The Conversion Advantage: Why Small Actions Close More Leads Than Big Strategies

By Christie Slaton Zgourides

In the lead-to-sale conversion race, businesses can get trapped obsessing over funnels, KPI, pipeline velocity, and the latest trendy strategies. Meanwhile, they often ignore the simplest and lowest-cost measures that turn prospective customers into paying clients. Tracking data and having quantifiable information are, of course, necessary for business, but the basics should not be lost in the process.

Success Begins With An Effective Online Presence Imagine someone posts a request on social media for floor cleaning, the business is tagged, and the poster, impressed with the referrals, positive Google reviews, and the company’s website, decides to call or text the company. In this scenario, the business has done the foundational work to present itself as local and reliable – a crucial step for success, as potential customers, primarily women, search for business services online via social media, and they expect a strong, positive online presence. All points of the business should have the same level of professionalism. It does little good to have a professional website, then use a bathroom selfie as your phone profile picture.

The Conversion Advantage: Showing Up Rather Than Marketing

Small businesses using the local, personal touch can compete and beat big companies because:

            • They arrive pre-trusted (someone else said their name)

            • They arrive with a pain point already active

            • They arrive in a public space where tone and speed are visible

So the “conversion advantage” comes from how you show up, not from marketing sophistication.

General Social Media Leads Vs. Recommendation-Based Leads While social media leads that come with recommendations provide a higher conversion rate, they are still not guaranteed sales. Average conversion rates for social media leads without recommendations are approximately 1.5-2.5%. By contrast, public recommendation-based services, such as the done-for-you service SMLF provides, yield significantly higher conversion rates – assuming the business responds effectively. Conversion rates vary by industry, but conversion is approximately four times higher for recommendation-based leads. For neighborhood threads, such as Nextdoor, the typical lead-to-sale conversion is 20%-50%, depending on the industry. Andrea Garza, co-owner of SMLF and owner of Revive Cleaning Crew, is seeing these results. Conversion rates vary, but it’s typical for her company to be tagged on 15-20 posts per week and close 5-7 of those leads. That’s a conversion rate from 25%-46% with an average of 34%. Clearly, far more effective than other social media or marketing strategies.

How Businesses Achieve High Conversion With Recommendation-Based Leads

An early adopter of recommendation-based leads, Andrea offers simple, practical advice for getting results. While some of these tips might seem obvious, many businesses ignore or bungle them.

1. Respond promptly: Prospective customers reach out because they saw your name recommended in a social media thread — maybe by neighbors, community members, or a local moms’ group. Most will message you directly through the app, though some may call or text. Either way, they’re expecting a prompt reply. The most effective response window is typically within 5–30 minutes.

2. Ask for their phone number: If the initial contact is through a social media direct message, Andrea recommends saying, “I’d like to assist you with this. What’s a good phone number for you?” Establishing that right away creates a stronger connection and makes it easier to communicate with them directly.

3. Determine the service they need and why they need it: Ask prospective customers what services they want or need, and what their timeline is, but don’t stop there. For many services, such as air duct cleaning, it may be more important to know why they want the service. What are they noticing in their home that makes them want to get this done? The specific questions at this point will vary by trade or service, but in many cases, it is critical to know the why and understand the full circumstances that led them to contact you. Knowing the why can be the most critical step. In the case of air duct cleaning, whether they have dust from remodeling or are concerned about mold, it changes the type and cost of the service. Ensuring you have all the relevant information upfront creates a more professional presentation and builds trust. It reduces the need to change the plan after it is started, which can increase frustration or reduce client trust.

Use Structured, Low-Pressure Follow-Up That Guides (Not Chases) the Customer

Following up on the initial conversation is, of course, critical, and this is another point where businesses can kill a great lead. Andrea shared examples of when she has been seeking services and received messages that were “creepy,” such as a plumber texting after 9:00 pm and saying, “Hey.” While this language and timing are acceptable when messaging someone you know, in a business lead context, the texter comes across as a cringy, unsafe person. Businesses need to remember that the majority of people seeking services on social media are women. If an unprofessional or “creepy” response makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe, they will take their business elsewhere. Use confidence-based, permission-led follow-up: offer clear next steps and simple choices, and then let the customer decide. It shows respect, reduces pressure, and still moves the sale forward – an approach that all customers will appreciate.

1. Beware Of The Tone Difference:  

A creepy follow-up is vague, needy, hovering, ignores boundaries, and is often characterized by repeated “just checking in” messages.

Conversely, a confident follow-up is clear, concise, respectful, provides options, and ends the loop cleanly.

Creepy says, “just checking in…”

Confident says, “Here are two easy next steps — take whichever works best.”

2. Use These Practical Guidelines

Instead of saying “follow up”:

            • Offer two specific time slots for the next step

            “I have 2:00 or 4:30 today — either work for you?”

            • Confirm how they prefer to communicate

            “Would you like to confirm by text, message, or phone?”

            • Ask one decisive question

            “Should we schedule this now, or would next week be better?”

These are decisive, adult-to-adult, non-chasing strategies that respect the time, space, and decision process of all customers.  

The Bottom Line

With recommendation-based leads, potential clients have already chosen to reach out and are ready to make a purchase. You are starting from an advantage, and your job is not to mess that up. No business closes all leads, but having a strong, professional response strategy will yield high conversion rates.