Follow-ups, not new leads, drives Realtor pipeline
Agents who chase new leads while neglecting follow-up are leaving business behind, according to real estate trainer Darryl Davis. He recommends auditing activities by what produces real conversations versus what only feels productive.
A slower market does not always call for more leads. Sometimes the next deal is already sitting in the CRM.
That is the premise behind a recent HousingWire column from real estate coach Darryl Davis, who says that many agents focus on lead generation when the real problem is follow-up.
Davis recommends agents sort their business activities into three categories: keep, cut and change. Keep work that produces direct conversations with people who could hire or refer the agent, such as listing presentations, buyer consultations and sphere touches. Cut tasks that feel productive but generate no real business, such as social posts no one engages with. Change activities that have the right goal but need better timing, scripts or consistency.
The biggest opportunity, Davis says, is often follow-up. Research across the sales world shows most buying decisions require five to 12 touches, but most agents stop at two. That leaves a CRM full of abandoned conversations with buyers and sellers who may still be in the market.
Davis also points to an underused resource: an agent's sphere of influence and past customers, who many agents treat like a holiday card list rather than a relationship to maintain.
His suggested action plan: Pull every lead from the past 12 months that did not close, sort by readiness, and personally re-engage prospects who may still be active. Then call 20 past customers or sphere contacts with no sales pitch, just a check-in.
For Realtors®, the takeaway is direct. The next deal may not require a bigger budget. It may require finishing conversations already started.
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