Some of the inquiries a business gets in November and December are not really for November and December. Someone asks about a kitchen remodel but wants to wait until after the holidays. A family asks about a membership and plans to join in January. A company asks for a quote for next year's work. The conversation is friendly, it ends with "let's talk after the holidays," and then nobody talks after the holidays.
That is not because anyone decided to drop the lead. It is because January arrives, the team is busy with whatever is in front of them, and a note in someone's inbox from six weeks earlier is easy to forget. The fix is simple, and it is worth setting up in October, before the inquiries start: record those leads in your CRM in a way that makes them easy to find again.
Create one tag for "follow up in January"
Most CRMs let you add tags or labels to a contact. Create one specifically for this season, such as "January follow-up," and agree with everyone who talks to customers that any inquiry where the person wants to wait gets that tag. Add a short note saying what they asked about and when they said they would be ready.
One tag is better than several. If people have to choose between "new year," "Q1" and "after holidays," they will choose differently, and in January you will have three short lists instead of one complete one.
Record where each lead came from
While you are adding the tag, make sure the lead's source is recorded too: the ad, the Google profile, a referral, the website form. Logging where every lead came from in your CRM is what lets you see later which holiday promotions produced customers, including the ones that did not convert until February.
Set the follow-up before January
A tag only helps if someone looks at it. Before the holidays, put a reminder or task in the CRM for the first working week of January to go through everyone with the tag. If your CRM can send automated messages, you can also prepare a short email or text in advance, ready to go out on a set date.
- Keep the first message short and personal. Mention what they asked about and that you said you would be in touch after the holidays.
- Give one easy next step, such as a link to book a call, or ask them to reply with a good time.
- Call the most valuable leads rather than relying on an email alone.
- Remove the tag once the lead has replied or said no, so the list stays accurate.
"Let's talk after the holidays" is a lead. It only becomes a lost lead if nobody writes it down.
Look at what is already there
Your CRM probably already holds leads like this from last year and earlier, people who asked, were not ready and never heard back. The cheapest leads this month are already in your CRM explains how to find and contact them. Doing that in January, alongside this year's tagged leads, can make a slow month noticeably busier.
The Vizible Business Portal brings your contacts, conversations and campaign results into one place, so a lead from December is easy to find in January. A free growth proposal shows how it would fit your business.
Frequently asked questions
- What should I do with leads who want to wait until after the holidays?
- Record them in your CRM with a single tag, such as "January follow-up," plus a note on what they asked about. Then set a reminder to contact everyone with that tag in early January.
- Why use one tag instead of several?
- If the team chooses between several similar tags, leads end up split across short lists. One agreed tag gives you one complete list to work through.
- Should January follow-ups be automated?
- A prepared email or text can go out automatically on a set date, but call the most valuable leads personally. Keep every message short and mention what they originally asked about.
- When should I set this up?
- Before the holiday inquiries start, so every one is tagged from the beginning. October is a good time.