What to Do When a Team Member is Slacking on Follow-Up

As featured on the Follow-Up Boss -- Your Agents Aren’t Following Up: Here’s How to Get Back on Track.

I have had some coaching clients that are team leaders initially struggle to get their team members to do a proper follow-up in order to nurture and convert leads. The weekly team meetings would expose that follow-up was lacking. My coaching clients, out of frustration, would ask me, "Should I fire such-and-so?" If you are in that same predicament, here are 3 things to consider before you tell your team member they are fired:


1. Is it a scheduling problem?

Have you given the team member several responsibilities, including those that are more demanding (aka current transactions)? Before giving the heave-ho, be sure to review her schedule and see what realistic adjustments can be made to make more time for follow-up. For example, if the agent typically needs to "put out fires" in the afternoon, the afternoon should be avoided when planning follow-up time.


2. Is it a training problem?

Sometimes we, who have been in the business for years, take for granted that everyone understands effective follow-up. Follow-up is never "one and done" -- one call, one email, one mailing, one social media post, one smoke signal, or anything else your team uses to stay in touch. If you a have team member that is lacking in follow-up, have a pow-wow and point blank ask, "What does follow-up mean to you?" If her answer does not match your hustle and expectations, train her on what you want (or hire a coach to do so).


3. Is it a system problem?

As a follow-up question (pun intended ;-) ) to, "What does follow-up mean to you?", also ask the team member, "What system are you using to keep up with your follow-up activity?" If you have a preferred customer relationship management (CRM) system for the members of your team to use, take a moment to get honest feedback from them. Is it truly user-friendly for EVERYONE on your team? 

follSometimes technology is great in theory but clunky and cumbersome in reality, which may have stifled follow-up. If you are on the hunt for a new CRM, one of my favorite tools that many of my coaching clients on teams enjoy is the Follow-Up Boss CRM (and I am NOT just saying that because this post is for them!).


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