"We're about a year away"
A young couple call. They have been looking at properties online and want to understand the process. The broker spends half an hour explaining deposits, decisions in principle and the steps to buying. They are about a year from being ready: saving the rest of the deposit, and one of them has just started a new job.
The broker makes a note in the CRM and moves on. A year later, the couple are ready. They search online, find a broker who is advertising, and start with them. The first broker never hears from them again.
Why these leads get lost
Brokers are paid on completions, and live cases always take priority over people who might buy next year. There is rarely a process for staying in touch with not-yet-ready clients, so it relies on the broker remembering, which they cannot do across dozens of people.
When contact does happen, it is often generic: a newsletter or a marketing email that says nothing about where the client is in their journey.
- No record of when the client expects to be ready.
- No reason recorded for why they are not ready yet.
- Follow-up depends on broker memory.
- Generic marketing rather than relevant check-ins.
- No easy way for the client to say "we're ready now".
The client's circumstances also change in the meantime. A new job passes its probation, a deposit target is reached, a credit issue drops off the file. None of those moments reach the broker unless something prompts the client to get back in touch.
What losing them costs
| Stage | What happens without contact |
|---|---|
| Saving for deposit | Client forgets the broker's name |
| Ready to view properties | Client searches online for a broker |
| Offer accepted | Client uses whoever the agent suggests |
| Completion | Another broker gains a client for years |
The first call was the brokerage's investment. Losing the client later means someone else gets the return, and gets a client who may stay with them for many years of remortgages and moves.
The nurture process we build
- After a first call, the broker records a readiness status, the expected timing and the main reason, such as saving, credit history or employment, in a few clicks.
- The client receives check-ins from their broker at sensible intervals, timed to their own expected readiness, with their agreement.
- Messages are relevant to their stage, for example general information about the buying process, never a view on their personal finances or what they can borrow.
- Every message includes a simple "we're ready to talk" link that books a call with their broker.
- Clients can update their timing or stop messages at any point.
- Brokers see their not-yet-ready list sorted by expected readiness, so they can make a personal call at the right time.
Everything sent is general information. Advice about the client's own situation happens on a call with the broker.
What changes for the brokerage
First-time buyers stay in touch with the broker who helped them first. When they are ready, they know who to call and can book in a click. Brokers make personal calls at the right moment rather than guessing. And the owner can see a pipeline of future clients, not just current cases.
The broker's first call also becomes more valuable. Explaining the process properly to someone a year away from buying is no longer time given away to a future competitor, because the brokerage has a way to stay in that client's life until they are ready.
Do first-time buyers drift away from you?
- Many first calls are with people not ready to buy yet.
- Those clients rarely come back to you.
- Follow-up relies on each broker's memory.
- Your contact with them is generic marketing.
- You cannot see who expects to be ready in the next few months.