The follow-up that saved a $5K commission

A few years back, I had a prospect that ghosted me.

Pre-approved him in early March, sent him his letter, told him to reach out when he was ready to look at homes.

Then... crickets.

I followed up once after two weeks.

No response.

Followed up again three weeks later.

Nothing.

Most LOs would've moved on by now, and honestly, I almost did too.

But something told me to try one more time with a different approach.

So six weeks after our initial call, I sent him this text:

"Hey [Name], have you given up on the home search?

He responded within 20 minutes:

"Man, I'm sorry. I've been swamped at work and honestly got overwhelmed with the whole process. I still want to buy, just needed some time to breathe."

We got back on the phone that week, walked through his timeline again, and he ended up closing on a $425K purchase two months later.

My commission?

Just over $5,000.

All because I sent one more SIMPLE follow-up when most people would've quit.

That experience taught me most LOs treat follow-up like a checklist.

Call once, email twice, give up.

But the best follow-ups aren't about persistence, they're about permission. Let me explain what I mean.

The Permission-Based Follow-Up Framework

Most follow-ups sound like:

"Just checking in!"

"Wanted to circle back..."

"Any updates on your home search?"

These aren't bad, but they're not great either, because they put pressure on the lead to respond even when they're not ready.

The key is to first future frame your follow ups at time of pre-approval:

“Hey [Name]. Now that you’re pre-approved, I don’t want you to feel forgotten. Is it okay if I place an internal reminder to call you in a few weeks to see how you’re doing and/or to update you with anything important I feel you’ll want to know?”

This will set the expectations that you will indeed be in touch.

And once you do, put this simple process in play.

Follow-Up #1 (Week 2): The Value Add

Don't "check in." Add value.

"Hey [Name], saw this article about down payment assistance programs in [your area] and thought of you. No pressure to respond, just wanted to share in case it's helpful."

Follow-Up #2 (Week 4): The Low-Pressure Update

Share something relevant without asking for anything:

"Hey [Name], rates dipped slightly this week - about 0.125% lower than when we last talked. Just wanted you to know in case you're still thinking about it. No rush on your end."

Follow-Up #3 (Week 6): The Permission Close

This is the one that saved my $5K deal:

"Hey [Name], totally understand if timing changed or you went a different direction - just let me know either way so I'm not bugging you. If you're still planning to move forward, I'm here whenever you're ready."

This does something powerful: it removes the pressure and gives them an easy out, which ironically makes them MORE likely to respond.

Follow-Up #4 (Week 8): The Takeaway

If they still haven't responded, send this:

"Hey [Name], have you given up on the home search?”

Then actually stop following up for 60-90 days.

You'd be surprised how many people respond to this one with:

"Wait, no! I'm still interested, just been crazy busy."

When I started using this framework, my lead conversion rate on "cold" leads went from about 12% to nearly 30%, not because I followed up more, but because I followed up better.

I gave people permission to disengage, which made them feel less pressured and more likely to re-engage when they were actually ready.

One lead told me:

"You're the only lender who didn't make me feel guilty for going dark. That's why I came back to you."

The issue is, most Loan Officers treat follow-up like a math problem: more touches = more conversions.

But that's not how people work. People don't respond to volume, they respond to relevance and respect.

So here's what I want you to do this week:

Pull up 5 prospects who went cold in the last 60 days, the ones you've been meaning to follow up with but haven't because you didn't know what to say.

Use one of the four follow-up templates above and send it today, not tomorrow, not next week…

Today.

Then watch what happens, because here's the truth: some of those "dead" leads aren't dead at all.

They're just waiting for you to follow up the right way.

Don't leave $5K on the table because you gave up too soon.

Let's GO! 💪

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help you!

1. Book a call to speak with one of our advisors about joining the Growth Only Community.
2. Join our Facebook group for Top Producing Modern Loan Officers.
3. Connect with me on social.