A steady flow of customer inquiries can make a company’s marketing appear successful, even when sales fail to reflect that interest. Singaporean marketing strategist Ozan Turay, author of Fix Your System, Not Your Ads, explains how weaknesses in the customer journey can quietly cost businesses valuable opportunities. Drawing on more than nine years of experience, he shares a client case study involving 150 monthly leads and reveals how SMEs can identify and address problems affecting their sales performance. How many potential customers are slipping away before anyone notices?
You send a quotation on Monday. The customer seemed interested, asked sensible questions and said they would discuss it with their partner. By Thursday, there is still no reply.
Perhaps they found another supplier. With staff to manage and new enquiries coming in, it is easy to move on.
It is one of several places where a sale can quietly stall. Singaporean marketing strategist Ozan Turay believes many owners overlook these moments, even when advertising reports look healthy.
Ozan is the co-founder of ACE Digital SG and author of Fix Your System, Not Your Ads. With over nine years of experience, he has contributed to client projects generating more than $30 million in reported sales.
His work centres on a question that rarely appears on a marketing dashboard: once someone expresses interest, what exactly happens next?
A Business With 150 Leads and a Hidden Problem
In his book, Ozan describes a service provider receiving around 150 leads each month. Its advertising generated enquiries consistently, yet revenue growth was disappointing.
When he examined the journey from enquiry to purchase, two problems stood out. Only 30% of those leads received personal follow-up. Of the people who were contacted, about half received confusing proposals that left them uncertain about the next step.
Put another way, approximately 105 prospects were never personally followed up with, while around 22 of those contacted faced another obstacle in the quotation process. That gave Ozan a clearer picture than the lead count alone.
He focused his work on repairing the follow-up sequence, establishing a straightforward onboarding workflow. According to his case study, revenue quadrupled without changes to traffic or lead generation.
The case demonstrates the diagnostic approach Ozan advocates: trace the customer’s progress through each stage, locate the point where the most opportunities are lost, and address that weakness before expanding the marketing budget.
Where Ozan Looks First
Ozan describes a revenue system that runs from attention and leads through nurturing and appointments to revenue. Each stage has a different job, so each requires a different question.
If a business receives plenty of enquiries but few conversations begin, he examines how quickly people are contacted and whether the opening message gives them a reason to respond.
When conversations are happening but quotations remain unanswered, he looks at clarity: does the customer understand what is included, why it matters and what happens after accepting?
He also pays attention to what happens after an initial expression of interest. A customer may need time to compare options or consult a partner. Without a reliable follow-up process, a genuine opportunity can disappear into an inbox.
A business with slow responses needs a different solution from one whose prospects hesitate after receiving proposals.
Three Practical Areas SME Owners Should Review
For SME owners looking to apply this approach, Ozan highlights three starting points.
1. Establish responsibility for every new enquiry.
Someone should know who will respond, when they will do so and where that interaction will be recorded. A shared spreadsheet can reveal unattended leads.
2. Review quotations from the customer’s perspective.
Clear descriptions of outcomes, deliverables, timelines and next steps can make decisions easier. Even familiar proposals can leave customers with questions.
3. Make follow-up consistent and useful.
Schedule reminders and provide information addressing common concerns, while giving customers room to decide.
A Simple Test Before the Next Campaign
Ozan suggests starting with the last 20 enquiries. Record which were contacted, which received proposals, which were followed up and which resulted in a sale. Then compare the stages to see where the largest drop-off occurs.
That exercise will not turn every prospect into a customer. It can, however, show an owner whether the next improvement belongs in response times, proposals or another part of the sales process.
For businesses balancing payroll, rent and rising costs, such visibility has practical value. Before paying to attract more people, owners can examine how well they are serving those who have already shown interest.
More information about Ozan’s approach is available in Fix Your System, Not Your Ads and at www.ozanturay.com.
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