than those that wait an hour longer and more than 60 more likely than those that wait 24 hours or more.
Yet the same study found that the average response time (among companies that even responded) was 42 hours.
That gap is wild. Teams are spending heavily on ads and lead generation, but missing the golden moment when a potential customer is most focused.
So I m curious how fast does your team respond to new inbound leads?
Hi Everyone!! I ve met people who could sell anything from day one. They just understand people. They know when to talk, when to listen and somehow they always say the right thing.
I ve also worked with people who started out really quiet. No confidence, no experience, just a willingness to learn. And over time they became some of the best salespeople I ve met.
We re the Leadport AI team, and we re excited to share what we ve been building an AI-powered platform that helps sales teams instantly connect with new leads and never miss a golden moment.