Best Lead Follow-Up Schedule For B2B Sales

TL;DR: The best B2B lead follow-up schedule contacts new leads within the first hour (24 hours maximum), during business hours of 9 am to 5 pm, with peak response windows at 3:30-5 pm and 8-9 am. Thursday and Wednesday are the strongest follow-up days, while Tuesday is the weakest. Plan on 6-8 follow-up attempts per lead, mixing calls, emails, and SMS so the approach stays fresh.

When it comes to sales, following up with leads is a critical component of the process. But what is the best schedule for lead follow-up for a B2B sales agent? 

Timing is everything, and knowing when and how often to follow up can make all the difference in converting a lead into a customer. 

In this article, we’ll break down the best schedule for lead follow-up, including when to contact leads, the best day to follow up, and the optimal number of follow-up attempts. 

By following these guidelines, you can improve your lead conversion rate and ultimately drive more sales for your business.

Let’s start with a breakdown of the best schedule for lead follow-up for a sales agent selling to B2B organizations.

• When Is The Best Time To Follow Up With Leads?
• What’s The Best Day To Follow Up On Leads?
• Ideal Number Of Lead Follow-Up Attempts

When Is The Best Time To Follow Up With Leads?

The best time to follow up with leads is within the first hour of receiving their contact information. This is when the lead is most likely to remember the interaction and be receptive to further communication. If you’re unable to reach the lead within the first hour, try to follow up within the first 24 hours.

It’s also important to consider the time of day when following up with leads. Avoid calling or emailing outside of normal business hours, as this can be seen as intrusive or unprofessional. The best time to contact leads is during regular business hours, typically between 9 am and 5 pm.

If a lead submits a form or tries to get in contact with you outside of normal business hours, it’s best to send them an automated reply (SMS or email) and then get in touch with them first thing on the next business day.

It can be difficult to remember to follow up with leads who come in at an odd time, or who enter your pipeline when you’re busy during the day. In order to make sure that every lead receives timely follow-up, you can set up workflow automation that will automatically reach out to a new lead (or remind you to do so). Kixie’s automated lead caller, for example, fires a call the moment a new lead lands in your CRM, so the first-touch window doesn’t slip past while reps are on other calls. 

What’s The Best Day To Follow Up On Leads?

According to research from the Harvard Business Review, which reviewed follow-up call data from over 100,000 call attempts, the best day to follow up on leads is Thursday. Wednesday is also a good day to follow up with leads, as it came in 2nd place in Harvard’s study. 

Mondays can be busy for businesses as they catch up on work from the previous week, and Fridays can be slow as people wrap up their work and prepare for the weekend. 

The best time to contact leads on these days is between 3:30-5 pm, with the second best time being from around 8-9 am. Reaching out during these time intervals will maximize your chances of getting a response or a pickup.

Another useful tool for increasing your answer rate on outbound calls is local presence dialing, which dynamically calls out to prospective customers using a local area code to the person you are calling. Kixie’s ConnectionBoost handles this automatically, rotating through local numbers and skipping ones that have been flagged so answer rates stay strong across the Wednesday and Thursday peak windows.

Ideal Number Of Lead Follow-Up Attempts

It’s important to follow up with leads consistently, but also avoid being too aggressive. A general rule of thumb is to follow up with leads at least 6-8 times before considering them unresponsive. This can include a mix of outbound sales calls, emails, and other forms of communication.

Keep in mind that each lead is unique and may require a different number of follow-up attempts before converting. 

It’s also important to vary the messaging and approach with each follow-up attempt to keep things fresh and avoid sounding too repetitive. Kixie’s PowerLists and Team SMS make this easier by letting you build a structured outbound sales cadence that mixes calls, voicemail drops, and texts across all 6-8 attempts without losing track of where each lead sits in the sequence.

Lead Follow-Up Schedule Summary

In conclusion, the best schedule for lead follow-up for a B2B sales agent is to follow up within the first hour or 24 hours at most, contact leads during regular business hours, and follow up consistently 6-8 times before considering them unresponsive. 

Additionally, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days to follow up with leads (and Tuesday is the worst). By implementing these best practices, you can increase your chances of converting leads into customers and ultimately drive more sales for your business. 

If you found this article helpful, consider following Kixie on LinkedIn for more sales information and advice. Plus, check out more articles that may interest you below!

Want to put this schedule into practice with less manual work? Kixie pairs automated lead callers, ConnectionBoost local presence dialing, Team SMS, and PowerLists so reps follow up on time, every time. Book a demo or see Kixie pricing to find the plan that fits your team.