Episode Details

What actually happens when you get a lead? Where do they go? This episode is our full answer to one of the most common questions we get: how to track and organize real estate leads so nothing falls through the cracks, whether they came from an open house, a sign call, a referral, or your kid's holiday party.

Alissa takes us back to 2011 when she was a brand new agent tracking leads in the notes app on her phone with a simple A, B, C, D system (A for pre-approved and actively working, B for interested but doing homework, C for the ghosters, D for long-term maybes), and how that eventually evolved into her now-famous Trello boards. Katy shares her own low-tech but wildly effective system: a single sheet of paper with her whole business mapped out, plus the buyer and seller lead sheets she still fills out by hand on every new call so she never forgets to ask the right questions in the right order.

We spend most of the episode breaking down the three separate buckets every lead should live in, your email list (the biggest bucket, everyone gets in), your prospect list (people you've talked to but haven't earned database status yet), and your actual database (people you know, like, and feel comfortable reaching out to regularly), and how to decide where a specific person belongs using four simple qualifying questions.

Here's what we cover in this episode: -Alissa's original A, B, C, D lead tracking system from her very first year in real estate -How that notes-app system eventually evolved into her current Trello boards -The difference between Alissa's "prospects" board and her "pipeline" board on Trello -Katy's one-sheet paper planner and why a paper planner never worked for her calendar, only her leads -Buyer and seller lead sheets, and why the questions are ordered the way people actually talk, not how a form would -A cautionary story about a lead that got forgotten overnight simply because it wasn't written down -The four qualifying questions to ask before someone earns a spot in your database -Why your email list should be your biggest, least filtered bucket, everyone with an email goes in -Why an open house sign-in with no real conversation still counts as an email list contact, not a database member -Why Alissa's email list messages are intentionally unstyled and un-templated, and why that gets better response -Using a vendor discount code as a natural, non-salesy reason to email your list -Why it's okay (and expected) to go months without emailing your list and just pick back up later -Why people who were rude or difficult don't need to be kept anywhere at all -How to decide which system (Trello, paper, spreadsheet) is right for you, and why simple beats perfect -The importance of adding new contacts on social media immediately, before the moment feels awkward later -BYOB (Build Your Own Business) coming back as a live course this fall, a perfect time to clean up your database before the holidays

Key quotes from this episode: "You have to have some sort of system that gets it out of your head." - Alissa "Writing it down is crucial. Now, when I get a buyer, I have my lead sheet ready." - Katy "Done is better than perfect. Pick one, whatever method you will actually use." - Alissa "They don't want your life update. They just want to know if you're bringing value." - Katy "It's not weird to say I'll add you on social media right after you meet someone." - Alissa

Products, people, and previous episodes mentioned: -Hustle Humbly Trello video (search "Hustle Humbly Trello" on YouTube) -Lee Brown, systems educator referenced for buyer and seller lead sheets -MailChimp and MailerLite (email service providers) -Build Your Own Business 101 (BYOB), live version starting this fall, hustlehumblypodcast.com/byob -Previous episode on email newsletters

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