One of the biggest challenges I’ve found in my business as the leader of a real estate team is the quick, consistent follow-up on leads generated by our team. Over the years, I’ve tried everything from motivation to threats, but nothing seemed to work until I found accountability. People generally want to succeed and achieve great things, but if left to their own devices with no structure and accountability, they’ll most likely be mediocre at best.
The first priority is response time. A call-in should get a live person every time within reasonable work hours, and a web sign-up or any other kind of lead should have a response within a couple of minutes. If a lead isn’t contacted within 15 minutes, it should be up for grabs among the other team members.
The second priority is taking control by asking questions. You should have a list of questions on either a buyer interview or a seller interview sheet so that you know exactly what to ask and when to ask it. A professional never wings it. Your objective in any interaction with a prospect should be to set an appointment. It’s either an appointment for a listing presentation or a buyer presentation—or a showing if it’s a qualified buyer and the property matches their needs.
The third priority is getting commitment. When you do a buyer presentation, you need to ask for a commitment just like you would during a listing appointment. You would never agree to market a home without a contract from the seller to work with you exclusively, and you should never agree to work with a buyer without that contract either. Once you have an agreement from either a buyer or seller, your process should take them from one appointment to the next. For example, if you get commitment at the buyer presentation, you shouldn’t leave that meeting without having scheduled showings. If you’re showing, the next step will be to write a contract or set up more showings. You never leave one interaction or conversation without having the next step in place.
The fourth priority is consistent follow-up. If you’re not able to talk to a live person, you need to have a plan and follow it. In the first six days, you should follow-up at least 10 times. If you still don’t get a response, you need to continue to follow-up consistently with a monthly call and regular automated emails and texts until they respond.
Last but not least, accountability to the process is essential. You need to inspect what you expect. If you have a team with buyer and seller specialists, a weekly one-on-one is critical to ensure the process is being followed. Your job as a team leader is people development and to help your sales team succeed. You should meet weekly to inspect and offer guidance, support and expertise.
If you have any questions, please call me at 918-665-8559 or email paulwheeler@accentrealtors.com.
Workman Success Systems’ Team Coach Paul Wheeler started Accent REALTORS® as a licensed agent and broker in 1992. Leading the Accent Team with energy, experience and a vision for the future, as well as a better business model in the real estate industry, Wheeler and his team strive to continually improve their processes with a focus on learning and staying on top of market trends. His passion for real estate is only surpassed by his commitment to community service and his family. Contact him at Paulw@WorkmanSuccessSystems.com. For more information, please visit www.workmansuccesssystems.com.
