In this group coaching session led by Chris Prefontaine, the team discusses how clear, well‑practiced scripts increase seller confidence and improve conversion rates. Chris proposes a two‑week intensive where each rep masters three core scripts and objection handlers. Jeff shares his recent accountability numbers, highlighting the split between traditional sales and outright sold leads, and the need for timely follow‑up letters (cash‑only, sold letters, or form letters) based on seller responses. The conversation covers handling sellers who intend to rent or stay, using an AO pivot, and deciding when to cease outreach. Rick explains his virtual assistant (VA) call drip sequence—five attempts over several days, followed by a cold‑follow‑up cadence and eventual dead‑lead status after eight attempts. Judy raises concerns about declining response rates to direct‑mail postcards and notes market price drops, prompting Chris to contrast email’s low visibility with the higher impact of physical mail. Throughout, the team emphasizes automation via REI BlackBook, tracking lead actions, and adapting to market shifts, while acknowledging that some metrics (e.g., direct‑mail response rates) are not formally tracked.
Chapters
That's not a huge deal. It's a low-end rehab type house, but it's probably $50,000 to $100,000. So I never tracked it, Steve.
You can.
I know I've talked to you guys about this before, but this plays into scripts. And that is, and I know people like Bjorn who deal with sales and people, now that I got to know you, Bjorn, I know you're good with, you're used to that environment. I think you'd agree, and anyone else that was in sales, Even though we're not selling people, that sellers, frankly, anyone we talk to is more confident in you when you're more clear. Would everybody agree with that?
Mm-hmm.
They have, because when you're more clear, they trust it and they can't wait to work with you. The opposite's pretty scary because if it's ambiguous and wishy-washy, why would they want to go with you? They're not, you're not sure, they're not sure. That's why you get some weird questions sometimes. And it's okay. It's just that we gotta get better at it. So how do we get better at it?
Scripts.
That's it. Scripts. What if for the next 2 weeks, for example, you guys took 3 scripts and just ate them up? Like, just 3. Just got really good at those 3. Or objection handlers or commonly asked questions. They're all the same. Here's what I want to share this morning from Jeff's accountability. A lot of you guys do the nightly with someone on here— me, Rusty, Rick, or Mike, right? So Jeff's accountability was pretty standard, always pretty clear with me, and it was 13 live and Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah.
13 live and 6 leads. So my— and I'm saying this for review for you guys, if you're not doing this already, um, my immediate sort of mini coaching moment on the bike this morning at the crack of asshole clock was, okay, what about the other 7? Like, what happened with those 7? Just so I'm clear that you're treating them right. And Jeff, fill in the blanks when I get done if I forgot anything. But out of 7, 6 wanted to go traditional. Yeah, no kidding. Most people do. And one was sold. So I said, make sure form letters go out to the sixth. If you ask the question, you already asked presumably where they're going and by when. And they go, no, I want to sell myself.
Okay.
Well, what if that doesn't happen? I'm just curious if we need to talk again. Is there a plan B? Depending on what they say, you're going to send a form letter for that follow-up. You're not just going to leave it. No kidding. They want to go traditional. So there's some follow-up there. And then the one that was sold, the only question for me usually is. Uh, are there contingencies left for financing or home inspection? That's all I really care. And if there are, they're getting a sold letter and I'm following up. So out of those 7, there's action still needed in there. Jeff, did I miss anything?
No, no, I think you nailed it. Um, a couple of them I did ask, you know, what if it doesn't sell? And, and they were either going to rent it or they were going to stay in it, and there was just no motivation. So those I, I kind of feel like I could chase them forever. So those I would come in, but there was a couple of them that they're like, well, we're just going to— I think it's going to sell, so we're just going to wait it out. Okay.
So when they said rented, did you pivot to an AO? Yeah, I did.
Okay. Yeah.
Ross, that's exactly how I hit them back. Yeah. And the ones I agree with Jeff, I'm not against sending a letter out cash only, but I wouldn't be following up with those ones that say if it doesn't sell, I'm staying. Yeah, I'd probably send a cash only and forget about them forever. If they call me, great. And they do call on letters a weird year or two out. Any questions on this? I'll let that simmer a bit just because it came up this morning. I like, like live stuff with you guys. What was the piece for you?
That was important for me to, to hear, uh, because, you know, me and my VA get a lot of, no, we just want a cash sale. And, and so for me, I need to get better at understanding what's the process then. And I think, Rick, I want to get with you on REI Black Book to figure out like what's the best workflows then and, and, you know, what's already in there, what do I need to change. Um, and then the letters are an important, uh, piece of time as well because that takes time. So I probably need to outsource that soon.
Yeah. And I— you guys can use— you can play with the script a little bit. And this is one to practice if you get it a lot, Jeff, right? If something keeps coming up, then you go practice the shit out of that for 2 weeks and then you can't wait till it comes up again. And I just say it in a fun, like, chuckling way, going, look, I get it. Every single person I, I buy from wishes they got full price cash tomorrow. And you just make a joke out of it. But reality is, and then you can drop stats. That's where you have an open door to drop some stats. And that kind of tells them indirectly why you just called and, and does it make sense to call back again? And you'll figure that out with their motivation.
Yeah.
Chris, as you know, I'm following up on a lot of leads now while I have the rest of the year off. And some of them I'm seeing that they— the price was— they got— they sold, but $150,000 less than like when I had spoken with them. So, you know, a lot of these people are dropping their prices drastically. They're, you know, they're expecting what was back in, you know, 2020 to 2022, and it's not happening.
Yeah, most— not, not all, but a lot of markets, Florida in general. Yeah, a lot of, a lot of markets retreating, and great opportunity for us.
So Chris, for those people that you don't send the letter to, um, you just like leave them in REI in case they call back, then you'll have that lead in there. Is that how that works? Because you probably have tossed the sheet.
I'm gonna let, I'm gonna let Rick tell you how he has it set up because I'm still old school and I just kill people, um, that don't— I just delete them because I'm used to paper. And what would paper do? Paper go in the basket. So when they get to that point, I delete them. But I know Rick has some drips that won't take your time. Rick, you want to address that?
Yeah, we have it set up so my VAs call, they make 5 attempts and they'll do it at different times and different days over the period of a few days. If they don't, like the 4th and 5th call, they'll do a week or 2 later and then it automatically goes into a cold follow-up sequence. So 30 days later, it'll task the VA to attempt another call. And after eight times, it marks it as dead.
After that helped you, Rick?
After how many times?
Eight.
Eight. Okay, thank you.
Yep, and that's over a period of time. It could be months later. Actually, the six through eight are like thirty days apart.
And that takes it from the old style method Judy of me having to do something to just a little bit. More automation, but you don't have to do anything. Love it. Uh, Steve?
All right, now you can hear me. Yeah, I got a question on the letters. I've been sending them out pretty regularly, but I've noticed that my response has dropped a lot, whereas before I'd get, you know, a few responses from letters. And I'm sending out maybe 30 a month-ish, for maybe a little more, depends on the month. Um, but recently, like I said, the last 2 or 3 months, almost nothing came back. I noticed this because I got one back recently and I went back and looked and I'm like, wow, nobody's been responding. Is that—
I don't, I don't title it. I don't, I can't even tell you if I've tracked it. Not a metric I've tracked.
I just don't—
direct mail is obviously less response, but direct mail is minimal. I honestly don't care. They're getting a letter if I thought they're either weak or dead. Okay.
Yeah.
Or I'm following up with them later. I don't care if they call back. They're going to remember me because they got that, right? So there's a couple of reasons you do it or I do it.
Okay. I like to give people something physical. I always think it's good to get something physical. They've got it. They've got your name in front of them and stuff like that.
But— Well, I know I'm going to go Marketing 101 here, guys, but email they can delete. Email they think they can get spammed. Direct mail or mail, in this case, personal mail. They gotta look at it and walk to the basket at least. Like this, you're gonna get more eyes on it. Um, and if you get one callback like that postcard I got back, I'm still trying to wrestle this guy for a price, but I really think we're gonna eventually get this house.
He—
how many of those do I need a year? One technically is all I need. One callback that turns into a house per year. Um, that's not a huge deal. It's a low-end rehab type house, but It's probably $50,000 to $100,000. So I don't— I, I never tracked it, Steve. You can.
