Contact Rate
Definition
The percentage of leads where the salesperson successfully reaches the consumer. Aged leads typically have 5-15% phone contact rates.
Understanding Contact Rate
Contact rate is the percentage of leads where you successfully reach the prospect and have a live conversation. The formula is simple: contacts divided by total attempts, multiplied by 100. If you dial 200 aged leads and speak with 30 people, your contact rate is 15%. Contact rate is the single most important metric in aged lead sales because nothing else matters if you cannot reach people.
How It Works in Practice
Contact rates vary dramatically by channel. Phone calling produces 8-18% contact rates on aged leads, with final expense and Medicare leads on the higher end because seniors answer their phones more often. Door knocking delivers 35-50% contact rates for local aged leads — far higher than any other channel. Direct mail gets a different kind of contact: 40-60% open rates for personalized letters, but only 2-5% response rates. Email open rates run 15-25% for aged lead outreach. SMS achieves 30-45% read rates but must comply with TCPA requirements.
To improve phone contact rates, call during optimal windows — Tuesday through Thursday, 10 AM to noon and 2 PM to 4 PM in the prospect's local time zone. Use a local area code on your caller ID. Leave voicemails on every attempt — 20-30% of prospects call back from a good voicemail. Send a direct mail piece before calling so your name is already familiar.
Why It Matters for Aged Leads
Most agents who fail with aged leads blame lead quality when the real problem is contact rate. If your contact rate is 8% and you only buy 50 leads, you will talk to 4 people. That is not enough volume to produce consistent results. The solution is either improving contact rate through better timing, multi-channel outreach, and persistence, or increasing volume to compensate. The best aged lead agents achieve 15-20% phone contact rates by combining strategic call timing with voicemail drops, direct mail, and email touches.
Related Lead Types
Related Terms
Pipeline
The collection of prospects currently being worked by a salesperson or team. Aged leads are used to fill the pipeline affordably — ensuring there are always prospects to contact.
Speed to Lead
The time between a consumer submitting their information and receiving the first contact from a sales representative. Critical for real-time leads (seconds matter), less important for aged leads.
Conversion Rate
The percentage of leads that result in a closed sale. Real-time leads convert at 5-15%; aged leads convert at 1-5%. The lower aged lead conversion rate is offset by dramatically higher volume per dollar.
Follow-Up Cadence
The scheduled sequence of contact attempts across multiple channels (phone, email, text, mail, door knock) used to work a lead. Most sales happen after 5-7 contact attempts.
Multi-Channel Outreach
The practice of contacting leads through multiple communication channels — phone calls, emails, direct mail, text messages, and door knocking — to maximize contact and conversion rates.
Cold Calling
Contacting a prospect who has no prior relationship with you. Aged leads are sometimes called 'warm cold calls' because the consumer previously expressed interest — they're not truly cold.
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