What's another thing to do?

#120 · How to Build High-Performing AI Systems for Inbound Funnels

What's another thing to do?

Implement a missed call or missed SMS back feature: when a call or inbound inquiry is missed, trigger an AI‑driven flow that customizes the next touch point and sends it immediately. You can also add a voice reactivation option (though note it may be illegal in some jurisdictions, so check local laws). For example, if you run a barber shop and miss a call, you could send a personalized voice message apologizing, offering a free $50 gift card, and inviting the caller to ring back or visit for a $25 discount on their next haircut. The idea is to treat the missed call as a high‑value lead because you’ve already paid for that lead; recovering it can boost revenue far beyond the first order. By turning a missed contact into a positive first impression—especially with customers who value loyalty—you can increase their lifetime value, e.g., raising the average number of haircuts per client from five to eight. These tactics increase the overall power of your funnel.

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youtube ↗Lead Generation

How do I make inbound lead gen better with AI? For example, an education business (exam prep) mainly gets inbound leads from Instagram or their website — how can I improve conversion and increase the chances of closing them with AI?

A few tactics for increasing revenue from an inbound funnel: (1) Decrease your time to lead — respond to inbound inquiries faster. Getting response time down to around 60 seconds instead of 15 minutes can increase your conversion rate 3-4x, meaning roughly 300% more revenue from that one change alone. (2) Personalize the first touchpoint with AI — feed whatever info you have about the lead (their form fill, ad/offer context, business details) into an AI-generated autoresponder message that references specifics, then imply you're momentarily unavailable ('stepping into an elevator, call you in 60 seconds') — gives you plausible deniability for not calling immediately while still feeling human rather than robotic. (3) Set up a missed-call/missed-SMS-back flow — when you miss a call or inquiry, trigger an AI-personalized follow-up and send it immediately. (4) Consider voice reactivation/VM drops with a small incentive (check local laws first, this can be legally restricted) — a warm voicemail apologizing for missing them and offering a discount to get them to call back. The logic: you've already paid for that lead, so it's worth paying a bit more to recover it, and a strong recovery experience can meaningfully increase lifetime value, not just the first transaction.

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youtube ↗Lead Generation

What do you think about offering an automated lead‑follow‑up service that uses voice and SMS agents to book appointments into a CRM?

Automated lead follow‑up (voice + SMS) can work, but its value depends on the average order value (AOV) of your market. In high‑AOV niches like AI automation, a human touch that lifts close rates by just 1% can add roughly $1,000 per deal—far outweighing the $20‑per‑call cost of a person. In low‑AOV fields, the same 1% gain might only save a few dollars, making automation more sensible. So evaluate your AOV: if each client is worth tens of thousands, keep the follow‑up human; if it’s low, lean toward automation.

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youtube ↗AI & Automation

How can AI‑automated lead calling be bad when it gives instant speed‑to‑lead, which is often the biggest advantage for small businesses?

Speed‑to‑lead is crucial—instant AI texting can capture a lead’s attention and make them feel cared for, especially if you follow with a quick human call within a short buffer. However, if the AI actually places the call and sounds robotic or spammy, it triggers distrust and can cut front‑end offer revenue by 50% or more, because prospects assume the whole system is poorly executed. The solution is to use AI for instant text notifications, then give the prospect a brief window (e.g., two minutes) to receive a genuine human call, ensuring the experience feels personal and respectful. Ultimately, leads are as valuable as currency; treating them with the utmost care and delivering a seamless, human‑centric experience outweighs pure automation speed.

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youtube ↗Sales

How do you typically deal with no‑shows for sales calls booked through cold outreach?

I run a reminder sequence that includes both SMS and email, plus a short 4‑minute case‑study video sent before the call. After a prospect books, I send a quick, informal message within five minutes that feels like a personal text, summarizing what we’ll discuss. I also set up an automation (using Make or Integromat) that pulls the answers they gave on the booking page, feeds them into AI, and generates a personalized snippet to send immediately. Two hours before the call I send another message apologizing for any potential lateness and expressing appreciation for their time, framing it as a genuine, respectful heads‑up. This combination of timely, human‑sounding reminders and AI‑generated personalization helps reduce no‑shows and improves re‑booking rates.

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