December 2024

Real Estate Lead Generation: Mastering the Follow-Up Process

We’ve been doing lead generation for over 10 years now. The end.

Just kidding.

But seriously, we have been doing lead generation for a long time. We’ve spoken to thousands of agents and generated hundreds of thousands of leads.

Agents often come to us full of enthusiasm, armed with a budget in the thousands, and ready to dive into lead generation for the first time.

They’ve heard stories—this agent, that agent—who has way less experience than them and is absolutely killing it with online leads.

So, naturally, they think:

I’m better than this guy. If he’s doing this well, I’ll crush it.

Then comes the plan: completely unrealistic, based on zero research, and fueled purely by ego. They dive in headfirst—and FAIL.

One of the top reasons clients love us is because we’re direct and honest. When we hear agents say, “I’m going to do this, and I’m going to do that,” they’re often the easiest to sell to—but we don’t. We tell them the truth.

And what’s the truth? It’s hard. It’s really hard.

I honestly don’t even know where to start because this is such a massive topic. And let’s be real—most people don’t actually read these types of blogs. But for the few who will, I’m going to take my time to break this down for you.

First things first: there are many ways to generate online leads, and what we recommend depends on your experience, budget, and—most importantly—your ability and resources to follow up.

Today, we’re focusing on the follow-up process. If you want to learn how to generate more leads, you you should read 9 Proven Ways on How to Generate More Real Estate Leads

Why?

Because generating leads just for the sake of having leads is a recipe for frustration and wasted money. Before you even start, ask yourself:

• Do you have any experience with online leads?
• Do you have a follow-up strategy in place?

Here’s the irony: it’s often the agents with years of experience who fail the hardest when it comes to online leads. They’ve done an amazing job building a referral-based business over time, but when they shift to online leads, they stumble.

Why?

They don’t have a plan, and they lack the discipline to adapt and rebuild their business model to work in this space.

Without any further rambling, let’s dive in. You’ve got the leads—great! Now what?

How Quickly (and How) Should You Follow Up?

How fast you respond to a lead can make or break your success. The Harvard Business Review conducted a study of 2,241 companies and found that businesses responding to online leads within 1 hour were 7x more likely to qualify the lead compared to those who didn’t.

Here’s where it gets even crazier:

• 23% of leads were never followed up on at all.
• For the leads that were followed up, the average response time was 42 hours.

Now, I don’t have the hard stats for real estate specifically, but from my experience? It’s even worse. Most agents treat their online leads like the potential client filled out the form and is impatiently waiting for their call. Spoiler alert: they’re not.

The longer you wait, the colder the lead becomes. So, long story short—follow up ASAP. If you don’t have time, make time.

Let’s break down the follow-up process

How to Follow Up with Online Leads

I’m not here to teach you how to sell—everyone has their own unique technique. What I am here to share are the things that are absolutely non-negotiable when it comes to follow-up.

 

Align Your Call Strategy with Your Ads

First, you need to collaborate with your marketing agency (if you have one) to fully understand the type of ad you’re running and the messaging behind it. This is crucial because it dictates what you should talk about during the initial call.

Your call objective needs to align with your ad’s strategy. For example, if the ad promises free consultations, your goal should be to schedule that consultation, not dive into selling properties.

Now, I’m not a real estate coach, so I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of the sales process. However, after working with some of the top agents, I can tell you this:

• Top agents don’t sell over the phone. Instead, they focus on building a connection.
• They ask the right questions to understand the client’s needs.
• If they see potential, they aim to meet the lead in person—whether it’s over coffee or a property showing.

Automation Is Non-Negotiable

Automation is a game-changer, and no, it’s not optional. Setting up an automated follow-up process has multiple benefits:

• Increased brand awareness – Stay on your lead’s radar.

• Better connection rates – Automation helps nurture the lead even before you’ve spoken to them.

Your automation strategy should include a mix of SMS and email communication. But here’s the kicker—they can’t be random. The messaging needs to tie directly back to the ad that generated the lead in the first place.

For example:

If the ad talks about “Finding your dream home,” the first automated SMS should echo that sentiment, like: “Hi [Name], thanks for reaching out! Let’s talk about finding your dream home.”

Automation makes you more memorable and keeps the conversation consistent.

2025 is here and 2025 is here with technologies that 3 years ago were a dream. A.I. Automation allows you to create a copy of yourself, that follows up with the leads, same as you would. A.I.

You can train A.I the same way as you would train an assistant and to say at a fraction of the cost in an understatement. 

Businesses get $71 back for every $1 spent on SMS marketing.