Have you ever gotten a referral, left a message with that individual, and then never hear d back from them? Or better yet, have you ever left two or three voicemails for a key contact who could really help your business – and is someone you know through a mutual friend – and still not gotten a return call? If you haven't, consider yourself lucky. But if you're like me and others I've talked to, you know how hard it is to get people to call you back – even when you've been pointed in their direction by someone they know.

And considering that a majority of Agents get their business through "word of mouth", it's pretty easy to see how getting people to call you back in a timely manner is nothing short of imperative in today's tough market.

So with that in mind, I thought I'd share a couple of quick tips on what to say to get people to call you back.

But before we get into this, let me just say that not getting your call returned isn't what it used to be. Back in the 70s, and early 80s, if someone didn't call you back, it either meant they didn't get the message (voicemail wasn't as prevalent then), or they didn't want to talk to you.

Everyone was on the same page.

Then in the late 80s and into the 90s, the proliferation of voicemail took away the excuse that they "didn't get the message," meaning that if you didn't get a return call, they probably didn't want to talk to you.

So far, so good.

Then came the new millennium and all bets were off.

Not only did people not respond to messages left on voicemail, email or good old fashioned snail mail, but it also became socially acceptable not to apologize for not calling the person back once you did get in touch with them.

In other words, everyone has gotten so busy, doing so many things, that the act of not calling a person back simply doesn't mean anything anymore. It doesn't mean the prospect isn't interested. It doesn't mean they don't want to talk to you. It just means that they didn't call you back at that particular time.

Which is why you can't give up when someone doesn't return your message, and also why I've found these two techniques to be extremely helpful in getting people to return your calls.

So what are these techniques? Here you go … "Hi Jim, this is Brian Hilliard, and you don't know me, but we know each other through a mutual friend. Give me a call when you get a chance at 555.1212. Thanks."

That's my personal favorite, and one I use 90% of the time when I'm trying to connect with a referral, a key contact, or just someone who doesn't really know me, but whom I know through someone else. (Which is why networking is so important, since it gives you an opportunity to have a number of "mutual friends" with a bunch of potential prospects.) Now the reason this works so well is because it's short, straight to the point, and elicits a level of curiosity that is simply too compelling for most people to pass up. In a nutshell, it taps into every person's desire to want to be known by someone they don't know, without feeling stalked in the process.

Notice how I didn't say who referred me to them? I used to say that I was "pointed in your direction by Steve Smith" or whoever our mutual friend was, but I noticed that I wasn't getting as many calls back as I'd like. Instead of calling me, they were calling Steve Smith. And then depending on how that call went (and how busy that person was), then maybe I'd get a call back.

You'll also notice how I used the term "mutual friend". Sometimes people have a tough time with this because they don't think of themselves as "friends" with the person who gave them the referral or contact in the first place.

If you want to change it around to a "mutual business friend of ours", then I'm totally okay with that too. But for the record, I don't get referrals or key contacts from people who I'm not on friendly terms with. So simply by the fact that I got a referral in the first place, in my mind, allows me to consider them a friend.

Now if you don't like that one, here's another message I like to leave: "Hi Jim, this is Brian Hilliard and I've got a quick question for you. If you could give me a call at 555.1212 that would be great." The effective term is "quick question" and is perfect for clients/prospects with whom you've already talked, but who might be a little tough to get on the phone, since now they know you won't talk their ear off. It's also great for following up with a Referral Partner (the person who gave you the referral in the first place), and you need to talk to them real quick about that referral or maybe something else completely unrelated.

Either way, this second message is a good change of pace if you need someone to call you back.

Because make no mistake about it: The real estate market is still in a shambles compared to where it used to be. And if you're relying on word of mouth business to pull you though, then you absolutely need people to call you back in a timely manner. And with these two techniques, you can go a long way towards making that happen.

As a matter of fact, if you'd like some more tips on how to get more business in today's tough market, just email < ahref=mailto:info@agitoconsulting.com> (Subject: Today's Tough Market), and we'll be sure to send out our free report right away.

And in the meantime, make it a super day!