The gurus are going to tell you the phone is dead. I'm going to show you the math that proves otherwise.

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In this episode, I'm giving you real numbers from a real scaling team and what you're going to find is that it's easier than ever right now to make money on the phone. If you're going to take notes, now's the time to grab a pen.

Here's what we cover: the nationwide average answer rate (hint, it's about 8%, and that's not a bad thing), how many leads it actually takes to get one deal under contract, what it costs to acquire a client when you're running your own ads versus handing that money to Zillow, and why separating your business line from your personal phone might be the best $35 you ever spend.

I also break down the 18% rule, the number I give every agent I work with who wants to keep their pipeline full and their brand growing at the same time.

Listen, nobody builds a brand working with Zillow. Nobody. But if you're willing to put the gas in the engine and follow the math, this stuff will literally change your life.

Write these down. Do the math. And ask yourself if you're actually willing to follow the yellow brick road.

Most sales pipelines are broken. And the worst part is, nobody on your team is running it the same way.

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In this episode, I break down the exact 6-stage sales pipeline we install for consulting clients across professional services — mortgage, real estate, finance, coaching, advertising sales, and more. This is the paint-by-numbers framework that simplifies your entire sales process, gets new reps profitable faster, and gives you the reporting you need to scale predictably.

What we cover:

• Why a complicated pipeline is costing you more than just lost deals
• The 6 stages every service business sales pipeline needs
• How to handle ghosted appointments without losing the lead
• When to move a deal to lost vs. back to nurture
• The onboarding phase most businesses skip and why it matters
• How HubSpot sales playbooks automate the whole thing

If your pipeline has 17 stages and every rep interprets it differently, this one's for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 Why most sales pipelines are broken

01:15 How a complicated pipeline increases turnover and commission costs

03:58 The paint-by-numbers pipeline framework overview

04:10 Stage 1: New Inquiry

04:18 Stage 2: In Follow Up

04:33 Stage 3: Nurture

04:39 Stage 4: Appointment Set

04:49 Stage 5: Decision

04:59 Stage 6: Onboarding and Active Client

27:29 How to handle no-shows and ghosted appointments

28:56 The Active Client and Delivery phase

29:49 Lost vs. Canceled deals

30:48 Why HubSpot is the CRM we recommend

31:00 How HubSpot sales playbooks power the whole pipeline

33:02 When to build separate pipelines 34:31 Recap and next steps

Phone answer rates are at an all-time low and they are not coming back. In this episode, Steve explains why the solution is not to stop calling, and why the real fix is building an inbound brand that makes people want to answer when you call.

How to work with Steve:

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Work with us one-on-one to install an inbound marketing machine directly into your business: https://steveolsongroup.com/contact-steve/?utm_source=Podcast&utm_medium=Description+Link&utm_campaign=Work+with+Steve+Inquiries&utm_content=How+to+Get+Real+Estate+Leads+to+Actually+Call+You+Back+in+2026

If you are tired of chasing leads, leaving voicemails, and hoping someone picks up, this episode will show you exactly what to build so that clients are coming to you already sold before the first conversation even starts.