4 Segmenting Tips for Better Prospecting in Fello

Day 19 of the Fello 30 Day Challenge saw two new experts take the stage and share their hard-won secrets and strategies around prospecting in Fello.

Lisa Ryan (VP Agent Services, Exquisite Properties) and Jamey Whitley (Managing Broker, Shilling Real Estate) both lead teams that use Fello to prioritize their databases and create more intentional outreach.

Here are 4 ways to use Fello’s segmentation tools to take your prospecting to the next level.

Tip #1: Find A Handful of Top-Performing Segments

Both Jamey and Lisa agree that segmentation is really a matter of prioritization, so the sooner you can start organizing your database into segments, the better. Jamey points out that the “rolodex” style of outreach isn’t the best use of anyone’s time or energy, because it “doesn’t really give you a whole lot other than somebody’s name and their phone number.”

Instead, he says that segments allow you to “fish where the fish are and go after what’s hot.”

Lisa added that proper segmentation helps her agents avoid their most dreaded task: Unnecessary follow-up calls. By building segments that give her agents intentional conversations she has seen immediate results, and it makes those agents “wanna go back and do it again.”

Tip #2: Locating The Right Segments is a Process

Property intelligence helps both Lisa and Jamey identify those big-picture segments to start carving their databases into smaller groups, and they’re tailored to their own geographic areas and the goals and interests of their teams as a whole.

Jamey starts by identifying reliable stats that have generated consistent leads, looking for things like: “...who's been in their home for longer than five years, who's got positive equity, who's clicked your home value 10 times or more.”

Lisa’s team works from a series of smart lists that are segmented through Fello, and she has her own segments that she monitors and targets on top of that, specifically focused on segments that she feels agents in her area tend to overlook, like homeowners for 5+ years who also have $100k+ in equity.

By creating multiple layers of segments, they reduce the chance of a promising lead falling through the cracks.

Tip #3: Keep Prospecting Out of the DMs When Possible

A question from the audience gave both experts a lot to talk about: When is the right time to text a client if they aren’t answering your calls? Unsurprisingly, Jamey and Lisa both agreed that this is a case-by-case basis sort of situation, and ideally you would know enough about your prospect to know what contact methods they prefer.

“These are tough conversations to have through text,” says Lisa, adding that she’s seen a lot of conversations immediately get shut down once they’re asked via text message. “We encourage all of our agents in our ISA team to text. But what you're trying to text is: ‘When's a better time to reach back out? When are you free to chat?’”

Lisa also leans on Fello automations to spark some curiosity and encourage clients to keep that conversation going—ideally, over the phone.

Jamey takes pride in his “incredible” open rate on Fello, and credits it to his ability to not “bug the crap” out of his prospects. He uses Fello automations to craft relevant, interesting, and non-repetitive messages to send out, finding the sweet spot between keeping the conversation from running cold without “ending up where his phone number is just constantly spam.”

And once they respond, he’ll text back and build that conversation. Both experts agree: The best text is one that moves your client towards a phone call ASAP.

Tip #4: Segment Creation is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Both experts agreed that their own journey creating the right segmentation in Fello is an ongoing process of refinement and evolution, not a one-and-done task. They urged the audience to start from the right segments—high intent sellers and low-hanging fruit—and build from there.

Both Lisa and Jamey agreed that high intent sellers and low-hanging fruit were the best segments to build first—and that Fello's Segment Watch feature makes it easier to stay on top of them. Once a segment is built, Segment Watch sends a notification any time a new contact qualifies, so opportunities don't slip through between prospecting sessions.

For Lisa, that big segment was the Lead Score, because she found that high-scoring individuals were more likely to be the homeowner.

For Jamey, he started by identifying cash offer leads and CMA leads, because they’ve demonstrated continual interest and a willingness to open your messages and emails.

Prepare for Prospects with Fello

Are you ready to follow Lisa and Jamey’s advice and carve your database into manageable slices? You can watch the other 30DC sessions (and download their matching playbooks) to keep learning from the best for you and your team.