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When you have a great conversation with a potential seller but you don’t get the appointment, don’t give up hope. This happens to everyone, but seasoned agents know that the money is in the follow-up. If getting the appointment on the first attempt was the norm, everyone would be listing homes at a high level. Taking listings is the toughest skill in the business.
The average agent follows up only two-and-a-half times, and data shows that conversion typically happens after more than six attempts. If you focus too intently on results, you’re likely to stop trying after one or two attempts and you’ll miss the opportunity. Add to that the knowledge that 66 percent of consumers would rather watch a video to learn about a product or service than to read about it.
Instead of focusing on results, focus on the activities that help you get those results. Use these six creative methods of follow up to re-engage after your conversation and land the appointment.
1. Send a personalized video email with your credentials
Send the seller your sales resume and information about your team, your brokerage or your sales organization. Include reviews from previous clients. Whatever format you use, include a video email that includes a script like this one:
Hey Nick! Thanks so much for taking my call today. I’d love the opportunity to show you exactly how I can help you.
To give you a better idea of the results you can expect, check out the links below to understand how I can help you navigate this big financial decision. I’ll make sure to follow up as planned.
Use a service like BombBomb to deliver the personalized video, and then continue to follow up with the seller because no one else is taking these steps. The bonus tip here is to smile on the video!
2. Send a handwritten note to the potential seller
This is an old-school option that few agents are using, and the message can look something like this:
Dear Nick,
Thanks so much for taking my call today. I’d love to show you exactly how I can help you sell your home and maximize the price.
I’ll make sure to follow up as planned, and if you need anything in the meantime, please call my cell (555-555-5555).
This is effective because the only time most people see handwritten notes are at the holidays or from relatives. Most agents aren’t using this method at all.
3. Follow up with sales data and relevant market information
Many agents try to protect the data because they want to leverage that information in order to land the appointment. The problem with that thinking is that any seller can look up any recently sold home on sites like Zillow, Redfin and countless other platforms.
This situation is good for the consumer, so be the agent who compiles the information and sends it to the seller with a message that says, “Here’s the recent data about your specific neighborhood. In order to give you an accurate evaluation of your home, it would be best for me to walk through the property.”
If they push back on the idea, explain that it would be malpractice to price their home without seeing it first, and use those exact words to make your point.
Sharing relevant data provides value to the seller beyond simply trying to land the appointment.
4. Send a monthly market update
You can send this market update information to the seller in the form of a video email, but it must be targeted to your top 10 or 15 or 25 prospects. Explain what’s happening with pricing, inventory and pending sales, and personalize it to the seller. Explain what this information means for the market and make it evergreen.
Hey, it’s Tom Toole. We’ve been talking about getting your home on the market within the next 12-18 months, so I wanted to let you know what’s actually happening in the market so you can make a well-informed decision about your home.
Build a targeted list because you don’t want to spam people, and without a targeted list, it won’t be relevant. Test out different subject lines, and test out the body of the email to see what provokes the best engagement.
The video should be the star of the email.
5. Send automated market updates using your CRM
Sellers care about relevant data. They want to know how much their home is worth and what they can expect it to sell for. Even people who aren’t making important real estate decisions want to know about home sales.
Automate this step so you can set it and forget it, and then continue with your other regularly-scheduled follow-ups.
6. Be the knowledge broker
It isn’t necessary for you to know everything about the market, but you must have all the data. Pursue an insane amount of market knowledge so that when you see a development that’s relevant to that seller, you can send it to them. Look for relevant sales that are comparable.
Use messaging that includes “have you seen what the neighbor got for their home?” This is what sellers want: information that takes into account where they live and that is specific to them. After all, real estate is super local.
Share information with them and let them know about the headwinds in the market, real estate news and sales information.
Action gets you more sales. All the knowledge in the world won’t change anything if you don’t take action. These six steps will help you follow up with your prospects after a great conversation and increase the odds that you’ll land the appointment.
Tom Toole is the founder and team leader at Tom Toole Sales Group. Connect with him on Facebook or LinkedIn.
