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Implementation Vault
Negotiator Guide.
This is something you come back to. When you are unsure whether to call someone, when a situation feels unfamiliar, or when you need the right words quickly. Keep it bookmarked.
Before you act
Should I Contact This Person?
Run through this before you pick up the phone or send a message. It takes about 10 seconds.
Scenario Library
Situations You Will Hit
Click any situation to see what happened, what to say, and what to avoid doing.
Words Matter
Language Bank
What to say, what to avoid saying, and exact scripts for the conversations that come up most often.
Say This
"Thanks for calling back, sorry I missed you earlier."
When someone returns a call after the auto-SMS. Feels personal, no mention of the system.
"I saw your enquiry come through, wanted to give you a quick call."
When responding to a warm reply the system flagged. Sounds like you personally noticed them.
"You enquired with us a while back, just checking in to see if we can help."
When calling a revival contact who does not remember you. Casual, honest, low pressure.
"Apologies if the timing was off, I will make sure we adjust that for you."
When a vendor mentions a system email they were not expecting. Takes personal ownership.
"No problem at all, I will remove you from our list right now."
When someone asks to be removed. Immediate, polite, no pushback.
"The follow-up on that contact is already scheduled for Thursday."
When your manager asks why you have not chased someone. Confident and specific.
Never Say This
"Our system sent you that."
Breaks the illusion. From their perspective, your agency contacted them.
"I know we have been emailing a lot."
Apologises for the system doing its job. Undermines every message that came before it.
"Just checking in."
Empty phrase that tells the other person you have nothing useful to say. Lead with something specific instead.
"I am not sure why you received that."
Makes it sound like your agency does not know what it is doing. Kills confidence instantly.
"Let me chase this up for you."
When the system is already on it. Creates double-contact and mixed messaging.
"I see you have been in contact with our team."
There was no team. It was the system. The client will start looking for a person who does not exist.
Moment Scripts
Exact words for the 8 conversations that come up most. Click to expand.
📞Returning a missed call (system sent auto-SMS)
Opening
"Hi [name], it is [your name] from [agency]. Sorry I missed your call earlier, how can I help?"
If they mention the text
"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you knew we had got your call. Glad you rang back."
Closing
"Let me get some details from you and I will come back to you with [specific next step]."
💬Calling a lead who replied to a system message
Opening
"Hi [name], it is [your name] from [agency]. I saw your message come through, sounds like the timing might be right for you?"
If they reference specific emails
"Glad that was useful. I thought it would be good to put a voice to the name and see where you are at."
Transition to booking
"Would it be helpful if I popped round for a quick chat? No obligation, just to give you an honest view of the market in your area."
😤Vendor mentions an email they were not expecting
Listen first
Let them tell you what bothered them. Sometimes it is the timing, sometimes the tone, sometimes they just were not expecting it. Hear them out before responding.
Reassure them
"I appreciate you letting me know. I will make a note on your account so we can adjust things for you going forward. We want to make sure everything we send is actually useful."
Afterwards
Let your manager know the contact name, which email it was, and roughly when it landed. They can review the automation and make any changes if needed. This kind of feedback is genuinely helpful.
🤔"How did you get my number?"
If they are curious
"You enquired with us a while back, I think it was through [portal/website]. I just wanted to check in and see if there is anything we could help with."
If they are annoyed
"Completely understand, apologies for the contact. I will take you off our list right now. No problem at all."
Then
Mark them as opted out in the CRM immediately. Do not wait, do not forget.
🧑‍💼Manager asks why you have not chased a lead
Confident response
"There is a sequence running on them. They have had [X] touchpoints and the next one is scheduled for [day]. If they reply, I will pick it up straight away."
If pushed
"I checked the timeline this morning. Adding a manual call on top of what is already going out would double-contact them. I am letting the sequence run."
🔄Colleague spoke to the lead but did not log it
To your colleague
"Can you log that call quickly? The system does not know it happened and it might send them another follow-up."
If they have already been double-contacted
"Hi [name], apologies if you got a message from us after we had already spoken. Just wanted to make sure we are on the same page."
📉Pipeline looks slow and you are feeling pressure
To yourself
Check the CRM timeline across your contacts. Count how many are mid-sequence. The pipeline is not empty. It is working. Results lag activity by 2 to 4 weeks.
To your manager
"I have got [X] contacts in active sequences and [Y] in nurture. The system is working, I think we will start seeing replies come through over the next week or two."
⚡Valuation appointment from the system funnel
Before the appointment
Check the CRM timeline. See what they received. Market report, comparable sales, your bio. Reference something specific: "You will have seen the recent sales on your road. I wanted to walk you through those in person."
Opening at the door
"Hi [name], really nice to meet you in person. I know you have had a bit of info from us already. Today is about giving you an honest picture and answering any questions."
Reading Your CRM
What the System States Mean
When you see these states on a contact, here is what is going on and what you should do.
Sequence Active
The system is sending messages to this contact on a timed schedule. Emails, SMS, or both are queued up and going out automatically.
Your action
Leave them alone. Let the sequence run. If they reply, you will be notified.
Sequence Paused
The system spotted a reply, a manual activity log, or a stage change and paused the automation so it would not double-contact them.
Your action
Find out why it paused. If the contact replied, pick up the conversation. If it paused because of a stage change, check the stage is correct.
Warm Reply, Action Needed
The contact replied to a system message. The system flagged them for human follow-up. This is the most important thing on your to-do list right now.
Your action
Read the timeline, see what they were sent, then call or reply. This lead has been warmed up for you. Treat it like gold.
In Nurture
The contact is in a long-term nurture cycle. Messages go out over weeks or months, not days. For leads who are not ready yet.
Your action
Leave it. The system is keeping your agency visible without applying pressure. If they reply at any point, you will be flagged.
Sequence Complete
The system has finished its planned outreach. All the messages have been sent and they did not reply.
Your action
You can contact them manually now if you want to. The system will not interfere. Use templates from the Language Bank.
SLA Breached
A new enquiry has not been responded to within your target time. The system escalated it. Someone needs to act now.
Your action
Pick it up immediately. This is a fresh lead that has been waiting. Speed matters here.
The Golden Rule
If you cannot tell what state a contact is in, do not touch them. Open their timeline, read the activity log, and work out the state before you do anything. Acting without reading the state is how double-contacts happen.
Restraint is a Skill
Confidence Anchors
Things worth reminding yourself when the system feels unfamiliar, when the pipeline feels quiet, or when you are tempted to jump in.
Doing nothing is often the right call.
When the system is active on a contact, holding back is not passive. It is precise. You are letting a plan run.
Silence does not mean failure.
A lead who has not replied after 3 days is not lost. The system has a message going out on day 5. That is the plan.
Results take 2 to 4 weeks to show.
The work the system is doing today produces results in a fortnight. You will not see it straight away. That is normal.
A warm reply is worth 10 cold calls.
When the system flags a reply, that person has already been warmed up. This is the system paying for itself. Prioritise it above everything.
Your instincts still matter.
The system handles process. You handle people. Reading the room, building trust, closing. That is still entirely you.
Feeling uncomfortable is a good sign.
If it felt natural on day one, it would not be changing anything. The discomfort means it is actually working.
The Trust Curve
What the first four weeks actually feel like. Every negotiator goes through this.
Week 1. Disorientation
It feels strange.
Messages going out that you did not write. Leads being contacted without your involvement. It feels like you are losing control. You are not. You are gaining capacity. It just does not feel like that yet.
Week 2. Recognition
You start noticing what you did not have to do.
A lead you had written off suddenly replies. A missed call got handled before you even knew about it. A name from six weeks ago comes back to life. It starts to click.
Week 3. Trust
You stop checking.
You realise you have not worried about missed calls in days. You are spending your time on conversations that actually matter instead of admin. The volume work is gone.
Week 4+. Integration
You stop noticing.
The system becomes background. You focus on valuations, negotiations, and relationships. This is the target state. The best sign that it is working is that you forget it is there.

"The best sign that the system is working
is that you stop noticing it."

Bazema Operating Principle