By Craig Rowe
Top producers know that above all else, consistency counts.
Regularly showing up for clients—via email, phone, or in person—gets agents to the top of their markets. You don’t always have to supply the right answer or perfect solution. In any form, frequent follow-up proves you care.
Of course, this is about creating habits, which is tough for busy humans. Let’s look at ways to help you be better at perhaps real estate’s most career-defining skill: following up.
Redefining Value In Follow-Up
We often misinterpret “value.” The term doesn’t need to be measured in financial terms or rely on an exchange of goods. Value can materialize in an idea or offer of support. Not every communication has to be transactional.
If a buyer is torn between two homes, don’t follow-up with a reason why one is better than another. Instead, relate to their experience, don’t make it only about business. Agents’ value comes from in part by serving as a pressure outlet, by letting customers know the world doesn’t hinge on a single decision.
Sellers get anxious when showings decline or bad market news about average prices reaches their inbox. Be direct. Don’t dismiss their worry or take it as critique. Acknowledge frustrating markets and scenarios, and be honest about next steps.
Value can come from questions, too. Ask clients if they’ve had any change of heart or if preferences are shifting. Is timing still an issue? Are the kids worried about being at a new school?
Real estate agents often see families during stressful times, so don’t be afraid to add value with empathy and transparency.
It’s Okay To Automate Your Follow-Up
Automating follow-up at scale can lead to stigmas about unfeeling appeals or lack of personalization. You don’t need to be a follow-up factory or abide by some hustle-influencer’s mandate to “send 50 emails every day!”
Focus instead on automating production and timing. Most email marketing solutions and modern CRM solutions provide easy ways to schedule follow-up. Personalize it according to customer status, such as “warm leads,” “current listings,” or “last year’s solds.”
It’s okay to write messages or record voicemails to be sent later. Keep it relevant and ensure a situation hasn’t changed before sending.
There’s Nothing Quite Like Seeing A Plan Come Together
Every customer needs a follow-up plan.
Because no database is 100% active, a lot of contacts deserve a less frequent follow-up plan, especially those in between a couple of months and a few years of buying or selling.
The key is creating strategic follow-up plans around active leads and clients. Keep notes of calls and meetings and use what’s in them to drive your follow-up content. Today’s AI meeting tools offer powerful summary tools and behavior insights that tech-savvy agents the type of prescience not possible even a few years ago. Know who likes email and who prefers calls. What time of day earns you the most rapid response? Do they use their commute time to call or do they email late at night?
If you can plan around your clients’ preferences, follow-up becomes measurably more effective. It absolutely takes some work, but this is about meeting them where they are. Today’s marketing platforms provide countless ways to understand consumer behavior and remove the guesswork from knowing when to reach out.
If creating new habits is especially difficult for you, start small. Apply the above lessons to your top five most recent contacts for a few months or as their status changes. Be consistent, be empathetic, and whenever you can, be quick.
