Leads are the life-blood of any business. Especially in sales.
I got started in the real estate industry as a loan officer just before the big sub-prime mortgage collapse.
When you’re first getting started, you’re taught to start by marketing to you sphere of influence. In other words, who do you know that’s looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate. Make a list and start calling.
That, and cold-calling farm packages (remember those).
I hated doing both. So I built a website for myself, started marketing myself online, started networking, and I built my database by sourcing and generating leads online.
1. Making prospecting a part of your daily routine
Last year I interviewed local real estate agent April Kass. She had just finished her first year in real estate and closed 9 transactions for a total sales volume of 5.2 million.
Not bad for a first year agent, right?
When I asked her how she did it and what tools she used in her business, she laughed and said:
- My phone with an unlimited data plan and I call no less than 20 people per day (at a minimum)
- A comfortable pair of shoes because I love to canvas and door knock in my neighborhood
- And I use Cloud CMA to deliver a CMA report to anyone that can be a potential lead
Her script is simple yet effective:
Who do you know that’s looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate? Great, can you introduce me!
2. Cold call expired’s and FSBO’s
Matt Clements is a top producing agent at Berkshire Hathaway California Properties in Laguna Niguel. I walked into his office for a meeting once and witnessed him cold-calling on an expired.
Now, you might think expired’s and FSBO’s aren’t great for prospecting. Matt proved me otherwise right then and there. He cold-called an expired, asked some great leading questions, and got a listing appointment right then and there.
He didn’t pitch. He didn’t talk about price or continue to say what the previous listing agent did wrong.
Instead he asked questions and listened closely.
Why are you thinking of selling?
Where are you looking to move next?
Do you need money for a down-payment?
Do you need to sell in order to buy?
How soon are you looking to sell?
3. Don’t underestimate the power of door knocking
Some people love door knocking, some people don’t. But don’t underestimate the effectiveness of getting face-to-face with homeowners. That’s how April Kass was able to close so many deals her first year: she got face-to-face with homeowners in her community.
4. Provide value content (but ask for the email)
Having a great hyperlocal website that serves as a resource for home buyers and sellers is a great idea. But you need to do more than just write and publish great local content. You need targeted landing pages so that you can ask your site visitors to opt-in.
A great way to do this is to offer:
- Buyer and seller guides (check out KeepingCurrentMatters.com)
- Offer local market report (check out Altos Research)
- Offer a free home valuation (check out Cloud Attract)
5. Capture seller leads with a home value landing page
“What’s my home worth?”
Those four words are the most effective call-to-action in real estate. If you don’t have a real estate website you can still generate some targeted seller leads by setting up a “what’s my home worth” landing page and driving some targeted traffic to your landing page.
6. Just listed/just sold postcards
Here’s a great marketing strategy from Ray Fernandez with TNG Real Estate. Any time Ray get’s a new listing or just closes escrow on a new listing he sends out ~250 of these postcards.
On one side are the listing details:
- Just listed + details on the upcoming open house -OR-
- Just sold (for ex: Just sold for $50,000 above asking price in a record 14 days!)
Think about what that does to the psychology of the neighbors. Don’t you think it makes them just a tad bit curious as to what their home might be worth?
So on the backside of the flyer is a blatant (but effective) advertisement that says “Get your instant home value NOW, visit rayshomevalues.com.”
Corefact offers some great just listed and just sold postcards at an affordable price.
7. Automate your lead process to generate more referrals
Did you know that having testimonials on your website or including testimonials in your listing presentation can increase your chances of conversion by 20%?
But what are you doing to solicit referrals once the transaction has closed?
Reach150 offers a great way to not only display testimonials in your CMA reports but it also automates the referral process by emailing your closed deals and asking for a testimonial and a referral.
What else is working for you?
What else is working for you out in the field right now?
These are really useful tricks to increase real estate leads in 30 days. I agree that, understanding all queries of client is also an important part to increase leads. Appreciate your work..!!