The fourth reason leads do not pick up is the most ordinary one. The merchant’s phone lights up with a number they do not know, from a city they are not in, and they do what anyone would. Alex’s test is to ask yourself honestly whether you would pick it up — and a landscaping company doing $50K a month in Louisiana does not.
What to send
Short, from the rep, about the application, sent the moment the lead lands and a minute before the call. Alex’s version: “Hey Mark, it’s Gary from XYZ Funding. You just filled out an application. I’m looking at it right now. Just giving you a call right now.” The board’s version adds the one thing that matters when the merchant has applied in more than one place — the name of the site they applied on.
| Part of the text | Why it is there |
|---|---|
| The merchant’s first name | It is about them, not a broadcast |
| Your name and company | The call that follows arrives with a name on it |
| “You just filled out an application”, and where | They know which of the calls this is |
| “Calling you now” | The ring a minute later is expected, not a surprise |
What it changes is the thing on the screen. With a text first, the call is from Gary, who just messaged about the application, rather than from an unknown number in Philadelphia. It also opens a second channel. Some merchants will not pick up but will reply — “I’m with a client, can you call me in thirty minutes?” — and that reply is a booked call, which is how a text turns into speed to lead rather than a delay.
What the text cannot do
It does not always land. iPhones can file texts from unknown senders into a separate list the merchant may never open, and in Alex’s experience most of the merchants you call are on iPhones, so the text raises your odds rather than saving you. That is why it goes first and the call goes straight after, never the text instead of the call — and why one call after it is still not enough. Getting merchants to answer an unknown number covers the rest: the double dial, local numbers, FaceTime audio.
The timing is the same rule as everything else in the video: within a minute of the lead landing, not after lunch. A text sent fourteen hours late with a name on it is still fourteen hours late, and speed to lead decides whether the merchant remembers the application it refers to.
Questions brokers ask
Should I text an MCA lead before calling?
Yes. A text a minute before the first call puts your name on the number that is about to ring and tells the merchant which application it is about, so the call is expected rather than a stranger. Call straight after it.
What should the first text to a funding lead say?
Their first name, your name and company, that they just filled out an application and on which site, and that you are calling now. Keep it about the application, not rates.
Why don’t my texts to leads get replies?
Often because they are never seen. iPhones can file texts from unknown numbers out of sight, and unregistered business texting is filtered by carriers before it arrives. The text raises your odds; it does not replace the call.
Is it better to text or call a new MCA lead?
Both, in that order: the text first, the call a minute later, and a second call straight away if they do not pick up. The text is what makes the call recognisable; the call is what funds the deal.
Do I need consent to text a merchant who applied for funding?
Yes — the same prior express written consent as an automated call, which a funding application usually captures through a disclosure that names texting. Carrier rules on top require an identified sender and a working STOP.
Alex Makowski
Founder, Infinite Bookings
Runs the lead generation operation behind Infinite Bookings — paid traffic, the funding application, and the delivery pipeline that puts records into brokers’ CRMs.
Reachable directly at alex@infinitebookings.com or 732-609-7182.