How to follow up with a lead who stopped answering: what to send at 7, 30, and 90 days

Step 1: Give every message a reason to answer

"Just checking in" asks the lead to do the work: to remember what they wanted and to come up with a reply. A message with something in it is easy to answer. Three new listings in their price range, a price cut on a home they liked, or one home that checks their boxes, with an offer to see it this weekend. If you have nothing new, ask one short question about their plans. Keep it to a few sentences, and end with one easy question.

Step 2: Day 7: send one real reason to talk

A week of silence is the time for the first touch. Pick one reason and lead with it: "Hi Sarah, a 3-bedroom just listed on Oak Ave, in your range. Want to see it Saturday?" For a seller, a nearby home that listed or sold works the same way. Don't mention how long it has been since they answered: it reads as guilt.

Step 3: Day 30: call, and send a one-line text

If the first touch got nothing, stop writing longer messages. Call. If they don't pick up, leave a short voicemail and send one line: "Hi Sarah, it's Dana. I just tried to call. Give me a call back." No listing, no pitch, no "are you still looking?". The message is only there to ask for a call back, so keep it that short.

Step 4: Day 90: invite them to something

Three months in, try something other than a listing: an invitation. A client appreciation party, a seasonal event, or a first-time buyer class gives them a reason to show up that has nothing to do with being ready to buy. If you have no event coming up, send a new listing or ask what changed in their plans. Between touches, a monthly email or newsletter keeps your name in front of them.

Step 5: When they answer, make the next step easy

When a quiet lead finally writes back, don't answer with "Are you ready to buy?": it asks for a decision they may not be ready to make. Thank them, then offer something easy: "It's been a while since we met. Would you like to sit down and go over what buying looks like in today's market?" A short meeting is a smaller yes than a showing schedule, and it puts you back in front of them.

Step 6: Know when to stop

Some leads are done, and the follow-up should stop: they asked you not to contact them, they bought or listed with another agent, or they stopped looking. Write down why on their record, so nobody picks them up again by mistake. Everyone else stays in the plan, however long they have been quiet. Don't delete a lead only because it went quiet.

Where Reddy fits

Reddy watches for leads who go quiet. It counts calls and texts on your Reddy line, emails filed to the lead's record, meetings, and contact in Follow Up Boss. A call from your own phone that isn't in Follow Up Boss doesn't count, so Reddy may still remind you about someone you just called.

After 7 days, a draft with one reason to talk waits in your own mailbox. After 30 days, your morning brief asks you to call, with the text to send if they don't pick up. After 90 days, Reddy drafts an invite to the next client event on your calendar, or finds a new reason when there isn't one.

Reddy never sends any of it. You review each message and send it yourself, and you can turn the follow-ups off by telling Reddy in chat.

Read next

• How to set up your lead follow-up: what you keep and what you hand off
• How to spend less time on email: three real estate email templates and a daily routine