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The Day I Almost Punched A Customer

The Day I Almost Punched A Customer

This guy was really going to "pay for it"

Patrick Spielmann
March 30, 2025

If we weren’t on a Zoom call, I might have punched this customer in the face. But, before you judge, hear me out!

This guy paid for our cold email guarantee offer that comes with an implementation service and coaching/consulting to help adapt and tweak his cold email strategy until it started producing results.

One day we were on a call and…

He said to me: “Cold email doesn’t work”.

Me: “Of course it does, it just takes some patience like anything else”.

Him: “We’ve spent two weeks on this and we’ve only got 6 positive replies”

Me: “How many calls have you booked from the positive replies?”

Him: “None so far, we haven’t replied back to any of them”

Me: “What? Why haven’t you replied?”

Him: “We’ve been busy and it seemed like only two of them were ready to book”

Me: “Only two of them? That’s a good start!”

Him: “We’re looking for more opportunities than this”

Me: “We haven’t even scaled yet, if you can’t reply back to just a few, how are you going to handle getting more?”

Him: “That’s not the point. I don’t think this is going to work for us.”

Me: “You’re right, it won’t if you can’t reply to just a few emails in a timely manner.”

Him: “I want to get refunded per your “guarantee” in our agreement.”

Me: “My guarantee doesn’t cover customer neglect, we are delivering exactly what was promised and it’s starting to work.”

Him: “So you’re not going to honor your word?”

👉 And that’s the moment I almost lost my $h*t on the guy.

Now, I didn’t lose my temper on him.

Or even punch his face on my computer screen, like I wanted to.

I just politely said we’re here to keep supporting him and delivering on our promise.

In the end, he was ultimately going to “PAY FOR IT”.

The 1–3 Minute Rule: Capitalizing on Momentum

You see, cold outreach, marketing, getting attention…it’s all hard.

And you HAVE to strike while the iron is hot.

If a cold email prospect has just opened your email and sent a positive reply, it means:

They’re actively online and paying attention to their inbox.
You have a tiny window to grab their interest before life inevitably pulls them away.

Studies from the inside sales world have shown that responding to a new lead within 5 minutes (or less) can be up to 10 times more effective than responding even 30 minutes later. Put more simply, the longer you wait, the more your chances of scheduling a call or closing that lead plummet.

Think about it this way:

If you respond within 1–3 minutes, you’re catching them in the moment, likely before they switch tasks or move on to someone else’s message.
Even waiting an hour, let alone a day, means you’re probably competing with other emails, real-world obligations, or the next marketing pitch that hits their inbox.

The Math:

Imagine you get 5 positive replies each week.
Quick responses turn, say, 3 of those replies into meaningful discussions (because you caught them while they were still checking email). That’s a 60% conversion from reply to conversation.
If you respond hours or days later, you might drop to converting 1 of those replies (20% or less).
Over a month, that’s a difference between 12 new conversations vs. 4, which is huge for your pipeline.

Where Most People Go Wrong

Inbox Clutter: If you’re not on top of your inbox or using a tool that flags positive replies, it’s easy to miss them.
Multitasking Mayhem: Juggling client calls, internal meetings, and new prospects…something’s bound to slip through.
Underestimating Momentum: Many folks forget that human attention is fleeting. You have to act right away while the prospect’s interest is fresh.

Meet Autopilot: LeadEngine’s Built-In Speed Booster

We’ve seen this struggle too often. It’s why we built LeadEngine to automate the reply process with our Autopilot feature. Here’s how it works:

Real-Time Inbox Monitoring:
When a lead replies, especially with positive sentiment, LeadEngine spots it immediately.
Automated Response Options:
Based on rules you set (like reply sentiment or lead status), our system crafts an appropriate reply in seconds.
Human-Like Delay:
Initially we had Autopilot reply instantly, but that can seem robotic, especially if the prospect sent an email at 2am and you responded a millisecond later.
- So we intentionally delay the reply by 1–3 minutes to keep things a bit more human and natural.
- This tiny delay still means you capture that window of attention without raising eyebrows.
Your Voice, Your Approach:
Autopilot uses your language and tone so that each response feels personal, like it came directly from you, not a machine.

Result?

You never miss a golden opportunity simply because you were in a meeting or asleep.
Prospects get a timely reply, which feels professional and builds trust.
You stay in control of the conversation, better for your pipeline!

Bottom Line

Responding to leads quickly isn’t just a “nice to have” tactic. It can literally make or break your cold email results.

If you’re investing time and effort in sending the right messages, make sure you’re also following up while the door is still wide open.

And if you want a system that helps you do it effortlessly, look no further than LeadEngine’s Autopilot. We’ll help you respond within 1–3 minutes, right when it matters most.