The Importance of Follow-Up in Sales

FOLLOW UP IN SALES

If you have ever sold anything, you know that it’s extremely rare that a sale is made on the first contact. Even for something as benign as a shirt or bag, the customer may need to come back to the store or review the item online a few more times before committing to the purchase.  Before you enroll in a real estate school, it's important to be aware that real estate sales is just that - sales.  Follow up is probably the most important aspect of the sales business.

Much of the time, it will take at least 3-4 contacts before your customer signs. In the case of real estate sales, it might take even more contacts as the sales cycle can be longer given the transaction size.

Even though this is a fact of business, most sales people don’t follow up nearly enough or as hard as they should.Reaching out to customers after an initial contact makes several positive impressions at once.

Here are just a few of them.

Follow-up and follow-through show your client:

• You're trustworthy.
• You're available.
• You care about their experience.
• You think they're special.

Mastering the art of the follow-up helps you become a more successful salesperson.

• You learn what the customer expects or wants.
• You give a customer the chance to be heard.
• You can convert a contact into a lead.
• You make the contact more inclined to work with you over other agents.
• You stay fresh in the customer's mind. Even if they're not ready to buy/sell right now, they may be later.

With so many benefits, you should definitely pursue following up as a key prospecting strategy to help you nurture leads and build more business.

How Many Times?

Statistics about agents who followed up more frequently versus those who didn’t are staggering. A recent report shows that agents who follow up on their leads five or more times made at least $200,000 per year. Those who followed up less frequently, even three times, reported significantly less earnings.To many of you, three times seems like a lot already, but it looks like five times is the magic number. Real estate depends on many tenacious sales tactics like this one. If you need to overcome the fear of prospecting, remember that the sale is made in the follow through, not in the initial contact.

The Nature of an Effective Follow-Up

If you're not following up with customers, you're setting yourself up to fail. The real estate game is all about gaining new prospects and leads. As such, you must constantly build your sphere of influence, your pipeline and ultimately gain the trust of new people.But before you pick up the phone or hop on the computer, you should take some time to review the best practices of a follow-up. It's more than just randomly calling people you meet. You need to contact people intentionally.

• First, have the right attitude. Sit up straight and exude confidence in your body language and voice. Your customers can sense if you're not sure about what you're selling.
• Follow up with hot leads first. These are the people who are most likely to become clients. You will get a higher success rate when you prioritize hot leads. Plus it’s easier to build your confidence with warm and hot leads rather than “leads” that are unlikely to buy.
◦ Segmenting your contacts is a valuable habit that will help you determine which contacts are more likely to lead to a sale — and therefore more worth your prospecting hours. Try cutting your prospects into groups of “hot” “warm” and “cold”. You must define what “hot” “warm” and “cold” mean. To me, a hot lead is one that will sign a contract in the next five to seven days.
◦ Follow up with a new lead within the first day.
◦ A hot lead should be reached every day
◦ Contact cold leads on a less frequent basis, between monthly and annually, depending on the nature of their real estate needs.

Hit multiple channels

Some people prefer one kind of contact method over the other, so being present on multiple channels can do wonders in reaching them. Here are a few to try:

◦ Phone calls
◦ Emails
◦ Text messages
◦ Social media DMs
◦ Event invites
◦ Direct mail postcards (check farming.cards as a valuable tool).

Vary your approach

You can make direct calls some days or use softer marketing techniques at other times. Sometimes offering informational content reaches leads without seeming too "salesy," such as sharing home-buying tips on a blog or advice on HVAC repair in a video.

Learn Real Estate Marketing and More at ADHI Schools

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a great real estate marketing strategy. When you take our online real estate classes, you'll learn the ins and outs about becoming a great agent who can nurture great client relationships.  Follow up is a critical part of that.

-Kartik