Studies have shown the more you follow up, the more you’re apt to make the sale. Always, always ask for permission to follow up, as well as for the best method to follow up (phone, text, email, etc.).

If you make an appointment with a prospect, follow up and confirm the appointment. It is perfectly acceptable to follow up on the morning of the appointment as a reminder. “Hi Joe! I’m looking forward to seeing you today at 1 p.m. Our first stop will be the 2BR overlooking the pool I mentioned yesterday. I’ve included directions to our community. See you at 1 p.m.”

What do you do if you’ve done everything “right” by following up, seen interest from the prospect, sent back up information to the prospect and she still hasn’t gotten back to you? People get busy. There are a zillion different reasons (including analysis paralysis) to not hear back from someone. The trick is staying in contact without being annoying. Keep an arsenal of moving tips/ neighborhood tips/ coupons, etc. that you can that are valuable to the prospect and an easy way to stay in touch. Very few people are going to get mad at you for sending a $3 off coupon to the local Starbucks… or buy-one, get-one sandwich at the local deli… (all deals you can work out with local businesses). See page 6 for statistics on digital coupons — they do work!

As an offshoot — test sending your follow up messages at different times of day to see if you get a better response during a certain time. For instance, studies show most people will read an email sent at the beginning of the work day (9 a.m.) but not at lunch time (12 noon – 2 p.m.). See what times work best for you in getting a reply.

Stay in the game. Keep following up. Stay positive and you’ll close more sales.