Top agents use their Follow Up Boss dialers as dedicated business numbers. All their calls and texts to their leads, prospects, and current and past clients run through Follow Up Boss, keeping all their communication history in one place. This makes every part of Follow Up Boss a more powerful tool for your business.

Use this guide to learn how to leverage Follow Up Boss to reach more contacts and close more deals. To close a deal, you need an appointment. To get an appointment, you need a conversation. To get a conversation, you need people to pick up the phone. Increase your odds by following this guide. 

A Few Things to Know First

The way businesses prospect using the phone is changing.

• All phone numbers need to be registered to send outbound texts to US numbers. Major carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T are tightening measures to block spam texting. Completing your Business Registration in Follow Up Boss verifies your identity with these carriers and proves that you're a legitimate business. This critical step ensures these carriers deliver your texts!
• Mobile carriers are working hard to crack down on spam traffic on their networks. This means it will be increasingly important to be strategic in how you use the phone to reach your leads. Review the Calling and Texting Compliance guide to make sure you are following best practices to avoid being flagged as spam.
• Carriers are tracking phone traffic at the business level, not at the phone number level. This means that swapping your phone number will not be enough to “reset” your phone reputation.
• Carriers are looking at behaviors to identify spam on their networks.
  This means the number of times you call and hang up the phone, how long your calls are, whether people are reporting you as spam, how many opt-out texts you get, how many people respond to your text, and more are used to identify spam traffic on their network.

Start by building a good phone reputation.

Follow Up Boss is best utilized by contacting leads who expect to hear from you. A lead expecting to hear from you is someone who inquired on your website, attended an open house or networking event, or is from a reputable lead source. By giving your follow-up boss number real-world visibility, you can build the reputation of your number as a legitimate business number. 

• Add your Follow Up Boss number to your email signature. Many smartphones will find the number in an email signature and suggest it on caller ID, increasing answer rates. 
• Add your Follow Up Boss number to your website. Having your number found when it’s searched online adds credibility to your phone number, increasing your answer and call-back rate. The contact page on your website and any other agent profile sites are great places to add your FUB number. Tip: Install the FUB Pixel to add your number to your website.
• Add your Follow Up Boss number to marketing online and in print. This includes for-sale signs, social media ads, marketing listings, business cards, etc.
• Record a personal voicemail for your FUB number and Team Inboxes
• Ask contacts to add your number to their phone.

⚠️ Follow Up Boss numbers are not intended for cold calling, cold prospecting, or cold texting. 

Strategically Follow Up with New Internet Leads

1. For new leads who have opted in to be contacted by text, start an action plan with an introductory text message that includes:

• Your name
• Company name
• Why you’re contacting them
• A quick question for them to answer to start a conversation

Example: Good morning, Bailey. I just got your message about 123 Main St. Are there any other homes you'd like to see? -Susan, Florida's Best Realty

When you text before calling, many smartphones will suggest your name on the caller ID:

2. Call them as soon as possible after their inquiry to increase your chances of having a conversation.

3. Use our technology to continue following up if you don't get a response. Action plans can send drip emails, and your smart lists will show you when it's time to try the lead again.

⭐️ Remember that leads are people who have questions. Your job is to answer those questions quickly and provide value. 

Leverage Your Existing Database

An inquiry about a property/service is consent to message/call for 90 days prior to a business relationship, e.g., selling/buying a home, which is 18 months as long as there is clear consent opt-in.

The TCPA states that opt-in must be renewed every 18 months, and carriers are fined up to $10k for texting their customers without an opt-in. Be sure the people you are contacting have opted in recently (more information). Review the Calling and Texting Compliance guide here.

DO NOT cold-text or cold-call leads from Follow Up Boss. Instead, be more strategic in how and when you contact leads. Here’s how to create and look for hand-raisers. 

• Use your smart lists to find recently active contacts in your database so you can focus on people actively searching. Tailor your message to the contact. For example, if someone is back on your website, reach out and ask, "Are you looking to buy a home in the near future? Or are you just window shopping at this point?" 
• Use data like Email Activity on your smart lists to see who is opening and clicking your emails and follow up with them.
• Send batch emails to restart the conversation with older leads who haven’t been active recently. Remember to install the Pixel on your website and add your website link in every email. Once the link is clicked, the Pixel will begin tracking their activity. 
• See who is engaging with your social media content. Drive conversations from there.

Focus on contacting the right people at the right time to win more deals without being flagged as spam.

Calling and Texting Setup

• Setting up your computer is the best way to have an optimal calling experience for you and your Leads: Desktop Calling: Hardware & Settings and Desktop Calling: Internet Connection.
• For the optimal experience using the Follow Up Boss App, ensure strong cellphone reception and complete the setup listed below. 

  • iPhone Calling

  • Android Calling

     

Note: If you have T-Mobile or Metro By T-Mobile, you may need to Disable Scam Shield. This can only be done via the Scam Shield Mobile app for iPhone or Android.

Best Practices

• To ensure successful sending and receipt, text messages should be under 320 characters (emojis count as 80-90 characters).
• Remove text signatures to avoid carrier filtering. 
• Once you've established a text conversation, send new leads your vCard and encourage them to save it on their phone. 
• If you have sent a lead 2-3 messages without a response, try calling or emailing the lead instead.