Congratulations.

You just got back from networking and during the course of the evening, you ran into someone who's thinking about buying a house. Needless to say, you created a "Visible Identity" throughout the conversation, and she feels comfortable with you as a Realtor.

Great job!

Now comes the hard part. How often should you follow up so you can still get the deal, without coming across as being overly pushy in the process?

Because in the ultra competitive world of real estate, you certainly don't want to wait around hoping she'll call you back (they rarely do) while another agent swoops in and gets the deal. But you also don't want to alienate the potential client by calling them every other day.

So what's a person to do?

Well, the first thing you'll want to review is how did you leave the conversation?

Is your prospect expecting a phone call following up on the initial discussion? Will you be providing more information, maybe on some of the listings on where they're looking to buy? Or maybe your prospect said they're still thinking about it, and you can give her a call over the next few weeks to see how things are going.

As you can see, the answers to those questions play a big part in whether or not you'll be perceived as "Johnny-on-the-spot", hustling and working to keep the home buying process moving. Or Joe Isuzu, the used-car guy who'll do anything to close a deal.

Recommendation: At the end of every conversation with a prospect, communicate an action step you'll take to keep the process moving.

As an example, let's say you're talking to a first-time homebuyer who really isn't interested in buying a house right now, but is thinking about starting the process at the beginning of next year.

"Congratulations," you say. "Buying a home really is one best wealth building decisions you can make. I know it's still early in the process, but have you thought about a particular part of town yet?"

"Actually I was doing some looking online", she says.

(Remember, a majority of today's homebuyers have already done some research online. You do have an updated Website showcasing your listings, right?)

"And I'm thinking about the suburbs, no more than 30 miles outside of the city. My husband works downtown, and even though I haven't talked with him yet, I really can't see him wanting to commute for more than an hour."

Ok, with that one question you've now got all the information you need.

You know they're still very early in the process. (She hasn't even discussed it with her husband yet.)

You have a general idea as to where they're looking. (Outside of the city.)

And most importantly, you know that this is not the person you'll want to call every other day because then you'll be perceived as too salesy.

So at the end of this conversation, your action step is simply this: "Why don't I drop you a line, say a couple of months down the road? That way, as you guys get closer to narrowing down your the options, I can point you in the right direction based on some of my experience."

Bang! That's it.

She says OK, you put her contact information in your database, add a tickler for two months down the road, and you're good to go. That's perfect, because now you're perceived as the Realtor who's on top of the situation, without trying to force the situation.

Conversely if you said, "Well how about I shoot you some listings and you tell me what you think?" Or, "What's preventing you from buying right now?" That's too much. They don't want to see your listings. She hasn't even talked it over with her husband yet.

Bad move.

Bottom line: The difference between being persistent and salesy is simply a matter of the action step you take in the context of that specific situation.

If you're trying to move too fast to close the deal (which most salespeople, including Realtors try to do), then you'll be out of sync with that prospect and run the very real chance of blowing the deal.

But if you ask the right questions, and frame your action step in the context of the information provided, then you'll be well on your way towards increased sales success.

Published: November 10, 2004

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As a popular speaker and author of the resource How to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, Brian specializes in helping busy agents get more leads and close more deals - even in a market as "challenging" as this. For a free report on 2 Easy Ways to Get More Business in Today's Tough Market, just email my office and we'll send it right over.