If you read Part 1, you understand the difference between persistence and pressure. Now let’s talk about what persistence actually looks like in practice — and why the numbers make a compelling case for never giving up too soon.
This post, like Part 1, is written for two audiences. If you are a real estate agent, this is about following up with buyers, sellers, and prospects who haven’t said yes yet. If you are a recruiting professional, this is about staying in the conversation with agents who haven’t called you back. The stats are the same. The discipline required is the same. And the payoff is the same.
Why Persistence Pays
The numbers tell a consistent story across sales, real estate, and recruiting: most professionals give up far too soon, and they are leaving significant opportunity on the table as a result.
Industry observation paints a striking picture:
| Contact Attempt | What Typically Happens |
|---|---|
| 1st Contact | Roughly 2% of decisions are made here |
| 2nd to 4th Contact | Most professionals stop here — and most opportunities are lost here |
| 5th to 12th Contact | An estimated 80% of decisions are made in this range |
| Leads receiving 2+ contacts | Only about 25% ever hear from someone a second time |
That last row is where your opportunity lives. The majority of your competitors are quitting after one or two attempts. If you are still in the conversation at attempt five, six, or seven, you are already ahead of most of the field.
For agents, industry patterns suggest that those who persist with five or more follow-ups significantly out-earn those who stop at three. For recruiters, the parallel holds: the agents who eventually say yes are rarely the ones who responded on the first call. They are the ones you stayed with.
Persistence vs. Pressure: The Practical Difference
We covered the philosophy in Part 1. Here is what it looks like on the ground:
Persistence focuses on:
- Understanding what the other person actually needs and wants
- Providing relevant, valuable information at every touchpoint
- Building rapport and trust over time
- Following up consistently without apology, because you know you have something worth offering
Pressure focuses on:
- Closing at all costs, regardless of where the other person is in their decision
- Repeating the same message louder or more frequently
- Ignoring concerns and objections rather than addressing them
- Treating follow-up as a numbers game rather than a relationship
The difference is intent. Persistence says: I am still here because I genuinely believe you are better off working with me, or at our brokerage. Pressure says: I am still here because I need this. People can feel the difference immediately.
D.R.I.S.: What You Bring to Every Touchpoint
Persistence without substance is just noise. The question every recruiter should ask before each attempt is not “should I reach out again?” but “what am I bringing this time?”
That is where DRIS comes in.
DRIS is our four-part framework for making every touchpoint meaningful. Think of it as your menu — you don’t need all four every time, but every attempt should draw from at least one.
Data — Lead with something real and current about their market. Inventory levels, days on market, price trends, local production numbers. This is where our Altos market data becomes a genuine competitive advantage. Instead of a generic follow-up call, you open with: “I was looking at the market data for your area this week and noticed something I thought you’d find interesting…” That’s not a sales call. That’s a resource. (Feel free to use my Altos hyperlink)
Recognition — Acknowledge the agent specifically. Their production, their tenure, their reputation in the market. Show them you did your homework and aren’t running a script. “I noticed you closed 22 transactions last year in a market where the average agent closed eight. That’s not luck — that’s skill, and it’s exactly why I wanted to reach out to you specifically.”
Insight — Bring a fresh perspective on their situation or the opportunity in front of them. Not just what your brokerage offers, but what it could mean for their specific business. “Based on what I know about your production, here’s what I think your next three years could look like with the right platform behind you…”
Success Stories — Share a story from an agent who was in a similar position and made the move. Nothing is more persuasive than a peer who faced the same decision and came out ahead. “I was talking to one of our agents last week — she was at a similar crossroads two years ago. Here’s what changed for her…”
DRIS keeps your persistence purposeful. It ensures that every one of your 12 attempts adds something new to the conversation rather than repeating the same ask in a different tone.
The 45-Day Recruiting Cadence
A simple rule: front-load your attempts in the first two weeks when you’re freshest in their mind, spread them out through the middle, and close with a graceful exit around day 45. Mix your channels, shift your angles, and never let two consecutive touches say the same thing.
This is where DRIS earns its keep. Your first week might look like a voicemail on Monday introducing yourself and your brokerage, a follow-up email on Tuesday built around a Data point from Altos — something specific to their market that shows you did your homework — and a text on Friday that’s nothing more than a low-pressure check-in. By week three you’re leading with an Insight about what their business could look like with the right platform. By week six you’re sharing a Success Story from an agent who made the same move. And woven throughout, Recognition — because every agent wants to know they were called for a reason, not just called.
Your final touch — the breakup message — sounds something like:
“I don’t want to keep reaching out if the timing isn’t right. I’ll leave the door open — if anything changes, I’d love to reconnect.”
Agents respect the graceful exit. Many call back because of it.
How to Be Persistently Effective
The right mindset gets you started. The right system keeps you going.
Build a Follow-Up System Use a CRM or tracking tool to manage your pipeline. Do not rely on memory. The agents who don’t hear back from you after attempt two aren’t necessarily uninterested — they just encountered someone without a system.
Bring Value to Every Contact Never reach out just to check in. Every touchpoint should carry something useful — and DRIS tells you exactly what that something is.
Personalize Your Communication Generic follow-up is just noise. The more specific you are, the more the agent feels seen rather than sold.
Mix Your Channels Don’t call twelve times. Call, text, email, send a handwritten note. Different people respond to different channels, and varying your approach signals that you are paying attention rather than running a script.
Discipline Over Feelings. Consistency Over Intention. Everyone intends to follow up. Not everyone does. The recruiters who win aren’t always the most talented — they are the most consistent. Thirty minutes a day of proactive recruiting. Thirty minutes a day of proactive retention. That’s one hour out of 8, 10, or 12. It compounds faster than you think. Bingeing and bulging once a week is not the same as showing up every single day. Daily execution beats the occasional sprint every time.
The Breakup Message
Every follow-up cadence needs a final touch — and it might be the most important one. After your 12th attempt, don’t just go silent. Send a graceful exit:
“I don’t want to keep reaching out if the timing isn’t right. I’ll leave the door open — if anything changes, I’d love to reconnect.”
This does two things. It respects the other person’s time and signals that you are not desperate. And it often prompts a response from people who were interested but just hadn’t found the right moment to engage. The breakup message closes the loop with class — and frequently reopens it.
Conclusion
Persistence, when done right, is not about volume. It is about value, consistency, and the genuine belief that the person on the other end of that unanswered call is better off because you kept trying.
DRIS gives you the what. The 45-day cadence gives you the when. Discipline and consistency give you the how. Put all three together and you have a recruiting system that outlasts every competitor who gave up too soon.
The agents who will change your brokerage’s trajectory are out there right now, not returning calls from recruiters who stopped at attempt three.
Don’t be that recruiter.
Persist with purpose. Adjust with empathy. Add value every time.
That is how you win the day.
Even as a college student, I’m realizing I need to work on persistence and consistent follow-up, especially when it comes to applying and reaching out for internships.