How can you hang on to real estate buyer leads?

You can hang on to real estate buyer leads by doing things other agents don’t do.

But you don’t want to just hang on to the leads. You want to turn them into actual buyers, and then into past clients.

How do you turn real estate buyer leads into actual buyers?

First, realize that you aren’t going to get them all. Some of those leads are false. They’ll never turn into buyers.

• Some are simply dreamers.
• Others are people who already have an agent but want information from your site.
• Some are leaving their name in many places and will go with the agent who contacts them first.
• Heck, some of them could be your competitors, checking to see what you’re doing.

And of course, if you’ve purchased leads, there could be a dozen other agents contacting the same people.

And isn’t that a good thing? How many active real estate buyers can you handle at one time and still provide good service?

Since you don’t know which of those real estate buyer leads will result in a sale, give them all the same good attention. 

Naturally, you should attempt a phone call as soon as the lead comes in. A few will answer, although many will not.

Think about that. If you simply want information, do you want to talk with a salesperson who might pressure you for an immediate appointment? (I’m not saying you shouldn’t try for the appointment if you do reach them – only that many people will resist a call for that reason.)

Hopefully, when the leads come in through a capture box on your own website, those potential buyers will have received an immediate response from your auto responder. They’ve either gotten information on a specific house, a copy of your market report, or a promised special report. Your phone call will be reinforcement.

The reports, by the way, are something you can ask about if you get them on the phone. Did they receive it? Do they have any questions?

If your website allows them to set up a search, that’s wonderful. If not, ask the right questions when you get them on the phone, and set it up yourself. Of course, tell them that you’re doing so, so they’ll recognize your mail as something they want.

Next, if you want to convert those real estate buyer leads, do something that most others don’t do.

Some agents will set their MLS system to send automatic alerts when a new listing comes in. Some will call back or send an email once or twice. Some will even stay in touch, but in an annoying manner. Their messages read something like “Are you ready to view homes? Call me!” Or perhaps “I’m the neighborhood expert, so I can guide you to the home of your dreams.”

Some are even worse: A few years ago I left my name on an agent’s website and started getting messages telling me that when I found the home I wanted, I should contact him to write the offer. Yes, I know. I couldn’t believe that either, but he kept sending the same message for months.

Years ago, after I let my license go and my son began looking for a house, he contacted MANY agents. Ten out of twelve didn’t follow up at all – even the ones who came alive long enough to show him one house. One began sending information on listings that were about the exact opposite of what he was looking for. Wrong property type; wrong location.

Only one did begin searching for what he really wanted, and he did buy through her.

Be different! Begin emailing consistently – not just with new listing alerts, but with information that will help them as they begin and continue their search.

If they’ve indicated that they’ll want to buy soon, follow your emails with a call to see if they have questions. In other words – give them attention and provide service.

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.”
― Jeff Olson, The Slight Edge

What information would be helpful to those potential buyers?

Anything that guides their search or offers advice that will help them succeed.

A couple of years ago an agent wrote me to say she had hundreds of Internet buyer leads, and that was a problem. She didn’t have time to keep making phone calls to all of them and couldn’t think of what to say in letters. She wanted to send something better than the annoying letters that she’d seen other agents using, and thought other agents probably had the same problem. So she asked me to write and offer a new letter set.

The result was my “Nurturing Buyer Leads” letter set. 

The screenshot below lists the topics for these 12 letters. (Yes, the list shows 13. However, one is a report on buying a home under construction. You could use it as a special report to offer in exchange for names and contact information.)

You could use this topic list as a guide for writing your own letters, or, if you’d rather save time, you can go to https://copybymarte.com/nurturing-buyer-leads/ to purchase them. With a nearly instant download link, you could be sending letter #1 within the hour.

NOTE: Letter #1 begins with “Thanks” and is directed toward leads who opted in through your website. That sentence could be changed if the lead came to you from a different source. Of course you’d need to separate your leads into appropriate databases.

Remember that persistence leads to success

Too many agents quit after 1 or 2 attempts to reach real estate buyer leads. Why do they do that? Do they really think that prospects take time to read and pay attention to everything that comes into their in-boxes?

While postal mail can bring better results, for a variety of reasons, it is expensive, and you may not want to use it when you’re contacting leads that might or might not “be real.” But email marketing costs very little. Additionally, it can be set up to send your letters even when you’re busy with other things.

It only makes sense to keep right on mailing until they either turn into buyers or unsubscribe from your list.

What if you’ve sent 12 letters and still haven’t had a response? Keep mailing with something else. You could send new market reports, send links to your latest blog posts, or carry on with another set of letters such as the “Why Homebuyers Need Their Own Agent” letters.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is, that one often comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t.”
― Henry Ward Beecher

“Success doesn’t come to you; you go to it.”
― T. Scott McLeod

This year – reach out and grab your success…

Image courtesy of Loveluck at FreeDigitalPhotos.net