Episode Overview
Podcast: Your Daily Real Estate Podcast with Tristan Ahumada
Host: Tristan Ahumada
Episode: 745 — “10 Follow-Up Rules That Built Deals for 12+ Years”
Date: December 14, 2025
Theme: Tristan shares his 10 essential rules for real estate follow-up, distilled from over a decade of experience, aiming to help agents, teams, and brokers systematically grow their business by improving their follow-up game.
Key Insights and Discussion Points
1. Relationship Building & Appointment Booking
Main Point (00:45)
- The core of successful follow-up is long-term relationship building, not just closing immediate transactions.
- Book appointments as opportunities arise, but always aim to understand the client’s specific motivation and timing.
“This isn't just I have one transaction here. This is, man, if I do this right, I can have their sister, their cousin, their children, their grandparents, their friends, all as referrals.”
— Tristan Ahumada (01:12)
Memorable tip: Every interaction should move clients closer to either an appointment or a stronger relationship.
2. Disqualify Non-Leads
Main Point (02:22)
- Don’t waste time on unqualified or “crazy” leads. Be proactive in removing them from your CRM.
- Disqualifying saves time and focuses energy on quality prospects.
“Be proud of not going forward with somebody who is not a lead... Don't get this confused with the people that just are a little strange, not ready yet. People you have to nurture. There's a bunch of those. Don't get rid of those...”
— Tristan Ahumada (02:25)
3. Value the “No” Over the “Yes”
Main Point (03:34)
- “No” is just as useful as “yes”—most leads aren’t ready now, and that’s okay.
- Use “no’s” to adjust your process and keep the door open for future opportunities.
“If somebody tells you no, they're just saying, hey, right now I'm not ready or I'm not looking right now for another two years. Great. Not an issue.”
— Tristan Ahumada (03:41)
4. Diverse Contact Methods
Main Point (04:39)
- Don’t rely on a single outreach method. Use calls, texts, emails, video messages, and social DM to increase your connection chances.
- Consistency and persistence are key, but also adaptability to each lead’s preferences.
“Don't just stop and say, well, I called them because that's not sufficient. That's not called follow up. That's called you're doing it all wrong.”
— Tristan Ahumada (05:31)
5. Identify Real Needs
Main Point (06:12)
- Go beyond superficial interest—ask deep, open-ended questions to discover true needs, desires, and financial ability.
- Customize your questioning to what clients care about most.
“Ask questions that they want to answer... These are the questions that get you to where you want to go. But sometimes we want to go for the direct kill...”
— Tristan Ahumada (07:40)
6. Lead Categorization by Time & Commitment
Main Point (08:09)
- Classify clients (A/B/C/D) based on readiness and level of qualification.
- Systematic categorization streamlines follow-up and tailors your approach.
“When you categorize and then you go into your tags or whatever you have in your CRM, you can quickly determine who you're going to follow up with and have better results.”
— Tristan Ahumada (08:35)
7. Permission to Cease Follow-Up
Main Point (09:03)
- Don’t be afraid to let leads know you’ll stop following up; it builds trust and sets you apart from aggressive salespeople.
- Often, this prompts honest engagement from clients.
“When I send this out by text, I actually get texts back saying, no, keep spamming me... Most of the time when you try that way, people are like, oh, he's not trying to sell me. He's not like everybody else.”
— Tristan Ahumada (09:23)
8. End Conversations with Value
Main Point (10:08)
- Always leave something valuable—a resource, info, or insight—after every interaction.
- Use personalized market knowledge to stay top of mind.
“That's value. Pay attention to the questions that are being answered so you can know what to send them, especially right after.”
— Tristan Ahumada (10:35)
9. Prompt Responses
Main Point (11:06)
- Speed matters; reply quickly to all inquiries for a standout client experience.
- Delayed responses can harm perception—treat every lead as urgent.
“The faster you respond to your online leads or inquiries from your database, the better you make them feel. It's all about feeling.”
— Tristan Ahumada (11:30)
10. Personalized Follow-Up
Main Point (11:42)
- Tailor your outreach based on the client’s stated interests and situation.
- Small details and customized touches make clients feel seen and valued.
“People want to know that you're paying attention and it's in the little details there.”
— Tristan Ahumada (11:58)
Notable Quotes and Moments
-
On building relationships:
“If I do this right, I can have their sister, their cousin, their children, the grandparents, their friends, all as referrals.”
(01:12) -
On disqualifying leads:
“You don't want to work with everybody.”
(02:44) -
On using multiple contact methods:
“That's not called follow up. That's called you're doing it all wrong.”
(05:31) -
On providing value in each interaction:
“Let me just show you the different areas and price points, the different beaches and how far all of those places are from Pepperdine.”
(10:19)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:45 — Introduction to the 10 Follow-Up Rules
- 01:12 — Rule #1: Relationship Building & Appointment Setting
- 02:22 — Rule #2: Disqualifying Non-Leads
- 03:34 — Rule #3: Valuing “No” Over “Yes”
- 04:39 — Rule #4: Diverse Contact Methods
- 06:12 — Rule #5: Identifying Real Needs
- 08:09 — Rule #6: Categorization by Readiness
- 09:03 — Rule #7: Permission to Discontinue Follow-Up
- 10:08 — Rule #8: Ending with Value
- 11:06 — Rule #9: Fast Responses
- 11:42 — Rule #10: Personalized Follow-Up
Conclusion
Tristan’s episode delivers a practical, actionable playbook for real estate follow-up. His candid tone, examples, and quick tips are ideal for agents looking to refine their process for both immediate and long-term business benefits. For listeners who want the written “10 Rules of Follow-Up,” Tristan invites direct outreach via Instagram.