Here’s something that used to drive me crazy: I’d send out a bunch of offers, get a few people interested, have some good initial conversations…and then they’d go silent.
And I’d just move on to the next group of prospects, thinking “well, I guess they weren’t serious.”
it turns out, I was walking away from most of my agreements.. And if you’re doing the same, You probably are too.
According to research, most companies generate about 70% of their revenue from follow-up, NOT the initial conversation.
Let that sink in for a second.
If you don’t systematically follow up with your leads, you’re potentially leaving seven out of ten dollars on the table.
I know what you’re thinking because I thought it too:
“But Seth, the follow-up seems aggressive. I don’t want to be that annoying person who keeps bothering people.”
I understand. I had the same doubt. But the problem is that most people don’t understand what tracking actually is and when it should be done.
Once I figured out the right way to think about tracking (and, more importantly, when to pick up the phone myself or automate it), everything started to fall into place.
Let me explain the same framework that helped me and hundreds of investors in other countries stop leaving money on the table.
The Surprising Truth About When Tracking Really Starts
Most people think that tracking starts the moment you send your first email or text message. It’s not like that.
That’s what we call “outbound marketing,” which is something completely different.
Tracking doesn’t begin until AFTER a seller raises their hand.
If someone never answers you, there is nothing to follow.
And if someone responds angrily or tells you to stop, that’s not a clue either. They should be removed from your list immediately.
So when does the real tracking start?
It begins the moment a salesperson responds with anything that is even remotely positive or neutral.
When they say things like “Make me an offering” either “You might be interested” or even just “tell me more” That’s when tracking becomes relevant. Before that point, you are still in cold contact mode.
This distinction is more important than you might think, because many investors waste time and energy trying to automate conversations that I haven’t even started yet.
The three seller states that determine your tracking strategy
Once you understand that tracking only happens after someone answers, the next step is to recognize that each seller is in one of three different states. And each state requires a completely different approach:
Status #1: Not a clue
This seller includes who:
- I never responded at all
- He responded negatively
- I told you to stop
- Have a property that you simply cannot use
No tracking required here. None. No automation, no reminders, no tasks.
These people don’t belong in your negotiation process, period.
Status #2: Qualified leader in active conversation
This type of seller responds and participates. They answer your questions, show genuine interest, and you have a real back-and-forth conversation with them. They may have given you an email address, a phone number, and maybe even some details about your property.
This is the fundamental thing to understand: This stage is mostly manual.
This is where you or someone on your team should respond with real calls and conversations. Software can help you remember to call and organize your notes (which is huge), but it can’t replace human conversation or close the deal. At least not yet. If a salesperson is actively talking to you, automation should help the human have those conversations, not replace them.
Status #3: Unqualified Lead Who Remained Silent
This is the type of salesperson who at one point seemed interested, maybe answered a few questions, but then stopped responding.
The property may still be in good condition; you made some progress, but something prevents them from moving forward. Maybe the time is not right. Maybe they are distracted. Maybe they changed their minds temporarily.
This is the only place automated tracking really belongsAnd this is where automation really shines.
The Tracking Engagement Matrix (Visual Guide)
When I tried to explain this clearly, even to myself, I realized that I kept imagining a flowchart in my head. Different seller responses put them in different categories, and each category deserves a very different next step.
So I tried to turn that mental image into something visual.
The diagram below shows exactly when follow-up should be human, when automation makes sense, when long-term follow-up is okay, and when it’s time to stop communicating altogether.
It’s not about bothering people until they say yes. It’s about responding in the right way, at the right time, based on how the seller actually interacts.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about whether to follow up, automate, or abandon, I hope this helps make it click.
And if you find this helpful, feel free to share it with your team or anyone struggling with tracking. That’s exactly why I did it!
Convert this framework into a system
One of the reasons I created this framework is that knowing what to do is easy, but doing it consistently is the hard part.
This is true Passed aid.
Within Stride, we have already created the tracking workflows shown in this diagram above.
Automated texts, emails, RVMs, and reminders for sellers who are silent. Call alerts and task reminders for salespeople who need real human conversation. Long-term tracking that runs silently in the background without feeling aggressive.
You don’t need to solve this from scratch. You can review what we’ve already created, modify the wording to make it sound like you, choose the channels you want to use, and then activate it.
Stride is not a replacement for conversations. It supports them, so that nothing is lost when sellers remain silent.
That way, this matrix is not just a good idea. It becomes a system that actually runs in your business.
What the Harvard Business Review study teaches us about tracking
There is a well-known Harvard Business Review study that analyzed thousands of potential customers and more than 100,000 contact attempts. The findings are quite revealing:
- First, speed matters more than almost anything. If you respond to a prospect within five minutes of contacting them, you’re much more likely to actually talk to them than if you wait just 10 minutes. That’s how it is. A few extra minutes can reduce your chances by multiples.
- Second, time matters beyond speed. The middle of the week works better than the beginning of the week. Late afternoon works better than most other times. This applies to all industries, not just land investment.
- Third, perseverance pays off. Your chances of reaching someone increase with each additional attempt, and by the sixth attempt, your chances of making contact are extremely high.
The key conclusion is that Most agreements are not finalized in the first conversation. They happen after multiple touches, at the right time, with the right people saying the right things.
Where automation fits (and where it doesn’t)
Here’s what happens with automation: has a very specific job, and the moment you confuse that job with something else, your following starts to look spammy instead of useful.
Automation is great for re-engaging silent leads, reminding your team when to act, and maintaining consistency over time. It’s also great for things like appointment reminders, which build confidence by showing that you’re organized and serious about following through.
But automation is TERRIBLE when it comes to negotiating, making decisions, and reading human emotions. That’s just not what it’s designed for.
For example, when someone goes silent after initial conversations, you can put them in a simple drip sequence that gently reminds them that you exist for the next few months. These sequences have helped real estate investors (myself included) close deals that otherwise would have been completely forgotten. Not all silent leads will convert, but some will, and those “some” can add tens of thousands of dollars to your bottom line without any additional effort on your part.
The simple framework that really works
If you get nothing else from this, remember these three principles:
- There is no follow-up until a seller responds.
- There is no automation until a conversation stalls.
- The best tracking systems support humans instead of replacing them.
You don’t need a complex system for this to work. Start simple. Don’t follow up until someone responds. When they do, talk to them like a human. If they go silent, put them into a simple automated sequence that keeps you present without requiring constant mental bandwidth on your part.
That’s all. That’s the system that’s helping land investors across the country stop leaving 70% of their income on the table.
And in a business where most people don’t do any systematic tracking, simply implementing these basics will put you miles ahead of your competition.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to make some follow-up calls.
