Showing follow up. Suggestions?

[coastal]

Ok, So someone has called you up to look at some homes, you've spent the afternoon showing them everything in their price range, what do you do to follow up?

[coastal]

I'll answer my own question. Last summer I was so busy that I would send them a thank you e-mail the next day and call them in a week or so to see if they were still in the market. If no answer I would move on to the next client and forget about them. This year sales are significantly slower and I'm working on a better system and looking for suggestions.

[Susan Zanzonico]

Hey Michael, I know what you mean...the market is different. I usually do just what you said you did, send a thank you email wait a few days and f/u with a call...if voice mail...another email. Do you have a database that you put leads into and drip on them with info? Does your MLS let you set the up on automated searches?

Sometimes they just back off and say they want to wait a while, they're not sure, etc. Its always a challeng trying to figure out how to stay infront of their face but not too much that its annoying...however, enough for them to see that you bring more value then the next agent.

[coastal]

Yes, I track all leads in a custom CMS that my programmer and I are working on. I've got close to 10,000 from the last year and a half. No, our drip e-mail system is not yet fully functional and our MLS based drip system is a nightmare to use.

Once operational our CMS/Drip will send out monthly newsletters as well as unique market updates depending on what the client was originally searching for.

I realize there are dozens of prefab newsletters that I could buy into but most of them look like crap and have absolutely nothing to do with my local market. I think my clients would see them for what they really are - unsolicited spam. I've signed up for a number of agent newsletters to see what they really send and most of it looks like crap. I hate to put my name on anything that is not decent.

[dylan]

You really need to figure out the MLS drip system. It's great for leads that never call/e-mail you back. I just set these leads up to receive new listings as they come on the market. Sometimes a year down the road a lead will call on a house that I just e-mailed them. It's easy, and works great.

I'd also suggest a monthy newsletter and/or market stats.

[erogers]

I would suggest you figgure out what type of buyer they're going to be before you go out and show them many homes at all. I show a couple homes as a "work with me" teaser but always ask that my clients come in, sit down and go over a timeline. If they can't nail down a date that they want to move, if it's something like "we'll move when we find the perfect home" they automatically go into my "B" category of leads. A buyer with no motivation will spend a year wasting their time and yours. It's still worth it to show them some occasional homes but don't waste too much time with them in the first place.

If you've qualified these buyers and they go cold fish on you, I would call them every few weeks, put them on a drip system and chances are, they'll call you down the road.

[Ryocheck]

I would typically call them the next day just to see if they had a chance to think about the homes we looked at, see if they were interested in seeing any of them again or would like for me to put together another list of homes that might meet their needs. I try not to be pushy but offer to help. Seems to work well for me.

[JoeFrow]

You should also try a second voice / number. I learned this when I managed a collection office and it works great. Instead of you calling all the time try having a trusted colleague call them preferably of the opposite sex. This way it is a totally unique sound on the machine and in some cases it triggers a call back just to see who they are.

Next consider calling from another number. Call from your colleague's phone. Since you have met the person and shown them houses and they are now not answering your calls there is a good bet they are avoiding you and your number. If you call from a different number they do not recognize they tend to pick up.

Hope this helps.

[Bob Crain]

If they are avioding you what is the point of trying to ever call them again.

Work with the prospects who will respect your time and actually appreciate that you have taken time away from your family to be with them and theirs.

All the rest go on a drip email listings system untill they opt out, call me to schedule another time to look at homes, or their email address keeps bouncing my messages back.

The other day I received a call from someone who has been getting listings for 4 years.

[Susan Zanzonico]

Bob, I think that sometimes people are not really avoiding but more not really ready to commit, etc. I think its good to "drip" on those people, because they are potential clients. I have sat with many of them at the closing table!

A couple of points I think are really important...getting the clients in the office for an initial conversation. I want my clients to know that this is serious business for me and for them. A big part of my job initially is to help get people focused. Most have no idea where, what or how many. Focus will help alot. I keep talking and steering in that direction.

Everyone goes on auto email and drips. My drips are not automatic. I have two auto emails sent from #1...then its a matter of me coming up with something interesting to say other than "can I help you find a house".. I think its important to make these emails unique and different and have some of your personality in them. Its really not such a big deal to do....you really only have to have a couple lines and maybe include some good links.