How to Construct An Effective Follow-Up Message

Whether you connected with someone in your network about a potential business opportunity, or you talked with a prospect about them becoming a client, there are countless instances where loan officers need to send follow-up messages. Though there might not be an exact science to getting the response you want, there are several things loan officers can do to make their messages more effective. Let’s take a look:

Be Prompt

It’s best to reach out when the subject is still fresh in the mind of the person you connected with. Don’t let days and days pass before getting around to sending the message. You might give it a bit of time, but don’t lose the thread. Making follow-ups a priority will ensure that you send them in a timely manner when your recipient is most likely to respond.

Be Concise

The good news is, it doesn’t need to take a big chunk of time to write or leave an effective follow up message. These shouldn’t be lengthy emails or five-minute voicemails. Keep your messages concise so they’re easy for recipients to reply to.

Be Direct

While keeping it concise, you still need to be clear about what the message is about and what you’d like the recipient to do. The simple ‘just following up’ with no further explanation isn’t very compelling motivation for a call back. Instead, let the recipient know why you’re calling and let them know what you want them to do. Do you want them to email you back? Call you back? Schedule a time to talk? By including a specific ask, you can lead the engagement in the direction you want it to go.

Make it Personal

You don’t want your follow-up messages to sound like generic templates. They should feel individually crafted based on the recipient. Mentioning details from a past conversation and sharing information specifically related to that person shows that they’re a priority to you. What do you have to share that would be of value to this person? Being generous and creating value is a great way to encourage someone to get back in touch.

Don’t Give Up

Sometimes, it takes more than one message to close the deal. Don’t be discouraged just because you don’t hear back from someone after your first follow-up. Create a follow-up strategy so that you have a plan for how often to reach out. This can help you navigate that line of staying persistent without becoming pushy.