Follow Up Boss has a new feature that you may have missed!
First to Claim groups now have the ability to route to ponds, making it extra easy to ensure that your leads are being worked properly and nothing is falling through the cracks!
Watch our step-by-step walkthrough of this feature below, which includes tips on what to look out for if you were previously using this feature, and then you can take your lead routing to the next level!
If you are less familiar with this and would like a deep dive on lead routing and advanced lead flows, this is the video for you!
The June 1 mark has passed and you are likely seeing changes within your inbox with how emails are delivered and facing some challenges with your attempts to reach your audience. Never fear, Dear Reader! We have the tools and strategies to help you stay informed and confident in this new territory and keep your computer out of the dumpster. Use the links and strategies below to learn more about what is going on and how to combat those ever-evolving spam filters from blocking your valuable information from reaching its destination.
Re-authenticate your custom domain. Yes, even if you’ve already done this! Small shifts have happened since the February calls to authenticate your custom domain and it may have altered the authentication without your knowledge. Pop back in and make sure that this is done properly, and our friends at Follow Up Boss have updated the process to make it even easier for you to do!
Make sure you are considering all strategies available to you to fight spam blockers. This includes reviewing your content for keywords that may be flagged and regularly reviewing your numbers to make small tweaks that improve your credibility scores. You can consult our guide here!
Segment your database to ensure that you are only sending messages to the right audience. This means to separate your contacts using stages, tags, custom fields, and Smart Lists so that you can better understand who is receiving your content and for what reason. We teamed up with Follow Up Boss to teach you how to do this during this video.
Search and learn about implementing email authentication protocols like Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) which add an extra layer of security to your emails.
Check your business registration within Follow Up Boss. Ensure all your information is up to date and you have a physical address listed. If that is missing it will also affect your deliverability rates. Use this link to learn more about this feature within FUB.
Staying organized and efficient is crucial to your success and there’s no better tool to achieve this than a solid CRM system. We install Ferrari engines into Follow Up Boss Accounts every single day, but our efforts would be lost if the agents fail to understand how to use the system that we installed.
One way we combat this is by building a manual for the team to unite behind, and we’re here to show you how to build a similar one for your team!
Understanding why you need a handbook for your CRM will assist you in creating one. It will ensure that everyone, from new hires to seasoned veterans, is using the same definitions for stages and tags and managing the database of leads in the same way.
Having this also streamlines your operations, reducing the risk of errors and missed opportunities. It also helps your team have the knowledge and confidence to work independently and excel in their roles. If they have a reference point for troubleshooting, they will experiment more with advanced features which fosters a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
Work to clearly show all processes, best practices, and tips so that your team is harnessing the full power of your CRM. Cover how you want your leads managed, follow-up protocols, and client communication strategies so that you can feel confident that no matter which member of your team receives a lead, they will know exactly what to do with it.
Do not assume that everyone will understand a basic description. Go into as much detail as you can, likely more than you think is necessary, and be sure to use screenshots and links to a quick video tutorial wherever possible.
Approach this project as something ongoing, it’s definitely not a set-it-and-forget-it scenario. With every change, new lead source, and tool you integrate you will need to go back to update the document and re-circulate it for your team. Best practice here is to update one live document and ask your team to bookmark it rather than having to circulate updated .pdfs over and over again. This will ensure that they are always viewing the most up-to-date information.
It’s the worst feeling to hear that your phone number is coming up as spam. You aren’t spam, you’re calling because you’re the best person available to help this person buy or sell their home in a 100-mile radius! How dare they do that to you?! Well, they dare and they are doing it to the best of us right and left! While there is no way to completely eliminate this challenge, and if I’m wrong please reply to this and share with me so I can learn, there are some strategies you can use to reduce your chances of getting the big S on your number.
📱 Avoid cold-texting or cold-calling leads. Ensure that they have opted in to receive these types of communications from you.
📱 If someone has opted in for texts, send them your contact information right out of the gate by way of introduction, including your phone number. Their phone’s technology will likely pick up that information to be someone they may know rather than something it should block as spam. For example: “Hey! I just received your message about my listing at 123 Beach Street. I’ll be happy to send you more information on that home and others like it! – Kris McDonagh, Amplified Real Estate, 555-555-5555”
📱 Add the number you use to prospect to your phone’s v-card, your email signature, social media, and website. By having your phone number readily available online when searched you will improve the credibility of its connection to you, a real person, and one hell of a real estate agent.
📱 Request for your new contact to save your contact information to their phone. Most will, just in case you turn out to be somebody they do need, and it will increase the chances that they will answer the phone the next time you call to help them further.
📱 Check the reporting within Follow Up Boss to check for red flags that signal to carriers that you are spam. You want to avoid having too many calls that don’t connect, unanswered texts, and a high number of opt-out responses. Reflect on your prospecting efforts and adjust so that your efforts are resulting in longer quality calls and responses to your texts. To find this: Click Reporting in the top bar, then Calls and filter from there.
📱Research and test any new phone number you get before you order anything with the number printed on it or begin using it widely in case it was used previously for something you don’t want to be associated with or it has already been marked as Spam.
📱 To clear the spam flag from your Follow Up Boss number, visit https://www.freecallerregistry.com/fcr/#submitform and fill out the form. You can include your team’s numbers on the form and submit it once for the whole team as well.
When the form asks for the “Service Provider,” type “Twilio.” Once you submit the form, the carriers will review it and reset the Spam label for any numbers that were flagged. Each carrier’s spam provider will email them as they respond to the form. It’s worth noting that numbers can be flagged as spam again after being cleared, so be sure you are following FUB’s calling and texting best practices to avoid being flagged as spam again.
Example:
Phone Number: Enter FUB number
Click Send Verification Code.
I believe my calls are: Real Estate
Contact Name: First Last
Company Phone: (555) 555-5555
Email: name@business.com
Note: the verification code will go to this email
Calling Company Name: Your Business Name, LLC
Calling Company Address: 123 Main Street, Anywhere, US 12345
Calling Company URL: www.businessname.com/
Service Provider(s): Twilio
If you have any other tips that you’d like to share with the community, reply to this email and we will add them to our guide and give you credit!
The good news is that you are having this challenge because you are doing the work and calling the leads! Keep going, continuity is the secret to success.
Putting together a sales meeting twice a month or even weekly can be a challenge! Including a brief training is something that will really help your team get a lot of value from the session together, but it often takes time to research and prepare.
Set aside the time within your meeting for this training, and then let us do the heavy lifting! Use our Follow Up Boss Playlist for agents to supply you with a short training video to watch as a group and discuss during your meeting.
Choose one video from the playlist to cover each meeting and revisit often as we will be continually adding to this to help support you in your quest for building the perfect real estate team.
You might also want to check out our full list of offerings for more in-depth training sessions.
Effective communication is key in any business, but especially so in real estate as this element can make or break your transactions and growth. Email remains a primary channel for connecting with clients, colleagues, and prospects however, the constant battle against spam filters can hinder the delivery of crucial messages. By understanding the nuances of spam filters and implementing proactive measures, you can ensure messages reach the intended recipients, fostering stronger relationships and enhancing your overall success.
No one wants their inbox junked up and major email providers are putting in place efforts to help protect us from spam. Still, if you don’t approach your marketing in a strategic, meaningful way, you’ll end up right alongside that nice Prince who can’t seem to find anybody to take his millions off his hands.
Here are some strategies you can implement to prevent your emails from landing in the dreaded spam folder:
💌 Establish Credibility Building trust with clients and the public is the foundation of a secure business. When your emails consistently end up in spam folders, it can erode the credibility you’ve worked hard to establish. By taking preventive measures, you ensure that your messages are seen by the right people at the right time.
💌 Authenticate your Custom Domain to Improve Email Deliverability Our besties at Follow Up Boss have created a way for you to authenticate your domain so that you can set your marketing emails up for the best chance of landing in the hands of future business. Use this link and follow the steps to further protect your efforts!
💌 Understand Spam Filters Before diving into prevention strategies, it’s essential to understand how spam filters operate. These filters use complex algorithms to analyze various aspects of an email, such as content, sender reputation, and engagement metrics. By staying informed about these factors, real estate professionals can tailor their communication to align with spam filter criteria. Research the filters that you encounter during your everyday business to learn more about how they work and how you can structure your messaging to not get flagged.
💌 Craft Relevant Content One of the primary triggers for spam filters is irrelevant or suspicious content. Focus on writing emails that are informative, personalized, and directly related to your recipient’s interests. Avoiding excessive use of promotional language and ensuring the content adds value can significantly reduce the chances of triggering spam filters.
💌 Maintain a Healthy Sender Reputation Your sender reputation plays a crucial role in email deliverability and consistently sending emails that are marked as spam will harm your reputation. To maintain a positive sender reputation, regularly clean your email list, promptly handle unsubscribe requests, and encourage recipients to mark your emails as ‘not spam’ if they find them valuable.
💌 Use Authentication Protocols Implementing email authentication protocols like SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds an extra layer of security to your emails. This helps verify your legitimacy, making it less likely for spam filters to flag.
💌 Encourage Engagement Spam filters often take user engagement into account. You can encourage recipients to interact with your emails by including clear calls-to-action, relevant links, and interactive content. Higher engagement rates signal to spam filters that your emails are desired and legitimate.
💌 Regularly Monitor Deliverability Metrics Regularly monitor key deliverability metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates. Analyzing these metrics provides insights into the effectiveness of your email campaigns and allows for adjustments to be made to improve deliverability.
