How to reactivate dormant leads and old opportunities

01

Sort the list by relationship and reason

Separate prospects who never purchased from past customers. A prospect may have an unfinished decision or an expired quote. A past customer has an existing history that may include prior service, unresolved issues or a contract. Do not send both groups the same message without reviewing that context.

For each record, capture the source, last meaningful conversation, previous outcome, relevant dates and any agreed next step. Merge duplicates so one person does not receive multiple messages. Flag missing or conflicting information for review rather than assuming the record is ready.

• Prospect: check why the opportunity paused and whether the original need or decision date is still relevant.
• Past customer: check the relationship, previous purchases and any open complaint or service issue before proposing a reason to reconnect.
• No clear purpose, unreliable details or an unresolved issue: hold the record for review or decide not to contact it.

02

Decide whether and how to contact

Identify a legitimate business reason for each proposed message and a useful next step for the recipient. Check the permission on record, channel preferences, opt-outs and applicable contact rules before outreach. A prior inquiry or purchase does not by itself establish permission for every channel or purpose.

Suppress opted-out records and any others that cannot be contacted. If eligibility is uncertain, hold the record and ask the person responsible for compliance to review it. Record the decision and reason so another team does not restart outreach by mistake.

Assign an owner for replies and a backup for absences. Agree where responses will be recorded, who can answer questions, and how to route complaints, requests to stop contact or unusual cases. Stop scheduled messages when a person opts out or a human takes over the conversation.

03

Measure a defined cohort

Choose one group, a start date and an outcome window. Record the number reviewed, suppressed, held and eligible, then count attempts, replies, qualified conversations and sales separately. Define qualification before outreach and count each person once per stage. A reply can be a refusal or a request for information. It is not automatically a qualified conversation.

Hypothetical example: a team reviews 200 distinct dormant prospect records. It suppresses 50, holds 30 for review and marks 120 eligible. It attempts contact with 100 of the eligible records; within 90 days of the campaign start, 25 reply, 10 have a qualified conversation and 2 of those become customers. All stage counts refer to the same 100 attempted prospects.

Of the 100 attempted prospects, 25% replied, 10% had a qualified conversation and 2% became customers. Among the 10 qualified prospects, 2 converted to a sale, or 20%. The other 20 eligible records were not attempted and stay outside those denominators. Review their status separately. Compare cohorts only when eligibility, definitions and the outcome window are consistent. Report past customers as a separate group.

04

Review what happened

Review replies with the people handling them. Note whether the original need changed, the record was outdated, the message reached the wrong person or the timing was unsuitable. Record a next action and owner for interested people, and close or suppress records when contact should end.

Compare the effort spent with qualified conversations and confirmed sales, along with complaints and opt-outs. Use the findings to improve list selection or stop a campaign that has no sound reason to continue. These measures describe what happened in the selected group. They do not guarantee future results.

05

Prepare a small, relevant first message

Before writing, note what the person previously asked about, when the conversation ended and why contacting them now could help. If the record does not support a relevant reason, set it aside. Avoid implying that a person requested contact when the record does not show it.

A useful draft can mention the earlier request, offer one relevant update and ask whether a conversation would be helpful. Review its tone and facts before sending. Use an appropriate way to decline further marketing, and make sure the reply reaches someone who can act on it.

Rules depend on where you and the recipient are located, the channel and the purpose of the message. The UK guidance and US FTC guide below cover different requirements; neither is a universal permission to contact a list. Review the rules that apply to the actual campaign.