Recently Bob Stewart challenged us to write on lead conversion. In his oh so tactful way he said getting results from leads is usually not the results of the leads but how you follow up the leads.
"I get so sick of hearing people say that 'the leads sucked'. They didn't suck, you sucked. I know it's harsh, but it's the truth. How do I know this? I've seen hundreds of agents work the exact same leads with huge variations in success. The leads were always a constant, the only variable was the person working the leads."
Well I may have said it... more tactful but I have to say I agree.
In fact I have posted on making the first call count. You only have a few seconds to connect in a meaningful way with a person on the other end of the phone or via email. Some agents are better at this than others.
For example, when my daugher calls leads she is NOT trying to sell them ANYTHING.
She is just trying to connect with them in a meaningful way, be helpful, talk MI football or something of commonality.
She has the ablility to make people relax and let them set the pace of the relationship. Not every person searching for homes is ready to buy right then, the next day, the next week or the next month. But, they will buy from someone, why not you?
My good friend, Cyndee Haydon that I met here on Activerain, just sent me an email called 12 is the Magic Number in Marketing.
The National Sales Executive Association recently reported the following:
- 2% of sales are made on the 1st contact
- 3% of sales are made on the 2nd contact
- 5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact
- 10% of sales are made on the 4th contact
- 80% of sales are made on the 5th - 12th contact
Most people give up after one phone call or one email. "These leads don't work." "These leads are bad."
"NO"
They are not bad, you are just giving up too quickly. Look at that number 80% of all sales are made on the 5th-12th contact.
In the book, "What Americans Really Want...Really by Dr. Frank Luntz, he states, "Consumers are less trusting than any generation since the Great Depression. This means we must work harder to build relationships with our prospects because they do not trust us. Relationships take time to develop. You won't be able to make one or two phone calls and sign a new client. Those days are over. To be successful today, you must have a long-term follow-up campaign, providing multiple touches to your database.
Recently I posted here on Activerain that your old leads are your best leads.
The question I leave you with concerning lead generation is "Are you leaving business on the table?" "Are you making one contact and moving on to the next?" "How many times are you "touching that client?"
Tonight at my team meeting we reviewed last years data and everyone on my team agreed it took more than ONE contact to build trust, establish a relationship and find them a home.They all agreed usually 5-12 contacts.
I have been active in lead generation for longer than I have been blogging on Activerain.
My main site to search for homes in Ann Arbor Area is SearchAnnArborHouses.com. It is a Tiger Lead Site, that we close over 60% of all our homes from. The back end Rocks!
It is tied into our Ann Arbor Area MLS and when a person registers, they can save their search. Then when a new listing comes on the market they are automatically sent that new listing. (They all think we are sending them)
When a listing comes up the buyer gets the new listings. The buyer agents gets a email or txt they logged back on. We can tell how long they were on and what homes they looked at. Cool, huh?
"For other methods of converting internet leads, be sure to check out giftofshift.com/activerain where you can purchase a limited edition hardcover of Gary Keller's book SHIFT, which comes with a free version of the eBook Soci@l: Attract Friends, Followers and Connections to Your Business, written by Ben Kinney and Jay Papasan (in which Ben shares his 'ten days of pain' lead conversion method) as well as free audio versions of Millionaire Real Estate Agent and Millionaire Real Estate Investor all for $19.99."
I'm not going to say 10 days of pain like Ben Kinney suggests is the ONLY way, but I am going to say that most of you are giving up too quickly.
I just had my Search Ann Arbor homes site linked to my fan page on Facebook. Put your main search site everywhere. Track where they are coming from and don't give up on them, build trust and stay in touch.
Missy Caulk & Team can be reached at 734-926-9797 or email: Missy@MissyCaulk.com
Our Team of 6 agents are available to help you relocate to Ann Arbor, Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Milan, Ypsilanti Township, Clinton, Manchester, Whitmore Lake, or throughout Washtenaw County, MI.
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Stay strong, stay faithful, stay honest, stay loving, stay true to who you are, most importantly stay true to who God is as you'll be who you are, and you'll be happy, you'll be you, you'll be free. -Jamie Caulk
