CRM Follow-Up

Most money in this business is lost not to bad sits but to leads that went cold because nobody followed up. The CRM exists so that never happens. The rule is simple: every contact has a next step, and the next step is in the CRM.

The pipeline stages

Every lead lives in one stage. Move it as it moves:

1. New — just came in, not yet contacted.
2. Contacted — you’ve reached out, no appointment set.
3. Appointment Set — a time is on the calendar.
4. Presented — you ran the sit, no decision yet.
5. Sold — application submitted (see Entering Applications).
6. Follow-Up — not yet, but not dead. Has a future date.
7. Dead — a real no. Note why before you close it.

Logging a new lead

Do this the same day the lead comes in:

• Full name and best phone number
• Where the lead came from (referral, warm market, purchased)
• A one-line note on the situation (family, kids, why they’re interested)
• Stage set to New
• A next-action date — when you’ll reach out

A lead with no next-action date is a lead you will forget. There are no exceptions to this.

Working the pipeline daily

Start every day in the CRM:

1. Open today’s follow-ups. Work them first, before new leads.
2. After every call, set the next touch. Never end a contact without a future date.
3. Move each lead to its correct stage.

The follow-up cadence

For a lead that hasn’t said yes or no yet:

Touch	Timing
1st follow-up	1–2 days after first contact
2nd	1 week
3rd	2 weeks
4th	1 month
Long-term	Every quarter, until sold or a real no

Most sales happen on the third to fifth touch, not the first. The agents who quit following up at touch two leave most of their income on the table.

After a sale

A sold client isn’t finished — they’re your best future business:

• Set a welcome touch a week after issue to confirm the first payment went through.
• Set a referral touch at 30 days.
• Set a policy review at one year.

Note

If your CRM and this SOP ever disagree, the SOP wins — and tell your partner so we fix the CRM setup to match.