Case Study: Inbound Lead Follow-up

Did you know that 71% of leads are never followed up with? And worse yet, the typical lead is touched by a salesperson on average only 1.3 times.  The marketplace is spending massive amounts of money on marketing to generate leads that never even get spoken to.  

This is why ACCEL Schools came to Incept and asked for help. 

ACCEL Schools 

ACCEL Schools is a network of 25+ charter schools focused on tailoring the learning experience to each individual involved in K-12 education. With more than 750 educators and 8500 students, ACCEL Schools attracts community members with its commitment to academic excellence, individualized learning, and community partnerships. 

While ACCEL Schools attracts many leads through word-of-mouth, they also have a fantastic marketing team that drives inbound leads through multiple advertising sources to their website. They are so good at creating interest in their charter school network that they were having a hard time following up with each inbound lead in an efficient and effective way. 

In Steps Incept

ACCEL Schools chose to partner with Incept so that they could more effectively follow-up with inbound leads to increase the likelihood of converting them into enrollments. Incept used a strategic sales enablement approach, following up with each lead in less than 24 hours, and then touching unresponsive leads 7-10 more times using a multi-touch lead follow-up cadence through phone and email channels. The value of having coverage throughout the whole workday without having to pay a full-time employee to be available was another important piece of support for ACCEL Schools within this program.

Throughout 2016, ACCEL Schools produced more than 4100 inquiries, which Incept was able to convert into more than 1800 scheduled appointments with enrollment specialists.  Of those appointments, more than 40% enrolled in the ACCEL school system. 

When ACCEL Schools came to Incept, they were unable to focus on generating new leads because they were too busy following up with leads. It was holding them back from making more strategic marketing decisions because they were unsure how to dedicate more time to effectively following up with their leads. 

Partnering with Incept has allowed ACCEL Schools to not only break down unnecessary barriers to growth, but supercharge their marketing and sales efforts.

8 Motivational Quotes To Inspire Your Sales Team

Motivation is a key to coaching a sales team to success. After plugging away at endless dials, dealing wth angry gatekeepers and constant rejection, it can be hard to stay motivated.

We found that supplying our team with a motivational quote each morning really helps to set the stage for a positive day.  Here are 8 of our favorite motivational sales quotes to inspire your sales team:

What is an Account Growth Specialist, and How Can They Help You Grow Your Business?

In today’s fast-paced business environment, growth isn’t just about acquiring new customers—it’s about nurturing existing relationships, unlocking hidden opportunities, and ensuring your clients feel seen and valued.

You know customer retention is critical, but your team is stretched thin. You want to grow, but you don’t have the time to nurture existing clients. This is where an Account Growth Specialist (AGS) becomes your ultimate guide, helping you navigate the complexities of scaling your business while maintaining your brand’s promise.

The Role of an Account Growth Specialist: Your Trusted Ally in Growth

You’ve built strong client relationships, but how do you turn them into long-term revenue? An AGS helps you unlock hidden growth potential while keeping clients engaged. They are the champions of your existing accounts, focusing not just on retention but on driving long-term growth through personalized strategies that align with your goals.

Here’s what an AGS does:

Clarifies Your Business Growth Plan

With an AGS, you get a clear roadmap to growth—one that aligns with your strengths and ensures clients keep coming back. They collaborate with our team of growth experts and your internal team to uncover your unique value proposition, bridge gaps in your strategy and management, and design a tailored outreach process that strengthens client relationships and accelerates growth.

Positions You as the Hero

Your clients already believe in your solution. With an AGS, you can proactively solve their challenges before they even realize they need help—building deeper trust and driving more revenue.

Uncovers Opportunities You Didn’t See

By analyzing customer data, conducting regular reviews, and asking the right questions, an AGS pinpoints cross-selling and upselling opportunities to increase revenue without stretching your resources.

The Client Journey: From Uncertainty to Confidence

Your clients expect proactive service, but without a clear system, opportunities slip through the cracks. An AGS gives you a structured way to engage clients, increase retention, and drive repeat business—without adding more to your plate.

Here’s how:

Understanding the Customer’s Challenges

Every client has unique needs. An AGS engages in deep discovery to uncover pain points and ensure you’re meeting their current and future expectations.

Crafting Tailored Solutions

With a clear understanding of the client’s journey, the AGS collaborates with your internal teams to create personalized growth plans. These plans ensure your solutions are always aligned with client goals, building trust and loyalty.

Delivering Tangible Wins

Whether it’s an upsell that genuinely benefits the client or streamlining communication channels, the AGS ensures that every interaction adds measurable value to your business.

Accelerate Revenue and Retain Clients: The Power of an Account Growth Specialist

If you’re spending all your time keeping current clients happy without a strategy for upselling and retention, you’re leaving money on the table. An AGS ensures every client interaction leads to growth, balancing the dual priorities of nurturing existing client relationships and identifying new opportunities to expand your reach.

Here’s how they help your business thrive:

Save Time, Focus on Strengths

Managing accounts while pursuing new business can quickly stretch your team thin. An AGS streamlines account management, growth initiatives, and lead development, freeing your internal team to focus on delivering exceptional products and services, closing deals, and building lasting relationships with clients.

Drive Revenue Growth with Existing and New Clients

An AGS maximizes potential within your current client base by identifying upselling and cross-selling opportunities, while also focusing on targeted strategies to attract new customers. They bring a holistic approach to driving revenue by balancing retention with acquisition.

Win and Retain Loyal Clients

By delivering personalized value and strategic insights, an AGS ensures that your existing clients stay engaged and loyal. At the same time, they use tailored messaging to connect with new prospects, establishing trust and credibility right from the start.

Deliver Market Insights for Strategic Advantage

Through close collaboration with current clients and prospects, an AGS uncovers trends, challenges, and opportunities. These insights fuel smarter strategies for both retention and acquisition, keeping your business ahead of the curve.

Whether it’s deepening relationships with current clients or expanding into new markets, an Account Growth Specialist gives your business the agility to accelerate revenue and create lasting success.

A Vision for Business Growth: Aligning Your Strategy

With an Account Growth Specialist, your business growth strategy transforms from a lofty goal into a clear, actionable roadmap. These professionals bring the expertise, focus, and alignment needed to achieve measurable results, ensuring that your efforts are always strategically guided and purposefully executed.

Focus on What Matters Most

Growth often stalls when businesses try to tackle too much at once. An AGS prioritizes initiatives that align with your company’s unique strengths, goals, and market position, helping you concentrate on opportunities with the highest potential ROI. This laser focus prevents wasted time and resources, allowing your team to operate with clarity and confidence.

Seamless Integration with Your Team

AGS professionals work hand-in-hand with your internal teams to ensure every strategy complements your existing operations. By aligning their efforts with your company culture, sales processes, and long-term objectives, they act as an extension of your team—keeping everyone moving toward a unified vision.

Execution That Delivers Results

Strategies are only as effective as their implementation. An AGS ensures that plans aren’t just ideas on paper but are executed with precision. From identifying high-value opportunities within your current client base to strategically targeting new prospects, they translate goals into action steps that drive tangible results.

Adaptability in a Changing Market

Business growth requires agility. As market trends shift, customer expectations evolve, or internal priorities change, an AGS provides the flexibility to adjust your approach. Their ability to pivot ensures that your growth strategy remains relevant and effective in a dynamic environment.

Eliminating Growth Roadblocks

Whether it’s managing customer relationships, streamlining workflows, or optimizing outreach, an AGS identifies and removes obstacles that slow your progress. Their proactive problem-solving keeps your business on track, even when faced with complex challenges.

By aligning your growth strategy with the expertise of an Account Growth Specialist, you gain a trusted partner who helps you turn big-picture goals into achievable milestones. With their guidance, your team can focus on closing deals, knowing that every action is strategically aligned to propel your business forward.

Let’s Build Your Growth Together

Want to find hidden revenue in your existing client base? Schedule a free consultation today to see how an AGS can help.

What's a Sales Huddle?

Sales huddles are short and frequent meetings that allow every person involved with the sales team get an understanding of what went well, what needs improvement, and any action items that must be completed by the next sales huddle. Each step of this meeting is very intentional and allows for all individuals involved to voice their excitements, disappointments, and needs moving forward. 

What Went Well

The first portion of the sales meeting is dedicated to the good stuff.  How did we win throughout the last week? Who stepped up and took a risk? Did we meet our leads per hour goal? 

It's meant to give the sales person accolades, boost their confidence, and reinforce all of the great things they are currently doing in order to help them focus on doing more of it. 

What Needs Improvement

This is where the inside sales team gets honest about improvement. It's a chance for the entire team to offer constructive criticism around the sales script, sales cadence, tone of voice, and ultimately, the results of the sales effort. 

We've learned that without being so intentional about this step in our sales huddles, some individuals don't feel as free to ask for improvement from the Account Growth Specialist (AGS) as they should. Instead, we try to make this portion of the huddle as factual and non-emotional as possible. It's also a great time for the AGS to ask for additional coaching and support to make these improvements.

Action Items

This step is self-explanatory. This is a designated time during the meeting to recap any action items necessary, for Account Growth Specialist or management, to continue the things that are working well and to improve on the things that need improvement. 

This style of meeting has worked so well for us that we've expanded it to every department at Incept as well as to our client calibration meetings.

We always recap each meeting with an email summary that includes each of the items listed above. It helps to make each discussion point more concrete and allows for more conversation if someone's interpretation of any of the topics differed from others involved. 

Download our sales huddle summary template here. 

Download Template

What do I need to get started with an inside sales partner?

To create a quality relationship between a client and inside sales partner, the first priority is to set up an introduction meeting and ensure key goals and objectives are mutually aligned.

Transparency is encouraged at this developmental stage to better understand the challenges your company is facing and your ideal timeframe to find solutions to meet your goals. This meeting is critical to scope out a lead generation framework, define your competitive advantage, and profile the customers you service the best. When entering any business partnership, this stage is a must.

The next step is to identify your target market. With a market defined, a sales approach can be scripted based on who is the right decision maker and what’s your ask. From here, your inside sales partner should have the capability to offer services at a variety of complexity levels. Inside sales partners should be willing to cater their expertise to your specific business needs.

Our Incept Grows team is happy to go out and meet your customers, ask questions, and build tailored programs from the ground up.