A lead signs up for home alerts on a Tuesday. By Friday they've viewed a dozen listings, and you haven't written to them once. Your CRM has the activity, which is useful, but the activity is not a conversation. Somebody still has to reach out, and that somebody is you, between everything else on your plate.
That's the common pattern for agents who use a CRM such as Sierra Interactive for leads and the website. The CRM does the capturing and tracking. Follow-up on the people you want to build a relationship with is a separate job.
Here's how to run Keystone next to Sierra Interactive. Keystone is follow-up software, not a full CRM, a transaction manager, a website builder, a dialer or a lead source. It works next to your CRM and doesn't connect to it. There's no live sync. You export the people you want followed up with as a spreadsheet, import the CSV into Keystone, and choose a sequence that's already written.
Your CRM keeps the pipeline. Keystone runs the follow-up: email, text, call prompts, printed letters and handwritten cards, in a Today list where each message is drafted and ready. If a team or brokerage supplies your CRM, check their policies on client communication and mailing before adding any outside tool.
A practical way to start: choose one group, such as website leads from the last 60 days who haven't replied to anything. Export that group, import it, and see how the replies come in before you add another batch.
Seeing that a lead viewed listings tells you they're interested. It doesn't send them a note. Without a follow-up routine, interest cools while the activity log fills up.
Someone who signed up online may still wonder if a human is behind the site. A short, personal message in the right channel answers that quickly.
Many online leads are months from acting. A light, regular touch keeps you in mind until they are ready.
When two tools send to one person, the lead gets confused. Decide which tool owns follow-up for which people.
Export the people you want followed up with from your CRM as a spreadsheet. What you can export depends on your account and permissions, so check what yours allows. Drop the CSV into Keystone and the columns match themselves. Then choose a written sequence.
The Today list shows what's due each day, with every message drafted and personalized. You send it, edit it, or skip it. When a lead replies, their sequence stops and the reply moves to the top of your list. Connect Gmail or Outlook and Keystone sends as you, with replies syncing back both ways. Texting works from your own cell, or from a Keystone Number that logs both sides of the conversation.
Import only the people you want Keystone to message, so no one hears from two tools. Letters and cards wait for your approval, and you see the exact piece and cost first. Free for 100 contacts, then $49 to $189 a month. Annual billing is 20% off. Check your brokerage's policies on client communication and mailing before using any outside tool.
Suggested sequence: Website Lead Follow-Up Beside Your CRM
7 steps over 60 days. Each one lands on your Today list as a draft you can edit or send.
Hi Maria, thanks for joining. I'm Sam, a real person behind the site. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll help....
Hi Maria, it's Sam. I saw you were looking at homes in Eastgate. Anything specific you want me to watch for?...
Ask what they like about the homes they've saved. Talking points: timeline, must-haves, whether they're working with anyone....
A short note with a few listings that fit what they've been browsing, and a question about what stood out....
A short handwritten note from you, no pitch. Held for your approval before it ships....
A one-page letter with a neighborhood market note. You approve the exact piece and its cost first....
Still browsing, or ready to see a few in person? Either way I'm happy to help....
+ more steps in the full sequence
Start on the Free plan. Every message comes drafted for you.