Real Estate Sales Leads: It’s All About Quality
The Internet has become a hot zone for finding real estate sales leads. With over 90% of homebuyers taking to the Internet to start the buying process, it’s no wonder why real estate agents have focused their marketing efforts on the Web for their primary source of real estate leads.
Any successful real estate agent has a good system to capture and convert real estate leads, whether it includes online or offline marketing. A good real lead generation system can mean the difference from the average performer to top producer for your brokerage. So what makes a good real estate lead generation system? In our opinion, it all starts with the quality of the lead.
Many realtors and professional sales people think that lead generation is a numbers game. Generally the belief is that the more leads you get and acquire, the more chances you have to close more sales. The reality is, however, dependent on the quality of an opportunity. Think of it this way – would you rather have one hundred random names with contact info on a list looking for general real estate information, or, have 10 solid leads that have expressed a need for your services? You would be better off with the 10 quality leads that want you to contact them vs. the hundred prospects that just want info and are not buying/selling ready. An effective real estate lead generation system includes quality control so to sift out those prospects that want general information, and those who want to buy or sell today.
How to ensure you are getting quality real estate sales leads:
1) Firstly, to ensure that you get quality real estate leads entering your sales funnel, you’ll need to focus your efforts on mining or developing leads from your own sources. Try to stay away from purchasing lead lists from third-party vendors. Most of the time these leads are not leads and have no idea who you are when you contact them. In other words, they are cold and have very little chances of closing. Only purchase real estate sales leads from trusted third-parties who can guarantee you exclusivity in leads they provide. However, keep in mind, that leads not developed through your own network of sources will always be a cold call.
2) Secondly, make sure real estate leads developed from your own sources (website) are ready for you to contact them before you make that sales call. If you have new registrations to your newsletter or listing syndication does not mean they are ready to speak with you. You’ll need to nurture these prospects until they have given you permission or shown signs of commitment to move to the next stage of the sales process. This is obvious when they respond to your newsletter with a question regarding one of your listings or services that you offer. Remember, just because someone registers from your website, does not mean they want you to call them.
3) Lastly, rethink your SEO strategy. Just like how quality is important more so than quantity in real estate lead generation, your website traffic is no different. Your goal should be to drive RELEVANT traffic to your website that will allow you to capture and engage with prospects who are interested in your services or listings. Don’t spend your money on targeting anyone and anybody. You want relevant visitors who are specifically searching for information on real estate and who will engage with you to get it. Sure, 90% of homebuyers take to the web to start their search, but most just want a general idea of what’s out there and for how much. These people are not ready to speak with an agent and are not ready to act within the next 12 months.
To improve the quality of your real estate sales leads, try segmenting your traffic sources to determine the most effect channel to market through. Once you’ve been able to identify the best source for relevant traffic, begin allocating more of your budget to that source. Also, using live chat for real estate to engage with your website visitors in real-time is a great way to provide immediate online customer service and to quickly convert those who are “ready, willing, and able” to buy or sell today.