Sometimes, do you feel like your prospects never even existed? Are there times when you think that the initial request was submitted by a ghost?

I wrote a while back about the tendency for sales executives to hide behind email and not make enough calls but what we have seen when you marry these two together, magical things can happen. Every time you send an email, it can be a great excuse to pick up the phone and call and vice versa. When you put these two together, you will notice that:

1. Prospect response rates increase.2. It highlights your professionalism by providing both a verbal and written trail of your follow up.

Now, since neither of these mediums allows you to be face to face, you must make sure that you focus on crafting the right message that will stand out from the crowd.

Just by following these simple steps, you will outpace other sales professionals who want your buyer.
Let’s take a look at a sample email/call double whammy.

Voicemail:

Hi Susan, my name is Mike with Best Choice Homes. I received your request from our website for more information about a home.

There certainly is a lot of information that you can get online, isn’t there? I just wanted to let you know that I am here to provide fast answers to any questions you might have.

I also have some specific information regarding your search that I would like to talk with you about.

You can reach me at (insert phone number). Again that’s (insert phone number). I will also send you a follow up email with my contact information as well.

I look forward to discussing this information with you soon. Take care Susan.

Now, right when you hang up – you fire off your email that goes something like this:

Email Subject Line: Susan, Your Request from Best Choice Homes

Hello Susan,

My name is Mike Lyon with Best Choice Homes. I just left you a brief voicemail and wanted to get in contact with you regarding your request for information on our website.

I know that searching for a new home can be overwhelming. I am here to help make that process easier. Not only can I provide fast answers to your questions, but I can save you valuable time on your new home search.

I have some great information that I’d like to review with you. I look forward to hearing back from you soon. You can reach me at directly at (insert phone number).

I will be sure to follow up with you again by email and phone in the next couple of days.

Thank you!

This establishes a few things in the buyers mind:

1. You are a professional.
2. You do what you say you will do. In your call you say you will email, in your email you say you will call.
3. It sets the precedent that you are not going to give up.
4. You are there to help.

Now this is just an example of a first response. You can basically do this for every phase of the sales process. If they have given you permission to follow up then go for it! You never hear complaints from home buyers that “they just followed up too much”. It is always the opposite, “Well I called/emailed and I never heard back”.

You should not be timid in this area. In fact, in my experience of handling 1000’s of phone calls and 1000’s of emails. I can count on one hand the number of times I have had someone react negatively to me following up this way. Why do you think that is? Put yourself in the prospect’s shoes. If they are a potential buyer who is actively looking, what do you think they will do? People are busy, there are numerous reasons why they don’t respond right away – but eventually, you will invoke a response out of active shoppers. They will gravitate towards the sales professional that follows up the best and provides the most relevant information.

You may not believe it, or maybe you think following up 7-10 times with a prospect in 30 days is too much. Well, I dare you to try it. If only for one month. Give it a shot and if it doesn’t lead to more conversations, appointments and sales – I’ll let you slap me the next time we meet.

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