How to Master the Art of Follow-Up with Past Clients
Real estate client follow-up is where repeat business is won or lost, and silence is the fastest way to get replaced. Pair a human cadence with a simple second-chance layer like Retargeting Ads for Real Estate Agents: Setups, Budgets, and Creatives That Win the Second Chance, then run it every week like it is payroll.
Why Follow-Up Pays Off After the Closing
Most agents grind through the transaction, celebrate the closing, then disappear until they need something. Clients notice that gap, and it makes your relationship feel transactional even if you did great work.
Past clients are your lowest-cost audience, and they are already pre-sold on your competence. Your job is to stay easy to remember, easy to recommend, and easy to reach when timing shows up.
Follow-up is not a vibe. It is a calendar, a task list, and a set of templates you can run in 90 minutes a week.
- Memory fades fast: if your name never shows up, your seat gets filled by someone else.
- Trust compounds: a quick check-in six months later signals you still care when there is no commission attached.
- Referrals need prompts: most people are happy to refer you, but they need a reason and a reminder.
- Consistency beats intensity: a small cadence every month outperforms one big blast twice a year.
Segment Your Past Clients So Everyone Feels Prioritized
Real estate client follow-up fails when your database is treated like one big pile. The fix is simple: give every contact a tier, then match your effort to the relationship.
Use three tiers and keep the definitions brutally practical. You are not rating people as humans, you are sorting relationships by closeness, influence, and response behavior.
Tier A: past clients who referred you, people who reply fast, and connectors who know a lot of homeowners. Plan on a personal touch every month and a same-day reply rule.
Tier B: happy clients who are warm but not loud, plus friends who engage once in a while. Plan on a touch every six to eight weeks with one high-utility message per month.
Tier C: the wider network, long-cycle prospects, and people who drifted cold. Plan on a quarterly touch that is light, helpful, and easy to consume.
- Time cap: Tier A gets your calls, Tier B gets your batch texts, Tier C gets your best newsletter and mailers.
- Value cap: no more than one ask per quarter, and it should ride on the back of something helpful.
- Channel mix: calls, texts, email, social replies, and occasional mail so it feels natural.
- Owner: you own Tier A calls, your system owns everything else through automation.
Most agents think follow-up is about saying hi, but the real lever is tracking the next useful reason to reach out. If you cannot name the next value message for each Tier A client in under five seconds, your cadence will slip and referrals will leak. Ask this every week: what is the next helpful thing I can send that makes their home decision feel safer?
Build a 36-Touch Cadence That Feels Human
The classic 36-touch framework works because it uses variety. A steady mix of small touches keeps you present without sounding like you are running a campaign.
Start by choosing a single weekly batch window, like Tuesday from 9:00 to 10:30, and protect it. Your system lives or dies on that recurring block, not on motivation.
Use this as a clean baseline for Tier A. Then scale down for Tier B and Tier C by reducing the personal pieces, not by cutting the cadence to zero.
- 4 quick calls: one per quarter, 30 seconds to two minutes, focused on them.
- 12 market notes: one per month, hyper-local and short, sent by email or text.
- 12 social touches: real comments or direct messages, not silent likes.
- 4 personal notes: home anniversary, birthday, move-in season, and one surprise note.
- 4 value assets: checklists, vendor lists, and short guides that solve a real problem.
Value assets are where your follow-up stops being noise. A simple example is sending a short explanation of common closing line items during a tax season conversation, using Breaking Down Closing Costs for Buyers and Sellers as a clear educational anchor.
Channel choice matters. Text is best for quick prompts and vendor lists, email is best for market notes and guides, and mail is best for milestone touches that you want kept on the counter.
If you want a clean engine behind the cadence, build your monthly market note inside Email Campaigns and rotate one mailer per quarter through Direct Mail Marketing.
The Value Test: What to Send So People Reply
Every message should pass one test: does this make their life easier, clearer, or safer today. If the answer is no, rewrite the message or do not send it.
Most follow-up fails because it sounds like a disguised ask. The fix is to lead with specific usefulness, then offer a next step that feels optional.
Rotate four kinds of value so your cadence stays fresh and you do not burn out writing from scratch.
- Equity clarity: one simple neighborhood value snapshot, two sentences max.
- Home ownership wins:
- Decision support:
- Social proof:
Social proof is the easiest value asset to reuse because it does not expire. Build a small bank of story-based posts and messages, then plug them into your follow-up stream using Testimonial Content That Books Appointments: Real Estate Agent Templates.
Be careful with the tone. Your words should sound like a helpful neighbor who happens to be a professional, not a marketer fishing for a lead.
Three Ready-to-Use Follow-Up Scripts
The 30-Second Check-In Call
Dialogue: agent
- Hook: “Quick one, how is the house treating you these days?”
- Build: “I pulled a fast snapshot for your neighborhood this week, and a couple sales surprised me.”
- CTA: “Want me to text the quick picture so you have it on hand?”
Key phrases
- “Fast snapshot”
- “Just so you have it”
- “No rush”
CRM notes
- Log one personal detail from the call, even if it is small.
- Tag the topic, like remodel, refinance, job change, new baby, or school.
- Set a next-touch task for 30 days with a useful reason.
- Send the value snapshot within 10 minutes to build trust.
Timing note
Keep the call under two minutes unless they pull you into a real conversation.
The Seasonal Value Asset Text
Dialogue: agent
- Hook: “Heads up, a lot of homeowners get hit with this every winter.”
- Build: “I made a one-page checklist for gutters, heat, and small leaks. It saves headaches.”
- CTA: “Want me to send it over, and a couple local pros who actually answer?”
Key phrases
- “One-page checklist”
- “Saves headaches”
- “A couple local pros”
CRM notes
- Only send vendor names you trust and do not imply any kickback relationship.
- Track replies as a signal, replies are a Tier A upgrade trigger.
- Set a reminder for one week later to ask if it helped.
- Save the checklist link so you can reuse it next season.
Timing note
Send this Tuesday to Thursday before 6:00 pm, response rates are usually higher.
The One-Minute Market Note Email
Dialogue: agent
- Hook: “One-minute update for your area, nothing spammy.”
- Build: “In the last 30 days, inventory shifted and price cuts changed. It affects seller timing and buyer leverage.”
- CTA: “If you want a quick value range for your address, reply with just the street name.”
Key phrases
- “One-minute update”
- “Last 30 days”
- “Reply with the street name”
Execution notes
- Keep this under 160 words, add one local stat, then stop.
- Use one clear subject line, no gimmicks, no extra links.
- Batch replies into a 30-minute block the next day.
- Set a next-touch task for anyone who replies, two weeks out.
Timing note
Send the email the same day every month so it becomes expected.
Budgets and Time Blocks You Can Repeat
You do not need a huge budget to run a strong follow-up system, but you do need time discipline. Lock a weekly follow-up block and treat it like a listing appointment, because it protects your next listing appointment.
Use these two setups as practical starting points. The numbers are example ranges you can adjust based on list size, response behavior, and how much you want automated versus personal.
Spend: $30 CRM, $40 postcards, $20 small note supplies. Cadence: Tier A monthly call plus one monthly email. Tier B one monthly email plus one text every eight weeks. Tier C quarterly email. Audience split: 25 Tier A, 75 Tier B, 200 Tier C. Frequency cap: one outbound touch per week per contact, replies excluded.
Spend: $60 CRM, $140 automated mailers, $100 small client gifts, $50 list cleanup tools. Cadence: Tier A monthly call plus one monthly market note plus two social touches. Tier B one monthly market note plus one value asset per quarter. Tier C quarterly market note plus one annual home anniversary note. Audience split: 40 Tier A, 140 Tier B, 500 Tier C. Frequency cap: Tier A up to two touches per week. Tier B and Tier C one email per month plus one mailer per quarter.
Two Creative Briefs to Keep Follow-Up on Rails
These are plug-and-play creative briefs you can hand to a team member, a VA, or your marketing partner. The goal is to keep messaging consistent, useful, and easy to run in batches.
- Goal: Drive replies from past clients so you can book two to four “quick value check” conversations per month.
- Audience: Tier A and Tier B past clients in your top one to two ZIP codes plus anyone who engaged in the last 90 days.
- Creative: One-minute market note with one stat, one plain-English takeaway, and one optional reply prompt. Keep it under 160 words. No charts.
- Headline: One-minute neighborhood update
- CTA: Reply with your street name and I’ll send a quick value range
- Success metric: 8 to 15 percent reply rate and at least five value range requests per send.
- Goal: Create goodwill and referral momentum by solving a seasonal homeowner problem in under 30 seconds.
- Audience: Tier A and Tier B plus high-engagement Tier C homeowners who opened or replied in the last 120 days.
- Creative: One-page seasonal checklist plus a short vendor short list. Deliver as a simple link or PDF. Keep the text message to two lines.
- Headline: Seasonal checklist that saves headaches
- CTA: Want the one-page checklist and the vendor short list
- Success metric: 10 to 18 percent reply rate and two referral-style conversations within 30 days.
KPIs That Tell You If the System Is Alive
Track a few simple metrics so you are not guessing. Treat them like instrumentation benchmarks, not promises, and use them to decide what to adjust next week.
If the numbers are soft, change one variable at a time. Tighten the tier definitions, shorten the message, or increase the personal touches for your Tier A list.
| KPI | Target benchmark | Review window | What to change if lagging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reply rate to value texts | 12 to 20 percent | 14 days | Shorten the message to two lines, add one local detail, and remove any implied ask. |
| Tier A call completion | 70 to 90 percent | 30 days | Call in a tighter window, leave a simple voicemail, then send the same summary by text. |
| Unsubscribes and do-not-contact | Under 2 percent | 90 days | Reduce frequency caps, stop generic blasts, and switch to value assets with clear opt-outs. |
What Successful Real Estate Agents Are Reading
FAQ
How often should I contact past clients without annoying them?
Use tiering and frequency caps. Tier A can handle a monthly personal touch plus one monthly market note. Tier B usually fits one monthly market note plus a text every six to eight weeks. Tier C is best on a quarterly cadence. If someone stops replying, reduce frequency and switch to value assets that are easy to ignore without guilt.
What is the best first message if I have been silent for a year?
Lead with honesty and a small, useful reason. Try a short text that says you were thinking about them, then offer a simple local update or checklist. Skip the apology essay and skip the ask. Your goal is to reopen the channel. Once they reply, log one detail in your CRM and set the next-touch task for two weeks out.
Should I call, text, or email for follow-up?
Use all three, but give each a job. Calls are best for Tier A relationship depth and milestone touches. Text is best for quick value prompts and vendor lists. Email is best for monthly market notes and longer guides. Mix channels so it feels natural, and keep one clear next step per message so the client is not forced to work.
What should I send if I do not want to talk about the market?
Send homeowner value that does not require pricing talk. Seasonal maintenance checklists, insurance reminders, contractor short lists, and home anniversary notes all work because they are practical. The goal is to be helpful, not to be loud. If you want a simple structure, rotate one seasonal asset per quarter and keep it under one page.
How do I keep good data without turning my CRM into a mess?
Limit fields to what you will actually use in follow-up. Capture one personal note, one home detail, and one next-touch reason. Then use tags for remodel, refinance, kids, job change, and preferred communication channel. Set one recurring cleanup block per month for 30 minutes. Clean data beats perfect data, and it keeps your messages relevant.
Is it okay to ask for referrals directly?
Yes, but earn it and time it. Use soft asks that ride after value, like offering to forward a checklist to a friend, or offering a neighborhood snapshot for someone they care about. Avoid asking right after a long silence. Also avoid stacking multiple asks in one month. One clear ask per quarter is a safer cadence for most lists.
What is the biggest red flag that my follow-up is not working?
Inconsistency. If you send several messages in one week, then disappear for six months, you train people to ignore you. The second red flag is generic content that does not sound local or personal, it feels like a template. Fix both by setting one weekly batch block, writing two reusable templates, and tracking reply rate and do-not-contact requests every month.
If you want a follow-up system built fast, with tiering, scripts, templates, and lightweight automation, AmericasBestMarketing.com can set it up so the weekly work stays simple. You bring the client list and local context, we bring the structure and the multi-channel execution that keeps you top of mind.
Complete Multi-Channel Marketing Program
- Custom-branded marketing assets featuring you and your brand
- Branded social media: your services & testimonials (3/week)
- Listing social media: Just Listed • Open House • Pending • Sold
- Email campaigns personalized to you and your area
- Digital retargeting & contextual ad campaigns to your area
- Direct mail campaigns (scope & frequency set by you)
- GEO farm / niche marketing: direct mail & email campaigns
- Database formatting & research (priced per name researched)
- IDX websites (add-on) created and maintained in partnership with iHouseWeb, available at additional cost to help agents strengthen online presence and support lead capture from their website traffic.
- 1:1 Coaching & Accountability sessions (add-on program)
Pricing reflects current platform rates and may change. Third-party ad spend plus printing and postage billed separately. Final terms are outlined in a simple client agreement.
