Do you feel like you're doing everything right — driving traffic, getting leads, booking prospect calls — but you're still not getting the clients you want?
You're not alone. For many exit planning practices, the main problem isn’t lack of leads, it’s converting the leads they have into engaged clients. And conversion hinges on having the right follow-up.
Too often, good leads go cold because follow-up is inconsistent, delayed, or just plain forgotten. If your team is relying on manual follow-up, it’s impossible to keep up as the practice grows, and leads start slipping through the cracks.
The good news is that with the right CRM software that includes automation features, you can transform your follow-up game, ensuring that every lead is nurtured properly and nothing falls through the cracks.
Let’s break down the most common follow-up mistakes and how a marketing automation platform like Keap can help solve them.
Mistake #1: Not Capturing Leads Right Away
Whether someone visits your website, chats with you at an event, or walks into your office, don’t count on them to follow up with you later. (Even if they say they’re super interested and will definitely be reaching out.)
You need a system that immediately captures their name, email, and phone number. If they’re on the fence, send them something they find valuable, like a guide, checklist, or discount, in exchange for their info.
With marketing automation software powering your exit planning practice CRM, you can automatically add new contacts to your database and trigger follow-up automatically.
Mistake #2: Relying on Manual Follow-Up for New Leads
Many practices still rely on a person to manually send welcome emails to new prospects. However, that delays your response, and in some industries, whoever responds first wins the customer’s business, which, for a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), means losing the opportunity to connect with a business owner.
Instead, set up automation that immediately sends a personalized message the moment a lead enters your CRM.
Better yet, use automation to ask a few qualifying questions, segment the lead, and encourage them to book a call if appropriate.
The beauty of a good marketing automation platform is that it responds faster than a person can and frees them from the task altogether, so they can devote more time to client conversations.
Mistake #3: No Automated Nurture Sequence
If your only follow-up strategy is “call them a few times,” you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
Not all leads are ready to engage right away, but that doesn’t mean they’re not interested. Research shows that 80% of deals need between 5 to 12 contact attempts before closing.1
Use a short-term nurture sequence to engage new business owner leads and move the ones who are ready into a deeper conversation.
For those who don’t engage right away, move them into a long-term nurture that builds the relationship until they’re ready to facilitate their exit with a CEPA.
When you have automated nurture sequences up and running in your marketing automation platform, you can keep your practice top of mind without overwhelming your team or your leads.
Mistake #4: Not Segmenting or Qualifying Leads
Not all leads are created equal. Some are ready to engage today, others are just gathering information. They’re all valuable, just at different times. Make the most of both using marketing automation software integrated with your CRM.
Use your intake form or welcome email to learn about each business owner client's needs and tag them in your CRM system accordingly. That way, your automation can send targeted messaging, and your team knows who to follow up with personally.
For example, a prospect who clicks a “Schedule a Demo” link is probably warmer than someone who downloads an e-book. Either way, you’re not guessing – you’re responding based on the prospect’s behavior.
Mistake #5: Working Leads in the Wrong Order
Most businesses work leads in chronological order, meaning first in, first called. But that’s not the most effective approach.
A smarter way is to work them in priority order based on readiness to engage.
With proper lead tagging and automation in place, your small business CRM can show you which leads are engaging with your emails, clicking links, or requesting info – clear signs they’re ready to move forward. These should go to the top of your follow-up list.
Mistake #6: Letting the Personal Touch Fall Away
Automation is powerful but should enhance your relationships, not replace them.
If you’re already using automation for your follow-up, make sure you’re also utilizing personalization in the messages and connecting leads to your team members at the right times.
Once your automation identifies high-intent leads, it’s time to reach out personally. Your CRM should make it easy to assign follow-up tasks, schedule calls, and send 1:1 messages via email or text.
The goal? Let automation do the heavy lifting, so you can focus on building real connections.
Mistake #7: Using a CRM Without Automation
Here’s the biggest mistake of all: using a CRM that doesn’t include automation. Everything we’ve described above requires a CRM that includes marketing automation software.
Manual CRMs are basically fancy address books. You’re still stuck chasing leads, sending follow-ups one at a time, and losing clients because you can’t move fast enough.
That’s why we built Keap – a complete CRM for small businesses and exit planning practices that combines automation, a sales pipeline, appointments, email, text messaging, and task management, all in one place.
No more leads slipping through the cracks. No more forgetting to follow up. Just consistent, effective communication that converts leads into customers.
Ready to Turn More Leads Into Clients?
If you’re serious about growing your exit planning practice, you can’t afford to rely only on manual follow-up.
With Keap’s small business marketing automation software, you can follow up faster, more consistently, and more strategically, which ultimately leads to more clients.
See a demo of Keap today.
Reference
14 Sales Follow-Up Statistics for Pipeline Success in 2025 by Qwilr
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