Free download · Template
The lead follow-up CRM
The spreadsheet behind our own lead follow-up: every lead gets six touches, the sheet works out when each one is due, and the row turns red when it is time to call. Works in Google Sheets and Excel.
Why most leads are lost after they arrive
Businesses spend thousands getting leads, then lose them in an inbox. The lead is called once, does not answer, and nobody tries again. In the accounts we run, the businesses that win the most work are not the ones with the cheapest leads. They call back in minutes and keep going until they get an answer.
This is a free version of the system we use for our own enquiries: six touches per lead, on day 0, 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30, with the next one worked out for you.
What is inside
| Date received | When the lead came in. The follow-up dates are worked out from this. |
| Name, phone, email | Who to call. |
| Source | Google Ads, Meta, SEO, Google Business Profile, referral. |
| What they need | The job or service, in their words. |
| Est. value ($) | What the job is worth if you win it. Totals feed the dashboard. |
| Status | New, Contacted, Quoted, Won, Lost or Nurture, from a drop-down. |
| Touch 1 to 6 | Type the date and a few words after each attempt. Day 0, 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30. |
| Next follow-up | Works itself out. The row turns red when it is due. |
| Notes | Anything worth remembering for the next call. |
Plus a dashboard tab (leads, follow-ups due, win rate, value won and leads by source) and a How it works tab with the call-back routine and the first SMS to send.
How to use it
- Download it, then open it in Google Sheets (File, then Save as Google Sheets) or Excel.
- Delete the three sample rows.
- Add every lead the day it arrives, and call within 10 minutes for urgent jobs or within the hour for bigger ones.
- After each attempt, type the date and a note into the next Touch column. The next follow-up date updates itself.
- Every morning, work down the red rows.