{"id":5249,"date":"2023-02-22T11:16:55","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T11:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privyr.com\/blog\/?p=5249"},"modified":"2023-03-16T09:32:36","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T09:32:36","slug":"the-10-second-rule-of-messaging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privyr.com\/blog\/the-10-second-rule-of-messaging\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting ignored by your leads? Here\u2019s how to avoid it with the 10-Second Rule of Messaging."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Messaging a friend and getting ignored? Fine, life goes on. Messaging a potential customer<\/em> for the first time and getting ignored? Your heart hurts, your head hurts, your bottom line hurts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever been in a situation where you\u2019re excited about receiving a bunch of new leads for your business\u2026 Only for that excitement to turn into frustration when you realise that almost none of them are responding to your messages? Well, you\u2019re not alone. Salespeople everywhere are asking themselves: Are all of these just plain bad leads?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my experience, it\u2019s better to ask whether the first message you send to your new leads actually prevents them from replying<\/strong>. This is where the 10-second rule of messaging comes in. Once you know it, you can start turning cold shoulders into meaningful conversations that eventually turn into more sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the 10-Second Rule?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 10-second rule is simple. If your prospect can read <\/strong>and<\/em><\/strong> reply to your message within 10 seconds, they\u2019ll respond now. If it takes longer than 10 seconds, they\u2019ll reply \u201clater\u201d (which usually means never).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s crucial to stick to this rule in the first message you send because you\u2019re still a stranger to the prospect at this point. Busy prospects are often mistaken for bad leads. But the truth is, most people aren\u2019t going to prioritise responding to a text message from a stranger. You\u2019ll be facing tough competition from their mom, their boss, and their friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, what you can <\/em>do is to make it extremely easy and convenient for them to respond to your first message<\/strong>. You just need them to reply \u201cOk\u201d or give you a thumbs up \ud83d\udc4d. Once you establish this initial connection, you\u2019ll find it much easier to continue the conversation, share more about your products or services, and get acquainted with the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the 10-second rule helps you connect with prospects who would otherwise forget about you because they have other things to do. They could be cooking for their families, waiting for the elevator, or standing in line for coffee. They often check their text messages in short pockets of time, so make it easy for them to reply to you right away. Only then will they engage with you immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common mistakes that break the 10-Second Rule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When reaching out to your leads for the first time, you should avoid these common mistakes that break the 10-second rule and ruin your chances of getting a response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Sending a first message that\u2019s too long. <\/strong>If you send a wall of text that requires lots of focus and attention to even comprehend, your leads aren\u2019t going to bother reading it – especially if they\u2019re busy (which is always). You should keep your first message short. How short? It should take up less than half of your phone\u2019s screen. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Asking difficult questions or too many questions.<\/strong> Thinking takes time, and questions that require thinking take even more time\u2026 time that your leads probably don\u2019t want to spend right now. <\/strong>The more they need to think to answer your question(s), the more likely they\u2019ll be to give up and reply \u201clater\u201d, aka never. The solution? Ask a simple yes\/no question that\u2019s so easy to answer, you already know they\u2019ll say \u201cyes\u201d (or give a \ud83d\udc4d).  <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Including links and attachments in your first outreach. <\/strong>Your leads have no idea what they\u2019ll see once they click – it could be a 25-page brochure, a 10-minute video, or a website with tons of details. Not only will they need more than 10 seconds to go through everything, they might also be paralysed by all the information given. Moreover, in popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and iMessage, your links may not even be clickable if you\u2019re texting them and haven\u2019t received a response yet.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        But what if you need <\/em>to send all of this information to your lead?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        I mean, why leave out any important information that will encourage your leads to convert, right? Shouldn\u2019t you send  them all the brochures and details as soon as possible? Of course, it\u2019s completely fine to share further details on your products or services. However, it\u2019s not something you should do in the first message.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Remember that the 10-second rule is not <\/strong>about making a sale in your first interaction with a prospect. It\u2019s about increasing your chances of getting a reply the first time you reach out to them<\/strong>. Once they respond, you\u2019ll have a conversation going and can then proceed to your tried-and-tested sales pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        By keeping your outreach simple and easy to respond to, you\u2019ll realise that you don\u2019t have bad leads after all. Just busy people who will still take 10 seconds out of their hectic day to engage with you, if you make it easy enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Busy prospects are often mistaken for bad leads. The 10-second rule helps you turn cold shoulders into two-way conversations that bring in more sales.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[469,417,418],"yoast_head":"\nGetting ignored by your leads? Here\u2019s how to avoid it with the 10-Second Rule of Messaging. - Privyr Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Leads not replying to your messages? 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