Inspiration

Instruction Follow-Up

RAT 43 (Rawlings Agency Tip)

The following is a powerful and surprisingly underused instruction-earning tip, which may seem so obvious that it hardly needs stating. But sadly it does!

A client of mine has an astonishing conversion ratio of appraisals to instructions. When I asked him what his secret is, he said that it’s very simple. It seems he is virtually the only agent in area that makes a point of following up after a “valuation” (or marketing proposal meeting)! Crazy but true! And I suspect that there are many agents who provide a great service, do a great pitch, get on well with the client, and who could well be in line for the business but then just wait for the client to come back to them.

Yet they don’t. Why not? Because some other agent closed them first. Prompt feedback (ie within 24 hours) following an appraisal is a great way of demonstrating not only your enthusiasm (which is another powerful way of getting the instruction), but also hints at the type of speed and efficiency the client can expect from you during their sale.
Whilst we might not always want to be seen to be too “pushy”, what is the more attractive trait in an estate agent…pushiness or indifference?

I’m guilty of this myself. In a stupidly busy world I frequently send out proposals to estate agents who have asked about one or other of my services, and I find myself so tied up in delivering the eg publicity programme or training that I just don’t seem to find the time to follow up those prospective clients who did not respond to a proposal. Yet in probably 60% of cases where I have nudged them, it has generated confirmed business, with most agents saying “oh yes, thanks for calling – I’ve been meaning to do something about this”. Whilst this might point to a slight understaffing issue on my part, how is it for you? Does EVERY prospective vendor/landlord get a follow up call within 24 hours?

And if you’re thinking “where does our “Valuation/Terms” letter come in?” it's worth remembering that people make their decision based on their relationship with the agent, and not a letter (which would have to be pretty amazingly worded if it is to prompt the vendor to act more persuasively than a phone call).

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© Richard Rawlings 2010
Richard Rawlings is the founding director of Estate Agency Insight, which specialises in helping estate agencies harness opportunity through innovative method, marketing, publicity, and training. He can be contacted at or on 0845 838 1354.

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