Have you ever wondered if your inquiry process is clunky, fun, or personalized enough?
Same… Until recently.
Today, we’re going to talk about what has worked for us and how, after years of doing it manually, we finally have systems and automations in place that we absolutely love.
1. Someone Inquires On Our Website
Step 1: someone inquires on our website via our contact page. We created a personalized inquiry form to capture the information we need to have a good idea of who we’re dealing with.
You don’t want the inquiry form to be too lengthy, or someone might decide it’s not worth their time to fill it out. It’s a balance between informative and quick.
We ask what services they’re interested in, their biggest struggle right now, and a few details about them (name, email, website, etc.)
We also include a fun optional question: “Tell us about your furry (or non-furry) sidekicks!” It’s a simple way to add our brand voice and gives us something to reference in the discovery call.
If someone inquires from somewhere else (like Instagram, email, etc.), we just skip everything we’re about to talk about and send them our investment guide along with our scheduling link.
2. Email Sequence Kicks In
We built an email sequence in Dubsado that starts as soon as they click Submit on the inquiry form.
Here are the 4 automated emails we send (gifs included, duh):
- We got your inquiry
- First email: Chat with Duo
- 2-day follow-up (reminder to book a call)
- 5-day follow-up (if they don’t book a call)
We love the automated features in Dubsado, but we usually send a personalized email sometime after the first email and before the last email.
This shows that we are true humans behind the brand and that we do really care about them trusting us enough to inquire about working with us.
Never heard of Dubsado? It’s one of our go-to tools to manage our business. Listen to episode #108 to find out if it’s the right client management tool for you.
3. Call Booked, Time to Research
The potential client books a call. Now what? We do a little research on our end to learn more about their business and brand before meeting.
We either know or want to find out:
- What do they offer and specialize in?
- Why did they start this business?
- What are their pain points that we can help solve?
We find a way to make a connection with them right away to make the call more personal and show that we did our research.
- Do they have a large dog too? Talk about it.
- Are they obsessed with coffee just like us? Bring it up.
4. Meeting Day
It’s time to meet with our potential new client. They join our personalized Zoom page (which is a website page you probably didn’t know you needed!)
In the call, we take them through our investment guide. We talk about our services based on the information they gave us in the inquiry. Remember, we asked them for specific details so we know as much as we can going into it. If they’re inquiring about branding, we’ll only go through the branding packages.
If you aren’t super confident in discovery calls, follow these sales tips:
- Listen first.
- Apply your proposal to their pain points.
- Share relevant examples.
- Walk them through “what happens next.”
- Don’t ask if they want a proposal. Tell them when you’re going to send it.
5. After The Call
Right after the call, we send the client a proposal based on the package they’re interested in. It’s rare that we NEVER send a proposal following a call.
This is also done through Dubsado. We have a workflow and templates set up where we just have to edit a few small details to make it personalized, then we can send it off to the client. It doesn’t take more than 10 minutes.
Here’s what a typical inquiry process looks like after the call:
- Proposal > contract > retainer > project starts!
Optimize Your Inquiry Process
Making the inquiry process as smooth and personalized as possible, while still maintaining some automation to save your sanity, is one way to book more clients. We’d much rather book with someone who has a seamless process rather than someone who has a messy, uncoordinated inquiry process.
With an inside look at our workflow, hopefully you can optimize yours! Are you missing some automated emails? Are you not doing research before your discovery call?
Look for gaps and see if you can implement some automated processes or if it requires your human touch.
FAQs About Your Inquiry Process
Ideally, within 24 business hours or sooner if possible. Quick responses build trust and significantly increase the likelihood of converting an inquiry into a booked client.
Strategic, personalized questions and clear messaging help pre-qualify leads before you ever hop on a call. This filters out red flag inquiries and ensures you’re spending time on people who are truly a good fit.
Parts of it can be automated, but it should still feel human. The best inquiry processes blend automation with personalization so leads feel supported, not like they’re talking to a robot.
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Abbey Oslin and Courtney Petersen are Minnesota-based marketing experts with over 20+ years of combined experience working with big brands. They are educators and co-founders of Duo Collective; a boutique organic marketing agency specializing in SEO, branding, and custom websites for women-led small businesses and creative entrepreneurs.
Ready to grow your visibility and become unforgettable?
Learn more or work with our team here.
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