 President's
Corner
I had a conversation with a note
broker the other day about a
note holder that went something
like this:
Note Broker:
I gave him the options over the
phone and emailed them to the
note holder last week and still
haven’t heard back. It’s so
frustrating.
Me: Why not follow up and
check in?
Note Broker:
I don’t want to be annoying.
I understand the fear. No one
wants to be annoying or
bothersome to a potential note
seller, especially when you want
them to accept one of your
options.
But here’s the rub. The average
person can get a few hundred
emails a day and is most likely
talking to several note brokers
and buyers. That makes it pretty
tough to respond to all of them,
and things naturally fall to the
bottom of the list. If you don’t
get a response, it doesn’t mean
that someone’s ignoring you—it
just may mean that he or she is
too busy.
So, to the question: Should you
follow up? Absolutely. In fact,
it’s your job. And how often
should you do so? My philosophy
is: As many times as it takes.
The important thing is to do it
the right way. Or, as I call it,
to be “pleasantly persistent.”
Here are a couple of ways on how
to (nicely) follow up with that
note holder —and get the answer
you’re looking for.
Be Overly Polite and Humble
That seems obvious
enough, but a lot of people take
it personally when they don’t
hear back from someone right
away. Resist the urge to get
upset or mad, and never take
your feelings out in an email,
saying something like, “You
haven’t responded yet,” or “You
ignored my first email.” Just
maintain an extremely polite
tone throughout the entire email
thread. Showing that you’re
friendly and that you understand
how busy your note holder is is
a good way to keep him or her
interested (and not mad).
Persistent Doesn’t Mean Every
Day
Sending a follow-up email every
day doesn’t show you have
gumption or passion, it shows
you don’t respect a person’s
time. The general rule of thumb
is to give at least a week
before following up. Any sooner,
and it might come off as pushy;
let too much time pass, and you
risk the other person not having
any clue who you are. I
typically start off with an
email and a phone call every
week, and then switch to every
couple of weeks.
Next week I will share a couple
more tips on following up with
note holders.
Remember,
Success
Demands Action! Keep on
marketing, it’s going to work!
TWITA! |
