Business By Hormozi #295: The Secret to Business Growth: Fix What Happens When the Phone Rings

The Unseen Pitfall

Samantha had been running her own small marketing agency for years. She prided herself on getting results for her clients, and she knew that having a steady stream of leads was critical for growth. She had heard time and time again from other business owners that getting more leads was the key to success, so she focused all her efforts on lead generation.

She spent hours crafting ads, optimizing her website, and purchasing software to track her potential clients. But despite her best efforts, the business wasn’t growing as fast as she had hoped. Something felt off.

One day, her friend Marcus, who had been in business for much longer, took her out for lunch. Samantha poured her frustrations out to him, explaining how she was pouring money and energy into getting more leads but not seeing the growth she expected.

Marcus listened patiently, then said something that stopped Samantha in her tracks.

"Most businesses obsess over getting more leads when they haven't even fixed what happens when the phone rings."

Samantha was taken aback. What did Marcus mean? She had been so focused on attracting new customers, yet she hadn’t even considered how the current leads were being handled.

The Phone Call Test When Phone Rings

Later that week, Samantha decided to run a little test. She called her business’s contact number from her personal phone to experience the process from a client’s perspective.

The phone rang, and a receptionist picked up. However, the call was a bit chaotic—she had to wait on hold, and when someone finally answered, they didn’t seem very prepared to answer her questions. Samantha immediately felt frustrated. She realized that the experience her clients were having when they called was far from ideal.

She had never truly considered the importance of this interaction. She had been so focused on attracting new leads, but she had never thought about what happened after someone actually reached out.

The Fix

Samantha quickly got to work fixing what happened when the phone rang. First, she made sure there was a dedicated, trained team member to handle client calls. She implemented a call-tracking system to measure response times and customer satisfaction. She created scripts for the team to follow so every client received a consistent and professional experience.

She also made sure to follow up with clients after their calls to ensure they had their questions answered and were satisfied with the service. She even added an option for clients to schedule calls at their convenience, which was a huge hit.

Samantha was amazed at the difference this made. Leads that were once lost due to poor follow-up or lack of clarity were now converting into paying clients. The phone calls were no longer an afterthought—they became an integral part of her business’s growth strategy.

The Lesson Learned

Samantha's lesson was clear: focusing on generating more leads without fixing what happens when the phone rings is a recipe for wasted effort. You can bring in as many leads as you want, but if you’re not prepared to handle them properly, you’ll lose them just as quickly.

Marcus had been right. Fixing the process when the phone rings was the real key to business growth. Once Samantha optimized this, she saw a significant improvement in conversion rates and customer satisfaction. Her business didn’t just grow from more leads—it thrived because she took care of the leads she already had.

The Moral of the Story

Samantha’s experience highlighted a crucial business truth: getting more leads won’t matter if you don’t have a solid system in place to handle them effectively. If you’re not careful, your leads will slip through the cracks, and no amount of advertising can fix that.

Moral: "Most businesses obsess over getting more leads when they haven’t even fixed what happens when the phone rings."