Turning Online Leads Into Closed Deals
Working by Referral is essential to sustaining a business overtime. This method allows you to build and nurture relationships so you always get to work with the highest quality lead: a referral.
Agents who’ve spent decades in the real estate business often reach a point where 80, 90 or even 100% of their business is generated by referral.
Of course, reaching that milestone takes time and plenty of real estate training! If you’re a newer agent, it’s okay to throw conventional and digital lead generation into the mix. However, to ensure sustainability, these methods should be supplemental, and only make up a small portion of your business.
If you are currently receiving online inquiries, it’s important to get to work right away in order to turn those folks into vetted leads, then closed deals, and later, business advocates who refer you to others.
Here are a few steps to get started.
- Connect Quickly. Avoid letting the inquiry sit in your inbox for too long. Demonstrate your professionalism and interest in their business with a timely response, so you can strike while the iron is hot.
- Send a Value-Add Flyer. Either mail or email a value-add marketing piece to the prospective buyer or seller offering information on the process. Include a cover letter that previews the information and why you’re sending it. Be sure to mention that you’ll be following up! This helps you start building trust with the prospect.
- Arrange a Personal Meeting. Follow up with the client to arrange a meeting (video conferencing works fine for this) to briefly introduce yourself and how you work. Find out whether this lead is seriously interested in working with you before investing too much time or energy. This is where you can also vet them to make sure they’re someone you’d like to work with!
We all start somewhere! While online leads should only account for a small portion of your business, it’s normal to have a digital lead generation strategy, especially at first. The idea is to provide value to these folks and build trust right off the bat — early on, they will learn that you are the real deal, and ultimately choose to work with you now and into the future for housing needs.
Looking for a real estate training program to help you refine your lead generation skills? 100 Days to Greatness® from Buffini & Company is a comprehensive real estate training course for new agents that helps you establish a foundation in the industry. Take a class online today!
