Don’t Hide Behind Email – Pick Up The Phone
When managing and following up with your leads – resist the temptation of hiding behind emails to avoid rejection. Using email properly is highly effective but it is also the path of least resistance because the rejection is usually the lack of a return email. You think “well, they must not be interested” and you continue to follow up on schedule without any response. This is a very easy pill to swallow. You need to take a step back and ask yourself – are there customers I am missing by not following up more frequently by phone?
If a customer provided their phone number then you have another form of communication to get in touch with them. You have to think to yourself – there is a buyer out there who is in the market. In addition, this is a “warm” lead, not a cold call – so the response from the customer is usually positive. There are a multitude of reasons why they did not respond to your email or call you back from your initial message you left. They could be busy, forgetful, misplaced the email, lost it to the SPAM boogy monster or been on vacation. Depending on the level of interest – call them back a couple of times. Don’t be timid, make those few extra calls.
Be bold and don’t worry about potential rejection – that is the ultimate goal of the follow-up process – to search out true buyers and stop wasting your time on unqualified prospects.
Develop a multi-phase plan to stay in touch. I have found that calling back after I send a follow-up email is quite successful. I usually say something to the effect of “I wanted to follow up with you personally to make sure your received the email I sent recently. It has some great information on our homes and a money saving offer only available for you as an online customer”. Even if you end up leaving a message, they will link the voicemail and the email together and hopefully respond.
Having said all that, don’t waste your time. There is no reason to follow up by phone with someone who has not responded to you after that first month. Hit them hard and fast in the first 30 days after the lead is submitted. This will help you determine true buyers. Remember, the amount of leads is not the measure of success, only appointments and contracts will determine you if you are spending your time following up with the right people.
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