Motivation vs follow-up — which actually closes deals?

Question

Curious how others see this right now.

What’s costing you more deals lately — missing real motivation upfront, or deals stalling because follow-up isn’t tight enough?

Interested to hear what’s working across different markets.

Bo Smith · Answer

Follow-up. Not close, but it's follow-up.

You can have all the motivation in the world walking into a deal, but if your follow-up process isn't tight, sellers will take their property to the investor who actually stays in touch. I've seen deals that looked dead six months in suddenly come back because someone kept circling back with value, not just "hey we still interested?"

The bigger issue is most investors wait too late to start following up. By the time they realize the deal stalled, five other investors have already moved on to the next one. Strong follow-up means staying connected on the pipeline from first contact -- whether that's a cold call, a wholesaler intro, or a pocket listing your agent found.

How often are you following up with sellers or deal sources you haven't closed with yet? And are you adding any new value each time you touch base, or just checking in?

Marc Winter · Answer

@Azeem Mannan, good 'chicken and egg' question.

If we miss the seller's motivation after initial contact, how can we scratch their itch?  Normally it's one of the following:  Upgrade, downsize, estate, relocation, or financial distress--(too many causes of distress to list).

Even so, with consistent autopilot follow-up, we may still discover the motivation and close.

I've closed transactions after a rough opening and won the day with persistent follow-up.

Hope this helps.

Azeem Mannan · Answer

Appreciate you sharing that — great breakdown of the core motivation buckets.

I agree, motivation isn’t always clear on the first touch. A lot of sellers don’t fully open up until trust is built, and that’s where consistent follow-up really earns its keep. I’ve also seen cases where the real reason only surfaces after a few conversations.

Sounds like the sweet spot is qualifying as best as possible upfront, then letting disciplined follow-up uncover what wasn’t said initially. That combo seems to separate pipeline noise from real opportunities.

Thanks for adding your perspective — helpful insight.