Don’t Lose Your Leads to Your Competition. Do THIS Every Time

Oct 11, 2021

Every year, the NAR publishes a survey. And, every year we learn that consumers, despite saying they’d use their previous agent, go with the first agent they meet.

On the face of it, that seems like a pretty sad state of affairs—unless you can use that behavior to your advantage.

The need for speed

An older study of call response times to leads shows that from 35% to 50% of sales go to whoever reaches the prospect first.

This same study revealed that the chances you’ll actually make contact with a lead diminish the longer you wait to call. In fact, it decreases by more than 10 times in the first hour.

Unless you’re a one-woman or man show, wearing all the hats in your real estate business, it’s crazy not to do this ONE THING every time – call leads back a.s.a.p.

Within 5 minutes is optimal

Consider this: A red-hot lead is an online visitor who takes the time to enter her real name and real contact information.

Red-hot leads require your immediate attention. After all, they don’t typically come along every day. These people expect to hear from you and the other five agents they reached out to.

Be the first agent they talk to.

Do the call-back within 5 minutes and you’ll not only have the best chance of reaching the party, but call-backs within those 5 minutes convert better than call-backs made later. If you wait for a half-hour, your chances with the lead plummet 21%.

*Mortgage Options*, Direct Response Free Report, see **HERE**

What not to say

First, be prepared for the call-back. If the lead expressed interest in a particular property, print out the listing and familiarize yourself with it fully.

Then, don’t be overly salesy. Or talkative. Let the lead take the lead and be prepared to answer all questions.

Many sales coaches say that the first follow-up call should be informative, friendly, and very brief. Again, follow the lead. If he or she is chatty and doesn’t seem in a rush to get off the phone, keep chatting.

If, on the other hand, the lead is all business and seems rushed, take that as a clue to keep it brief.

What to Say

“Hi John, this is Anita Deal with World’s Best Real Estate Brokerage. I’m following up on your request for information on the home for sale at 123 Main Street. How can I help?”

Now, zip it and listen. Answer the lead’s questions and gauge whether he’s got time to talk or needs to be let go.

If it’s the former, ask non-threatening qualifying questions. These include:

Are you working with a real estate agent?
When do you plan on moving?
Have you seen a lender?
Do you have a home to sell before buying?

Don’t let the lead hang up without getting permission to follow up by phone, text or email.

If you offer a lead magnet, such as a free special report, offer to send it.

“May I email you my free report, “4 Mortgage Options With Low Down Payments”. Online leads are among the best you’ll get in real estate. Be brief, don’t be salesy, and get permission to follow up.

Keep it simple and human

Your UVP needs to be simple, both in length and in word choice. Here’s an example of what not to do:

We are “… a dominant online presence with a combination of innovative marketing and strategic outreach. Cutting-edge lead capture and unique tracking URL’s ensure exposure and buyer retention.”

Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer reading this UVP on the group’s website.

What is “lead capture?” And “cutting edge” these terms have become absolute turn-offs. Tracking URL’s? Buyer retention? Where is the part of the UVP that allows the reader to clearly understand the value this team offers?

Then, ironically, this same UVP shows up on seven other real estate websites. Seven agents trying to prove what makes them different share a UVP with seven other brokerages.

Here’s another that we found. “Our astute team creates a plethora of assets unique to your home.”

Aside from dumping the words “astute” and “plethora,” this real estate team needs to describe exactly what “assets” they will “create.”

If you can save consumers money on their real estate deal, make the process easier, or make it quicker, you’ve got yourself the makings of a UVP that will attract real estate clients.

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HOW TO DISCOVER EMPTY NESTERS IN YOUR AREA.

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Demographic Search Tool.

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This sale expires on 10/16/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

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6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

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Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

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The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here

A refresher Course in Attracting New Clients

Oct 7, 2019

This time of year is ideal for reviewing and reestablishing strategies that have been successful in the past.

With this in mind, let’s look at three strategies that have proven successful at attracting new clients, for many agents.

Strategy 1: Start with what’s warm

Remember when you first started in real estate? The answer to “how do I attract new clients?” was typically met with “reach out to everyone you know.” And, that advice is still pertinent.

Dust off your CRM and dig into it, starting with the warmest contacts. Reach out to family, friends, former colleagues, parents of your kids’ friends, and anyone else who you have even a modicum of a relationship. Ask them who they know that may be thinking of selling their home.

Our Holiday Postcards are a fun, easy way to reach out to your Sphere without feeling too salesy. Or choose a handwritten notecard, for a more intimate way of saying hello and reminding your Sphere you’re only a phone call away.

Don’t be discouraged if your contacts don’t respond with interest after the first mailing. You’ve begun the process of making yourself top-of-mind for the time when their interest changes or that of their friend.

Now, take a look at all the potential clients you’ve spoken with in the past – especially anyone that requested or received a listing presentation but ended up not selling. Find out what their current status is and reach out.

This tactic worked for St. Paul broker Teresa Boardman. First, she determined that they hadn’t listed with someone else and then she contacted them.

Shortly after starting the tactic she reported that “One homeowner, I’m going to list for sure and another one looks like a real strong possibility and another is trying to decide if he should rent out the house or sell it.”.

Strategy 2: Go where others won’t

If you think that every other agent in town is pursuing canceled, withdrawn and expired listings, Tom Ferry coach Tom Toole would beg to differ with you.

He looks at an expired listing as an ideal opportunity, because “most people are afraid to call them.”

And, it works for him. In a case study at tomferry.com, Toole reports that his annual gross commission income from working with expired listings is $525,000. His marketing investment is $3,000 a month.

He makes those icy-cold calls and those that aren’t ready to re-list go into a drip campaign of direct mail marketing. This is where newsletters and postcards can really pay off.

If you are getting ready to go after this lucrative niche our Expired Postcard Series is an effective solution.

Let them know you can get their home sold (Available under the Expired Series in the postcard section)

Strategy 3: Cast a wider net

With the media running endless stories of rapidly escalating home prices and potential rate hikes, it’s understandable that homeowners can be reluctant to sell.

Which makes now the perfect time to add another niche to focus on by going after homeowners who don’t have to sell – absentee owners.

Our Get More Listings Series offers postcards with content that effectively reaches out to these absentee owners.

Depending on how far away they live from their investment property they may have no idea how values have skyrocketed and the equity they’re currently sitting on.

Nearly 80 percent of landlords plan on owning their properties for five years, so seek out those who have owned for at least three years. You can get that specifically targeted mailing list here.

Consider these suggestions for direct mail marketing to absentee owners, from Louisville, Kentucky real estate investor Sharon Vornholt:

Personalize your direct mail – Use the owner’s name, instead of “Homeowner.”
Use the same “best practices” for this mail as you do your blog posts: Lots of white space, subheadings and bulleted points.
Don’t talk about you or your brokerage. Get to the point quickly and address the benefits for the homeowner (such as an increase in value).

Nobody knows what the foreseeable future holds for the real estate market. However, there’s one thing we do know and that is to last you need to continue to list.

Therefore, there’s nothing more important, as you finish this year and make plans for 2020 than to reacquaint yourself with the best ways to attract clients.

Notecards are available under the Notecard tab on ProspectsPLUS.com

Order personal Notecards and send out a couple handwritten notes every day to your Sphere of Influence.

Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list too l to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are Free killer tools to help your success this year!

1. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

2. “Get More Listings” Free Online Webinar

“Get MORE Listings & Begin to Dominate Your Market!” Free online webinar. Learn the 3-7-27 strategy for explosive growth, why 95% of agents have less than 20% market share, and how to become the agent everyone competes against. – Click Here

3. The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan. – Click Here

5. The Free Online ROI Calculator