Qualify seller leads and follow up by timeline

Use a short qualification script to learn motivation and timeline, then put each seller on a follow-up cadence that matches when they plan to move.

40 minNeeds verificationChecked 2026-10-20

Video walkthrough

Coming soonThe seller qualification call, line by line

It will cover

Open with permission and the reason they called you
Motivation: the question that tells you everything
Timeline buckets and the next step for each
Logging the call so anyone on the team can pick it up
Building the follow-up cadence in Follow Up Boss and HighLevel

This chapter is complete without it. Every step is written out on this page.

What you're building

A qualification script every agent uses, a timeline field on every seller lead, and four follow-up cadences (hot, warm, nurture, curious) built as an Action Plan in Follow Up Boss or a workflow in HighLevel.

Why it matters

Most seller leads are not ready to list this month. Without a timeline, agents either push too hard on curious owners or forget the ones moving in 4 months. Matching follow-up to timeline means hot leads get calls and slow leads get value without pressure.

What you need

Routed seller leads (previous chapter)
A timeline field or tags (seller-timeline-0-3 and so on)
Follow Up Boss: Owner/Admin to create Action Plans
HighLevel: permission to build workflows

Time and cost

Time: 1 hour to set up, 10 to 15 minutes per call
Cost: $0

Step by step

Practice the script on two role-play calls
Print the script below. Role-play with a colleague twice: once as a hot seller, once as a curious owner. The goal is to finish with a timeline bucket and one next step every time.
Check: Both role-plays end with a timeline and a booked next step.
Log every call the same way
Right after the call: move the stage (Qualified, Listing appt set or Nurture), add the timeline tag, and write a note with motivation in their words, timeline, decision makers, other agents and price expectation.
Check: A teammate can read the note and know what to say on the next call.
Follow Up Boss: build one Action Plan per timeline
AdminAction Plans+ Action Plan
Create Seller | Hot, Seller | Warm, Seller | Nurture. Add steps from the cadence template: tasks for calls ("Call: anything changed?"), emails for the value range and comps, and a stage change where useful. Turn on Automatically pause this action plan when the lead responds so an automated email never talks over a live conversation.
Note
Action Plans have no automated text step and send at most 4 action-plan emails a day, around 9 a.m. in the user's time zone. Use task steps for texts and calls. Plans start from the profile, Lead Flow or Automations, and cannot be applied in bulk.
Check: Starting the Hot plan on a test lead creates today's call task.
HighLevel: build the cadence as a workflow
WorkflowsAdd New TriggerContact TagTag Added
Trigger on Contact Tag with filter Tag Added = seller-timeline-0-3 (one workflow per timeline). Add wait steps and task or message actions from the cadence template. Before every text step, add a condition that stops the contact if SMS DND is on or SMS Consent is not Yes.
Careful
We did not confirm the exact names of HighLevel's wait, condition and task actions in this research pass. Use your builder's equivalents and test on a fake contact.
Check: Adding the tag to a test contact starts the workflow and creates the Day 0 task.
Review hot and warm leads weekly
Every Monday, filter seller leads tagged 0-3 or 3-6 months with no conversation in the last 7 days (Follow Up Boss: Last Communication Was more than 7 days; HighLevel: Last Activity On More Than 7 days). Call those first.
Check: Your Monday list is empty by end of day.

What success looks like

Every seller lead has a timeline tag after the first call
Three cadences running, paused automatically on reply
No text step without consent
Weekly hot list worked every Monday

Copyable templates

textSeller qualification script

SELLER QUALIFICATION CALL (10 to 15 minutes)

OPEN (permission + reason)
"Hi {first_name}, it's Dana Reyes with Coastal Key Realty. You asked for a value range for {address}. Is now still a good time for 10 minutes so I get it right?"

1. PROPERTY
   "Tell me about the home. Beds, baths, anything updated in the last few years?"
   "Anything you'd want a buyer to know about, good or bad?"

2. MOTIVATION (the most important part; listen more than talk)
   "What has you curious about the value right now?"
   "If you did move, where would you go next?"
   "What would a move make better for you?"

3. TIMELINE
   "If the number made sense, when would you ideally want to be moved?"
   [0-3 months] [3-6] [6-12] [12+] [just curious]

4. DECISION
   "Is anyone else involved in the decision?"   (invite them to the appointment)
   "Have you talked with any other agents?"

5. EXPECTATIONS
   "Do you have a number in mind for what it might sell for?"   (do not argue; note it)
   "Is there a mortgage balance or anything else that affects the timing?" (only if they are comfortable)

6. NEXT STEP (match the timeline)
   0-6 months:  "The best way to give you a real range is 30 minutes at the home. I have Tuesday at 4 or Thursday at 10. Which works?"
   6-12 months: "I'll send the value range by tomorrow and check in when the next Community Update comes out. Sound good?"
   12+ / curious: "I'll send the range and keep you on the quarterly update. Reply any time."

CLOSE
Confirm the appointment (or the next touch) by text or email, with date, time and address.

LOG IN THE CRM IMMEDIATELY
Stage: Qualified (or Listing appt set / Nurture)  | Tag: seller-timeline-...
Note: motivation in their words, timeline, decision makers, other agents, price expectation.

DO NOT
Ask about or comment on anyone's race, religion, national origin, family plans, disability or other protected characteristics. Do not promise a sale price or a sale time.

textFollow-up cadence by timeline

A starting cadence, not a proven formula. Adjust after you see your own results.

FOLLOW-UP CADENCE BY TIMELINE (permitted channels only)

Timeline 0-3 months (Hot)
  Day 0   call within 5 minutes; if no answer, text (if consented) + email
  Day 1   call; send the value range by email
  Day 3   call
  Day 7   email with 1 new comparable sale
  Then    weekly call until appointment set or they say stop

Timeline 3-6 months (Warm)
  Day 0   call; send value range within 1 business day
  Day 14  call: "Anything changed?"
  Monthly Community Update + one personal check-in

Timeline 6-12 months (Nurture)
  Day 0   value range email
  Each quarter: Community Update + personal note
  Month 6 call

12+ months or just curious
  Community Update only; respond fast when they reply

Stop immediately on any opt-out. Move stage to Lost with reason if they list with someone else.

Try it

Timeline to next step
Timeline	Next step	Stage
0-3 months	Book a listing appointment on the call	Listing appt set
3-6 months	Value range now, call in 14 days	Qualified
6-12 months	Value range, quarterly update, call at month 6	Nurture
12+ / curious	Community Update only	Nurture

How to test it

Run the Hot cadence on a test contact. Reply to the first email from the test inbox. The plan or workflow must pause.
Add the 0-3 tag to a contact with SMS DND on. No text step may run.
Read 5 call notes from last week. Each should have a timeline and motivation in the seller's words.

Troubleshooting

Agents skip the motivation questions.

Make motivation a required note line. Review 3 notes per agent each week.

Action Plan emails stop after 4 a day.

That is the documented limit. Move the less important emails to tasks or spread them over more days.

A seller says they are working with another agent.

Thank them, ask if you can keep sending the Community Update, move the stage to Lost with reason, and stop the cadence.

Advanced technical details

Optional. You can follow every step above without these.

Technical detailsWhy timeline is a field, not a feeling

Storing timeline as a tag or field lets you measure conversion by bucket in the next chapter. Re-ask it on every call and update it; a 6-12 month seller often becomes 0-3 months after a job change. In Follow Up Boss, the built-in Timeframe field can hold this too and is filterable.

Sources

Written from the best available information. One or more steps could not be confirmed; see the notes in the chapter. Last checked 2026-10-20.

Action Plans OverviewFollow Up Boss Help Center · read 2026-10-20
Automations 2.0 OverviewFollow Up Boss Help Center · read 2026-10-20
Filter DefinitionsFollow Up Boss Help Center · read 2026-10-20
Workflow Trigger: Contact TagHighLevel Help Center · read 2026-10-20
Advanced Filters in Smart ListsHighLevel Help Center · read 2026-10-20
42 U.S. Code § 3604: Discrimination in the sale or rental of housingLegal Information Institute (Cornell) · read 2026-10-20
Calling and Texting ComplianceFollow Up Boss Help Center · read 2026-10-20