Pay Close Attention Here, Boys & Girls… You’re about to learn something very important that’s often overlooked by a lot of people in business.

Let me start by asking you a question. How do you react when someone tells you no? How do you deal with rejection?  Your answer says a lot about you. How you internalize the process of rejection or failure will determine your chances of success – both in business and in life.

If you’ll kindly indulge me, let me ask you another question: Do you think you’ll be able to deal with the MAJORITY or the MINORITY of people you talk to – the first time you talk to them? Well, unless you’re giving away free beer at a ball game, I think we both know the answer to that question is we’re only going to be able to do business with SOME people – especially if you’re doing high-end transactions, like houses.

 So if we can only do business with a few people the first time we talk with them, what do we do with those who aren’t ready to work with us yet? The simple, obvious answer is: F.U.!  

F.U. stands for Follow Up!  

What did you THINK it meant? 🙂

Various studies conclude that 80%+ of the sales, results, and revenue you generate are made somewhere between the 2nd to 7th contact with a prospect. If you only try once & give up, you’re not only leaving most of your income on the table, you’re also sabotaging your own success. In other words…

The Fortune Is In The Follow-Up!

With that in mind, it goes without saying that we need to have some sort of Follow-Up System in place to handle those leads and prospects we don’t do business with the first (or second) time we talk to them.

But don’t worry! That “System” doesn’t have to be difficult to create or use! In fact, the simpler it is, the better it will serve you. So here are some options for Follow-Up (aka “F.U.”) systems, going from the simple to the complex, and from the free to the paid…

Follow Up Systems You Can Use

No School Like Old School

Yes, the tried-and-true pen and paper. If you’re broke/cheap, hate technology, or just want the simplest system possible, this is for you! All you need is a pen and something like a composition notebook or a pad of paper. Just stay away from sticky notes! When you’re talking to a seller, buyer, etc., just write down your notes so that you can stay organized. It’s best to have one page/person. There’s both good and bad to this system, but at least it will get you started. And it’s certainly better than nothing!

Another option for this is to print out a bunch of pre-formatted Lead/Property Information Sheets, then just write on them as you need. Keep them in a folder or use a 3-hole punch to put them in a 3-ring binder.

Old School 2.0

This is where you take the above, then digitize it by taking a picture of what you wrote and putting it into an app on your smartphone! This way, you can have instant access to your leads & info anywhere, anytime (as long as you have your device & the internet). Just title each record you create with their name and/or address. How cool is that? Examples of apps that work for this are Evernote and Podio. They both synchronize between your smartphone & your PC/Mac/Laptop, and they both have free versions to help you get started.  What’s not to like?

Back To The Future

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about software solutions. There are plenty of those available, and they all claim to be the best. They can be free, cheap, or ungodly expensive. Many can be customized or suited for your specific needs. The common sense approach to software is this: Do you really need it now? Are you really going to use it? Are you going to take the time to learn it? Are you going to take the time to consistently use it? Will the investment of time and/or money produce a positive return?  Only you can truly answer those questions, but it’s important to ask them AND to be honest with yourself.

Personally, I’m a techy kinda guy, so I totally “get” the attractiveness of some bright, shiny software programs out there. And I’ll admit that there are a couple that I like and use…and leave it at that.

Some of these software systems have cool features, like following up FOR you – automatically! For example, you can create a series of emails that goes out in timed intervals to a specific market segment you set up…like sellers that might be interested in selling with terms, but may not be ready yet or just need more info. Your emails can educate them AND demonstrate more value for what you’re doing, so that the next time you talk with them, they’re more prepared for your customized solutions!

So…Be SURE to read Part TWO of this article, right here, next month, when you’ll discover a few juicy things like…

• When to make SURE you follow up with your prospect at just the right time, every time, without fail!
• HOW specifically to follow up with someone so that you get maximum effectiveness in minimum time.
• The FOUR MAIN WAYS people communicate these days, which one is the most important…and why!
• All Your Prospects Have THIS in Common. It ain’t what you think.
• What’s The “Big Idea” of F.U.? And how knowing this secret will help you stay more focused, blow the competition away, and do more deals!

Until Next Time,

Tony Pearl

Ready for Part Two!? Click Here to get your read on!

Copyright 2018 Tony Pearl | All Rights Reserved