Getting more customers, increasing sales and saving time are three things that entrepreneurial small businesses care about most.

Just ask Clate Mask, who has worked with this savvy group of marketers for the past decade. Mask is co-founder and CEO of Infusionsoft, a fast-growth software company that helps small businesses convert more leads, save time and manage more with less with its Web-based software.

Mask notes in a recent Internet post that small businesses tend to focus most, if not all, of their marketing and sales resources on closing hot leads, "which means the not-ready-to-buy-yet leads end up getting thrown out with yesterday's garbage."

Mask believes that this "get-more-customers-now" mentality, combined with a lack of time and resources, hurts small businesses and often causes some serious inefficiency in the marketing and sales funnel.

Are you suffering from this problem in your small business?

If you can't tell, Mask offers the following five signs that your marketing and sales funnel is leaking leads and losing customers:

First, you don't use a lead magnet or Web form.

"You spend money and time driving traffic to your website, but then you bury your opt-in form," Mask says. "Or worse, you don't offer a compelling lead magnet that people can opt in for at all. If you don't have their contact information, you can't follow up, and your conversions will be lower."

Second, you don't segment your prospect and customer list.

"I suggest you segment your contact list three ways: by lead source, by demographics and behaviors, and by selected interests," he says.

Third, you don't have a lead nurturing system in place.

"Without a system in place for nurturing and qualifying cold leads, your sales team waste hours on the phone educating prospects about the benefits your product or service provides," Mask says. "It helps to have an automated follow-up system in place so no lead gets lost in the cracks."

Fourth, you batch and blast.

"Your lack of time forces you to send the same message at the same time to your entire contact list," he says. "While your prospects and customers may share similarities, this one-size-fits-all approach will train them to ignore you or opt out of your messages altogether.

"Track what actions they've taken, what information they've opted in to receive and their buying history. Then send only relevant, highly targeted messages that you know they will want to receive."

Finally, any nurturing ends after the sale.

"Once you get the customer, you get too busy to keep them happy, to upsell additional products or to ask for referrals," Mask says. "Automated follow-up can help satisfied customers remember to send their friends your way. Also, be strategic about the products you upsell."

Feeling overwhelmed? Don't be. Mask implores small business owners not to fret if they find that their marketing and sales funnel has some serious leaks.

"Just about every small business will experience and overcome these growing pains," he says. "In today's world of technology, there are many marketing and sales tools available to help small businesses attract, nurture and convert leads."

Contact Ted M. Natt Jr. at tnatt@thepilot.com.