Before I get into how to use email to follow up I must tell you that making voice contact via telephone is far more effective and a very important milestone in the conversion process. In fact, every email you send should have a call to action where the focus is to get the lead on a full on interactive phone call.
Here is why:
- Making voice contact humanizes the process and begins the rapport building. Prior to the lead hearing your voice, you are a faceless email address or a headshot on a website.
- Making voice contact gives you a better shot at qualifying the lead. A better understanding of a lead’s needs are communicated via voice.
- Lastly, the most important reason to make voice contact is so that it creates a better opportunity for you to demonstrate your sales skills. Good emails are one thing, but a good sales call has a much better impact.
If phone calls are so great then why email?
Sometimes the web lead info contains bad numbers or we end up getting voicemail. In addition, too many phone calls may seem overly aggressive and set a bad tone. Using email keeps a lead in contact with you and provides a form of communication that is received at a time that the lead is ready to receive it (opposed to a phone call during dinner).
What you should say in your email
I used to send out 100% unique custom emails to every lead. After doing a lot of follow up, I found that I was sending the same 10-12 emails over and over and it was taking a ton of time. As I went back over these emails, I discovered that there were really only about 12 different types and that regardless of the situation, I could choose one of these 12 types and have them match the current sales situation almost perfectly. So I searched back through all the emails I sent to my customers and found 12 of the best emails and rewrote them as perfectly as I could. I dissected each email word for word creating what I thought to be the 12 best sales email templates possible.
Don’t send out templates as is
Even though I have what I thought to be the 12 of the best email templates around, I merely use them as a starting point. I find it very important to still right a 100% custom subject line and opening paragraph PER LEAD. In the subject line and opening paragraph I try to use some information from the submitted lead information to make it look even more custom and unique.
The subject line
The subject line is arguably the most important part of the email. If the prospect doesn’t open the email your efforts are in vain. The key to a good subject line is to keep it short and unique. Try to stay away from subject lines that are look like spam or are vague. Use language that speaks to their specific needs as a real estate consumer e.g. “The farmhouse information you requested” or “New Paltz Farmhouse”. A subject line that uses words like “Great Deal” or “Low Price” will be flagged for spam in a lot of cases and may never reach the prospect.
The opening paragraph
The opening sentence of your first paragraph should never be about you rather it should be about addressing the needs of the prospect. Use your opening sentence to confirm that you understand the needs of the customer by repeating the request back to them in your own words. The following sentence should be a full and complete answer to the customer’s inquiry. If you can, incorporate a personal experience in effort to create a connection with the prospect while demonstrating expertise and knowledge.
Here is an example of a good opening paragraph in response to a customer that inquired about a listing that is in a certain area:
Opening Paragraph: I received your inquiry about the farmhouse in New Paltz and wanted to get back to you as soon as possible. To answer your question, The median home price in New Paltz is $265,000 and has a New York State Thruway exit making commuting to NYC easy. New Paltz is a great little village, me and my family often hike there.
The second paragraph
This is where the template mumbo jumbo comes in. If the email is in response to a land customer I have a couple of quick (previously written) sentences about our land sales expertise as a company and my qualifications specifically. I also have templates for new construction, investment property, luxury, first time home buyer, foreclosures, short sales, etc. As I used them I found that I sometimes needed variations in for each of my original 12 expanding my library even more.
The third and last paragraph
The last paragraph is designed to create a call to action. Always use language focused on setting up a meeting or asking when would be a good time to call. I sometimes used the phrase that “I can show you any Ulster County listing usually within 24 hours”.
The signature
The signature should contain as much information as you are willing to give, including name, desk phone, office phone and website. Try to stay away from extra formatting like bold, italics and hyperlinks. Some email programs interpret formatting differently and can sometimes show up as gibberish on the receiving end. If you spell out full website names, good email programs will sometimes convert them to hyperlinks automatically.
More email tips
- Focus more on the need of the prospect and less on how good you are as a REALTOR
- Keep it short and simple.
- Even though we are dealing with the most sophisticated real estate consumers in history, avoid using industry terms and acronyms like MLS, DOM or Pending.
- Use a relaxed but professional tone
- Double check it for spelling
- Try not to use images or graphics in the body of the email (spam blockers/junk mail filters sometimes mistake them for malicious content). Attachments usually work best.
Man this is great stuff. Keep up the great work
Great post Lou! I always find that a question at the end of the email generates the most replies.
I still yet to master the science of subject lines, but I’m working on it.
Keep ‘em coming.
Thanks guys . . . keep coming back!
@Lou – I was wondering if you could give us some examples of high respone subject lines. Or at least if you have the data what subject lines seem to get the email read the most. I have started tracking what percentage of my emails are getting opened and it is alarmingly low.
I would also like to reinforce the importance of getting a web lead on the phone. I have a 1:7 conversion of leads that I have been able to speak with on the phone. Those that I have not gotten on the phone plummets to less than 1:123.
James in Houston’s last blog post..$899,500 :: 19035 Waterford Cove, Houston TX, 77094
This is a great post with very relevant and accurate advice. I’ve been active on the web since 1999 and have experimented with all sorts of lead capture and follow-up systems. There will always be a large group of people who will provide an email address but no phone number. It is important to let them know that you can give them helpful advice that they won’t find anywhere else. Short emails that give important pieces of information are the key. People do respond to get additional information. Then you just give them what they need and work on getting their phone number, and then an appointment in the office. This sort of relationship building is a slow process that takes time and lots of follow-up, but it is worth the effort.
San Diego Homes’s last blog post..San Diego Real Estate Investing 101
Lou – Enjoy your posts about lead conversion. As a exclusive buyers agent for 10 years tweaking emails has resulted in more responses and closings. Thanks for the tips!
Great stuff. Perhaps you should put all of these into a book? I added a link to this post on my realestatenv blog. Sending this over to my wife’s buyer’s agents to read. SDH is right. Short and accurate is the key. If an email is too long, you always run the risk of someone not reading it.
Charles in Vegas’s last blog post..Las Vegas Housing Market: Foreclosures Down, Sales Up
Thanks for the information I am constantly tweaking my email responses to try and improve the communication between our team and the client.
As alway Lou, your knowledge on Real Estate technology and email followup etiquette are a great read. Thanks for your contributions.
Thanks Rob. Maybe we should get together and write a book.
Lou, well done. I’ve also found that a telephone conversation works best; however, if done correctly email can be just as effective. Thanks, Tina
Hi Tina, thanks for dropping by.
Getting the lead on the phone is definitely a huge milestone in the conversion process. In fact, I think every piece of email should have a call to action focused on creating a time to talk either in person or on the phone, so yes, the phone is always best. However, sometimes we don’t have the luxury of having the phone number or are repeatedly getting the voice mail. In these situations, a good email will help get your foot in the door.
It is funny sometimes calling an internet prospect. If you get to them fast enough, some will still be on your website. A lot of people freak out a little when that happens.
Great Post. It will be really usefull for me, I use e-mail daily for it.
Great post, man. Personally, I don’t send out customized templates – I use infinite responder to send out 30 different emails over 6 months time. Seems to work well. I definitely think that email is an important part of the process. It actually helps when you make calls – they’ve seen your name before.
Eric@Austin Real Estate´s last blog ..Austin Real Estate Stats: July 2008-2009
when i’m following up on somebody for the 4th or 5th time or more, I like to add this phrase: “I hope i’m not being a pest, but…”
I almost always get some kind if nice response back.
Terrific post that you shared in us Lou. Your post is very informative in the sense that you give us the most significant and proper ways in using the email as a sort of marketing.
Hi,I own a small web design business and I’m struggling to find clients through the Internet that are prepared to pay a reasonable amount for our services. Any advice on finding web design leads would be greatly appreciated.
cheap handbags´s last blog ..Full fun is related to shopping
Building an email campaign is something that I have been considering for a while now. Thanks for the tips about that.
I would also like to point out that users should not trust “trusted” software automatically either– its easy for malicious programs to embed themselves in such (especially pirated software).
Very informative post! Using e-mail to follow up purposes and communicating with your potential clients is one of the bet practices for web leads.