1. Think, "Great! They've got my number. They'll call me if they need me later."
2. Add them to your pipeline and continue to nurture the lead. That way you're guaranteed that when they're ready to buy or sell you'll be the first person they think of.
   

Let's remember well that home buying and selling are huge transactions. People don't just wake up and decide to sell a house one morning. It's a process. They might contact you at the beginning when they just start thinking about it. If you are kind to them and remain in contact, when they finally make a decision you'll be the person they go to.

Imagine having a pipeline with 50 prospects in it. You reach out to them periodically, which doesn't take that much time or effort. Even if just one of those prospects converts each month a couple of emails or phone calls are completely worth your time! Nurture those prospects! You establish yourself as the expert, build their trust and ensure yourself a future sale.

So how do you nurture leads?

First of all, you shouldn't call them every week asking if they're ready to move NOW. That's not polite nor effective. Instead, check in with them periodically in a gentle way. Ask how they are doing, where they are in their home buying or selling process and if there are any questions you can answer. In fact, you may want to put together some informational material you send out each month to pipeline prospects (like real estate tips for home buyers and sellers).

Your goal is for your communication to first and foremost establish trust. Also make sure that they understand how your services work and how they'll benefit from working with you. Social media can make it easy to keep in touch. Why not add a lead to your facebook or twitter account? Do you keep a blog? Let them know when you update it. Let them know when you've listed new homes or helped a buyer find a home. Tell success stories and give them tips. Establish trust with your pipeline. That's not pesky. It’s helpful.

Here's a proposed agenda to keep in contact with a lead that's not buying today (modify and insert your preferred action or content… it's just an idea of a good timeline):

• Day 1      Introductory phone call and follow-up email.
• Day 28    Informational email or E-newsletter with voicemail alert.
• Day 42    Email recent customer success story about a
                transaction you've completed.
• Day 60    Personal invitation to visit an open house you're hosting.
• Day 80    Send them a customer testimonial and a personal email.
• Day 100  Email recent article of interest on Internet.
• Day 120  Email "touching base" note.
• Day 140  Email "touching base" note, maybe add
                in other details about your service.
• Day 160  Prospect calls you: now a qualified lead!

Let me share a personal story: My mom is a wonderful, indecisive woman. She's wanted to move for about a year now. She'll do it, too. We're just not sure when. She's even talked to a couple agents about selling her home. However, her timeline is vauge because there are a lot of personal details involved and she's not quick to make big decisions.