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You don't need to call people anymore. Email and text are enough now, right?
Wrong. Phone is still the last medium you need to honor before you land the appointment. In this episode, Steve breaks down exactly how email, SMS, and phone work together to move a lead from registration to appointment, and why treating them like separate, disconnected tools is costing you deals.
The one job of email and SMS
Email and SMS have one job: invite a conversation. That's it. Too many agents are writing 71-line emails packed with information, ending in "click here to book on my Calendly." That approach only works if your lead volume is massive. If you're generating 30 leads a month, it's not going to convert. If you're generating 500, maybe.
Instead of writing for volume, write for connection. Every lead that fills out a form, requests a guide, or registers for an event is different from a referral or a warm introduction. They don't know you yet. Your first email should simply deliver on the exact promise you made when they signed up, then ask one more question to keep the conversation open.
The follow-up sequence that actually works
Once that first email goes out, Steve lays out a simple branch. If they click the link, follow up one way. If they don't, send a three-email sequence over three to four days:
- Email 1: A quick check-in, referencing when you'll be available to talk
- Email 2: A one-line follow-up, not a new subject or a new pitch
- Email 3: A final "before I stop following up" message
Then SMS comes in, referencing the email you just sent so the two feel connected. Same with the phone call. Steve calls this daisy chaining: your email, text, and call all need to sound and feel like they're coming from the same person, because if they're not congruent, the lead may think three different people are reaching out.
Why your phone calls are getting ignored
There's a reason your calls go to voicemail: an 800 number, an 866 number, or an unverified local number showing up as "maybe spam" is enough for most people to let it ring. Steve points out that putting your name and number in the signature of every email and text actually helps your phone show up as a known contact instead of a scam risk when you finally call.
Marketing emails have a ceiling
Sending polished marketing emails isn't the problem. Relying on them as your only form of follow-up is. Nobody walks into a car dealership and asks to just be sent brochures. They want a real conversation with someone they trust. Real estate works the same way. One-to-one communication builds trust. So does having an actual point of view instead of playing it safe.
The bottom line
Email and SMS are a gateway to a phone call. A phone call is a gateway to an appointment. An appointment is a gateway to a client, a contract, and eventually a close. You can't skip stages and expect to get paid consistently. It will never be easier to sell real estate than it is right now, so the agents who build a real follow-up system, not just a blast list, are the ones who are going to win the next ten years.