I would have to rate the following call as one of my “Top 3 Phone Calls I Hate.” It’s a little longer than this in reality, but the short version sounds something like this:
“Hi [Prospect], how are you?”
“Great! But I already listed my house/bought a house three months ago, if that’s why you’re calling.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll go beat myself up now. Bye!”
Three months ago! How did that happen?
Basically, something fell through the cracks. You got busy, stopped prospecting, and allowed some other agent to swoop in and snatch up your potential lead.
It’s the curse of the real estate agent sales cycle:
- You prospect
- You get busy
- You stop prospecting
- You get slow
- You start prospecting again
- You get busy
- You stop prospecting again
- And so on…
You need to figure out how to NOT stop prospecting when you get busy. But how do you break the cycle?
The answer: Workflows.
How workflows “fill in the cracks”
Workflows are a feature found in some CRMs (such as Realvolve) that allow you to build out a series of activities to be performed. Workflows keep things from falling through the cracks in two ways:
- You can automate tasks (such as sending emails or text messages)—once they’re set up, you don’t have to think about them again!
- You can create reminders (i.e. Call Jane Smith on Dec. 1)—so no matter how busy you get, you won’t forget what needs to happen each day.
You can build workflows for every stage of the client journey, and they can be particularly useful during the prospecting stage. Here are some of the automated tasks and reminders you could include in a Prospecting Workflow:
Automated Email Drip Campaign
Write a series of emails that provide bite-sized information about the real estate market, the buying/selling process, or whatever else would be of value and interest to your target audience. Then use a workflow to have these emails automatically send each month. The monthly touch will keep you top of mind, and the high value content will help you establish trust and credibility. And because it’s automated, it all happens behind the scenes while you’re busy selling homes!
Phone Call Reminders
An automated email campaign is great, but it’s no substitute for phone calls. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that all you have to do is start an email workflow and wait for people to call you. Unless you’ve found the holy grail of content for drip emails, that’s not going to happen.
For that reason, you should determine how frequently to follow up with your contacts and then create phone call reminders in your Prospecting Workflow.
No matter how busy you get, pay attention to the phone call reminders in your workflows and at least get them done. These prospecting phone calls—made at predetermined frequencies—are the most effective cure for falling-through-the-cracks syndrome!
Direct Mail Reminders
Since people are kind of burned out on email campaigns—and since so many agents have stopped doing postal mailings because they cost money—why not give direct mail a try? It’s actually a great space to be in right now. (Remember the old axiom: Figure out what everyone else is doing, and do the opposite.) You can use workflows to set reminders for when to perform each step in your direct mail process.
Why Every Busy Real Estate Agent Needs Workflows
Workflows work for you when you don’t have the time to pay attention to your prospects. Workflows don’t get busy; workflows don’t get tired; workflows don’t forget; workflows don’t take a vacation; and workflows don’t get sick!
Whatever you need to get done—sending emails, ordering postcards, making phone calls, sharing videos, writing newsletters—workflows will help you make it happen. No matter how busy you get.
Try Realvolve for free, and see for yourself how workflows will keep things from falling through the cracks!
