Whenever I see a low score on a shopper’s evaluation report my experience tells me to begin with “follow up.” The reason for this is that more often than not one of the major reasons for a low score is due to lack of follow up by the leasing professional. Ugh. Following up is one of the most crucial things that you can do, and yet it is so often overlooked.
If you’re reading this my guess is you know that you “should” follow up! In my experience most people know this too. The question is, “Why don’t you follow up, when you know you should?”
Too Busy
I have not met a multihousing associate that didn’t feel s/he was “busy.” I know. Believe me, I do! I felt exactly the same way too. This is why following up is so crucial. You’ve already spent valuable time with your prospect, don’t waste it by not following up. When you don’t follow up you decrease the chances that you’ll make the sale, which means you’ll have to answer more phone calls, respond to more emails and take more people out on tour.
The Solution
- Start by setting aside just 10 minutes each day to follow up with prospects.
- Create a calendar reminder every day to remind you to do this.
- Then when the reminder does off, DO IT!
- If you’re busy when the reminder goes off, then delay it for when you think you’ll be free again.
Don’t Need To
Another reason people don’t follow up is because they don’t really think they need to-especially with those customers that aren’t look to move for two or three months (or more!) in the future. Want to know a secret? 60% of prospects will NOT complete the leasing process within 30 days?
What does this mean for you? If you don’t follow up with your prospects you’re missing out selling to the 60% of people who tour your community but will not be renting and/or moving in within 30 days. In other words, of you’re only focusing on people moving within 30 days (which is the natural tendency) you’re missing out … big time.
The Solution
Remind yourself that following up with your prospects is just as important as taking someone on a tour!
Too Disorganized
You cannot succeed consistently if your organization method would best be described as “chaos.” So if your lack of organization, system, structure or time management is getting in your way, take steps now to eliminate this as a reason for your not following up. Think about what’s getting in the way and what you can do to take those obstacles out. Here are some things that might help …
The Solutions
- Take inventory of your time management capabilities. Are you spending far too much time in certain areas than you should What are your time sucks during the day?
- Create your “to-do” list and use it
- If you still have paper guest cards follow up consistently! Your goal is to truly determine who is interested, who isn’t and who rented somewhere else and WHY?
- If your guest cards are on your management software system, then maximize your use of it by following up daily and using all of the productivity tools they provide
Following up is worth it! Believe me, I know!!
