As a real estate agent, it's your job to follow up with people who are interested in buying or selling their homes for sale. You should be doing this as soon as they contact you with an inquiry, but if they don't respond within a few days or weeks, that's when you need to start getting worried about ghosting. We have listed out the top 7 reasons why your real estate leads are ghosting you.
You didn't keep in touch enough.
If you don't keep in touch with your lead, they will become less likely to follow up. This is a problem that happens all the time and it's important to know how to fix it before it becomes serious.
How often should I follow up?
It depends on how long ago you last spoke with a lead and how much time has passed since then. Follow-up emails are usually best sent every two weeks or so (or as soon as possible after their last communication). If there's been no contact from your leads for several weeks, then don't send another email until at least three days have passed since their last conversation with you.
What should my follow-up message say?
You want something simple yet friendly so that they feel like their messages were read but not overanalyzed or ignored—and also be sure not to ask too many questions either! You'll want to focus more on asking if they're still interested in making an appointment rather than asking them what else might happen during one--this allows both parties maximum flexibility in terms of planning events without feeling pressured by being overly pushy about where things stand right now."
Your timing was off.
One of the most common reasons why a lead is ghosting you is because they were on vacation when you reached out. Don't call or email them on their vacation, even if it's a different time zone than yours. Wait until they're back in town before contacting them again so that everything feels normal and natural for both of you (and so that people don't think that your business is too pushy).
Your communication is too generic.
When you're sending out emails and texts, it's important to avoid using the "buyer's name" as a generic term. Instead, ask open-ended questions like: "What are your top priorities in a home?" or "What do you look for in a house?" This will help ensure that the lead knows exactly what they're getting themselves into when working with you.
If a potential buyer hasn't responded back to one of your emails by now (or worse yet hasn't even opened it), then chances are very high that this person doesn't want anything more than an internet connection and some spare time from their day job—and maybe some beer money too if they're feeling flush!
Your lead is tired of dealing with you and your unprofessionalism.
Talk to your lead. If the lead has been ghosted by one of your competitors, they’re not likely in a mood to forgive you for it. They may not even want to hear from you at all—and that's OK!
Don't be pushy or aggressive if this happens: Your leads are busy people who don't want their time wasted by someone who thinks it's okay to be rude or disrespectful because they're too busy (or think they're too busy).
Don't make inappropriate jokes: A lot of people have been burned by real estate agents before; being funny just isn't going help win over new prospects.
Respect their time: If someone has indicated that they're done dealing with what happened with other companies and would rather move on than continue working with yours, respect their wishes and don’t continue trying in an effort-to-be-agent tone when speaking with them unless specifically requested otherwise by the prospect.
Your lead has decided to take a break and wait for the market to change.
If your lead has decided to take a break and wait for the market to change, it's perfectly OK. The important thing is that they're not actively looking at other homes right now. You should still follow up with them because they could be interested in selling their home at some point in the future, even if there isn't pressure from buyers right now.
However, if you're in a rush and want them out of your life ASAP—and we mean REALLY want them out of your life ASAP—then this strategy isn't going to work for very long (if at all). In this case, it would make sense for you as an agent/broker/seller agent/whatever title applies here depending on what type of agency or brokerage firm you run: If someone tells me they're interested in buying my house but won't get back within 30 days then I'll start looking elsewhere myself!
Your lead has found another agent.
If your lead has found another agent, it's because they weren't able to find what they needed from you. They didn't feel like their questions were answered or that they had a good understanding of the process. This can happen when:
You don't have a strong enough connection with your lead (or at least not enough follow-up).
You weren't able to get in touch with your leads until after their initial email, which means there isn't any opportunity for them to explain why they're looking for someone new.
You're not using an ISA or Virtual Assistant to follow up for you.
This is a problem that many agents face, but it can be easily fixed with the right tools. An ISA or Inside Sales Assistant, is an essential part of any successful marketing campaign and will help reduce your workload by taking on some of the tasks associated with following up on leads. It also helps keep track of all of your activities in the field—from administration tasks to managing correspondence—and streamlines workflow so that it's easier to stay organized and generate more leads at once than previously possible without this additional support.
If you are on the fence about hiring an ISA team, do check our website, we also offer a no-contract plan to start with.