John Madron's best reminder that follow-up works even when it feels like it isn't: a lead signed up on his site in May, never answered a call, never replied to a text, and still closed on a $10 million home that January. The whole time, they were quietly receiving his Drip campaigns and email content. When they were ready, they reached out. That's the long game — staying consistent and present so that when a lead finally raises their hand, you're the one they call.

The way you open a call sets the tone for everything that follows. Dustin Owens walks through two simple moves that put you in control from the first second. Skip the "hey, is this [name]?" opener — it signals right away that you're a stranger, not someone worth their time. Instead, ask "is now a bad time to talk?" It hands them the wheel, but keeps you driving. If they say yes, don't scramble. Pull back, sound unbothered, and let them know you're not even sure they're the right fit yet — then offer two narrow time slots like you're doing them a favor squeezing them in. That shift in energy changes everything. Leads who were ready to brush you off suddenly want to know more about the agent who isn't chasing them.

Every conversation with a lead should end with a next step already locked in. Sales trainer Dale Archdekin calls it "book a meeting from a meeting" — and it's a principle that applies directly to real estate follow-up. Whether you're wrapping up a call or sending a check-in text, you should always be setting up the next interaction before the current one ends. And it goes deeper than scheduling: every conversation is a chance to learn something you can bring back up later. Use what people tell you. That's how you stay relevant, stay top of mind, and keep leads moving forward.

In this week’s tip, Greg Harrelson explains what agents should do immediately after speaking with an online lead to increase engagement and long-term conversion. His first priority is refining the lead’s property search right after the conversation so the alerts they receive are actually relevant. If agents leave the search too broad, the lead will quickly ignore the emails because the listings don’t match what they want. Once the search is properly refined, the automated listing alerts become a powerful nurture system, potentially creating dozens of valuable touchpoints over time. Greg also stresses the importance of scheduling a clear next step—whether that’s a property showing or a future follow-up call—so every conversation leads to a planned action while continuing to provide helpful, relevant content.

In this week’s tip, John Marrone shares what he calls the highest-converting opening line his team has developed over eight years of training—one that’s helped drive a 33% conversion rate. Instead of referencing a specific brokerage, John recommends introducing yourself as being “with the home search site” to avoid confusion and resistance. He also suggests a low-pressure question: “Are you looking to make a move in the next few months, or are you just browsing?”—which lowers defenses and encourages honest responses. John emphasizes that tonality is just as important as the words themselves, teaching to elongate and soften certain phrases to reduce pressure. His advice: imitate the script until it feels natural, then iterate to match your own voice—because delivery is what truly opens the conversation.