This article is not a prescription for getting the largest possible number of clients in the shortest time. It is about building long lasting relationships with clients.
For starters, let's get rid of the salespeople favorite word "leads". Why do we insist on calling people "leads" instead of "prospective clients"? Some may think it's a minor point. For me, it somehow devalues and de-personalizes the relationship before it even started. People looking for a romantic match on the Internet don't say "I got a call from a very handsome lead". More likely it's: "I got a call from a great guy I would like to meet". No different with real estate clients -we are looking for a relationship.
Having changed my marketing focus to blogging from the conventional methods, I learned interesting lessons.
1. Write content for the type of clients you want to attract. The people who contact me from the blog are more often then not similar to me. They are detail oriented, focus on and appreciate research, value education as part of the selling process, are looking for a lot of useful information, could recognize intelligence and knowledge when they see it, do not believe they know -it -all, have an open mind, are suspicious of hard core sales people .
This made my year a lot more enjoyable. In contrast, pursuing FSBO last year, as the conventional wisdom for the relatively new real estate agents, produced, putting it mildly, a lot of stress. These are often people convinced they know it all, suspicious of advice, apprehensive of the value of your work, etc.
This as not what my heart desired.
2. Be there to answer the call. I rarely have to call back -I am there when the phone rings, sometimes startling the person on the other line. One client said, of the several calls he placed, I was the only one who answered the phone...Clients said they were not sure why real estate agents advertise their phone numbers if they are not there to answer them.
E-mail immediately, if you don't have the phone number to call. Be sensitive to the style of inquiry. Do not push to get the person's phone number. Realize it could be a slow dance of getting to know each other through e-mails. The goal here is in each e-mail to provide value while finding out a bit more about the client's needs.
3. Judge the tempo It could be a slow dance or it could be a cha-cha. It is often slower with buyer clients, then seller clients, since sellers are often under more time pressure. I had clients contact me after several failed relationships with other agents. What ever dissatisfaction was generated with the previous agent, the client may need time to see if and how you are different.
4. No hard sell One thing I never do is push. Some times clients get stuck in the analysis paralysis and/or unable to make decisions. There are agents who believe such clients need to be pushed towards making a decision. I found two things could happen. The client gets stressed. If they make the decision, they are never certain later if it was the right decision and could come to resent you as an agent. If the stress gets to be too much, they would go somewhere else.
Buying and selling is stressful enough for clients. My job is to minimize the stress, not add to it.
5. Educate as you go Let's suppose the client didn't take your advice and, for example, didn't offer what you recommended. Let's suppose it caused them to "lose" a bid. This is not the end of the world. In fact, better then anything you could say or do, it showed the client the value and validity of your advice.
This is one way my clients come to trust me - they see my words come true. It's not about the promises of a great job, or the ads with my smiling face, or the hype of being #1 producer. It's simply advising and guiding, so your words become verifiable facts. Does it take extra time? Yes. Does it stretch the process? May be. Does it built stronger relationships ? Most certainly.
One thing I found not to be the case. Prospective clients calling to hire you from a blog.
This is what I read a lot on Active Rain. Some may say my blogging has not risen to the heights needed for this to be the case. Fair enough. I am not sure I could fault prospective sellers for not hiring me right off the bat based on my blog. Again, my clients tend to be similar to me in many ways. I would not hire someone to do something very important, let's say surgery, just because I liked their blog, or even got a recommendation. I would want to meet them in person, meet other doctors, and decide then. Having a blog should make the client's task easier -more of a confirmation rather then investigation from scratch.
I found this to be the case with the sellers. When prospective clients ask me if they should talk to other agents, I say -"Sure". Why? Because:
1. It's part of due diligence.
2. Blog is a resume and a bit of an interview. It's not the interview.
3. Through my blog they could peak "into my head" over a long time, most other agents don't offer it to their clients.
4. I am confident in my abilities.
5. If they select someone else, it would have not been a good match anyway. This saves me time, expense and aggravation.
6. This is not the last chance we have to work together.
7. When the prospective client's choice turns out wrong they come back appreciating even more what I have to offer.
Be smart, be focused, be responsive, be respectful, be an advisor, know your stuff, get the job done. Hey, it's easy to get clients for life.
54 Comments on 5 Easy steps to convert a "lead" to a satisfied client
Great post as a ABR I enjoy reading posts like your. Since I receive many contacts from the northern snowbirds wanting to come to Florida I strive to do my best in customer service. Keep me in mind if you have some sellers heading my way.
WoW, you really hit the nail on the head with this post. I flagged this as I believe it would help many agents out there and the more that read it, the better.
Thanks for putting this together....it was refreshing and helpful first thing this morning, not to mention very inspirational!
Faina, Excellent and I love the analogy. I think the way we work depends on our personality and we're all different. Recognizing our strengths, weaknesses and the type of clients that we connect best with is important and certainly helps us be more successful.
Donald -Florida is a good place to be when it gets cold up here:) Thanks for your comment.
Jo-Anne -thanks so much for words of confidence and the support. These are simple ideas, but for some very starnge reason not followed by many in the world of real estate.
Barry - you are too funny -gave me a good laugh in the morning, love it:) BTW, what would you do with the cloned me?:)
Cynthia - I truly believe this to be one of the great benefits of blogging -attracting the type of clients you would like to work with. A static site can't differentiate one agent from another, a bloge could.
At the end of the day, it's the actual work done for the client (not just the words on the blog), that makes the difference.
Faina - I love the let's get married analogy - These are great steps towards making the right connections with people who obviously share an interest with us:) Thanks!
I too, eschew the term "lead". When I refer them to an agent in my network, I find myself describing the prospective buyer as a "lovely gentleman" or "very nice lady".
That is how they seem to me when I speak with them. If they were not, we probably wouldn't have gotten far enough for me to refer them.
Faina, just got this on my Google Alerts for a team I search. Of course I would have found it later when I logged on. Until this is a connection, they are just an interested person. Once we connect they become a potential client or a customer. Good advice on telling them to look around, shows security and confidense.
Cooper -sometimes putting things in words that many could relate to helps drive the point home. I am glad we see it the same way.
Lenn -wait, I thought you bugged my office first:) On a second thought, I am rarely in my office:) I am not surprised that we share several similar views.
Missy - an interested person is most often someones potential client. People inquiring into real estate usually have more then a passing interest. The question is whose client would they become and what to do for them to choose us for life. BTW, just curious what term triggered the Google alert?
Thank you for the insight. Making yourself available to take phone calls and actually replying to correspondance is something that is becoming very rare. Kudos to you.
I've sold a great number of homes because I answered the phone at odd hours of odd days. I hear it all the time, "You answered the phone, the other __ agents I called didn't.
Your title caught my eye, and I am glad to visit your blog. I have been receiving a number of "leads", and I agree that I prefer to call them prospective clients too, except I haven't thought of marriage yet. Other than those who contact me directly, I have just been collecting their info, and placing them on auto-alerts on listings. Any suggestions? The post is my kind of perspective. No hard sell yet persausive enough with the lure of information, knowledge and confidence.
2. Be there to answer the call. I rarely have to call back -I am there when the phone rings, sometimes startling the person on the other line.
Very good. That should give you a strong competitive advantage. I've been helping one of my sons search for his first home. I still haven't found an agent here in Southern CA who answers their phone!
Great Post. I agree, I have never used the term lead. And my sister sells in the Cha Cha pace & I am a two step. My blogs are not Brain Surgery either but I think word of mouth & a "I love referrals" will work faster than blogging.
Faina - it is like a dance, isn't it? I agree with you, they are people, not leads. Real estate is my business, but I never forget that buying a home is personal.
Thanks for the post. You're right on target. When you meet with prospective clients you begin building relationships. You want those relationships to be positive and lasting. Being professional in every step of the way will insure that you do that.
Faina, such a refreshing post...I try follow the person's lead also, but what happens when they sign into your website and you email them and they don't respond. Would you email them again?
Faina, such a refreshing post...I try follow the person's lead also, but what happens when they sign into your website and you email them and they don't respond. Would you email them again?
Faina - perfect post! You are right - word Lead is s outdated as the Hard sell is. Regarding blogging and sales - it's really hard to define one reason why people hire us. Blogging may make us attractive to the potential clients but it's too many reasons behind the actual decision they make. That's why we use multichannel marketing.
I like the way you think AND act. Your article is a fantastic key to success ... especially those seven bullet points. It's very clear, non-complicated information. Some of your advice I've learned the hard way. Other points I've just learned from you to put into action right away. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for such an encouraging post, it reminded me of the old cliche' People do not care how much you know till they know how much you care. Caring enough to build a relationship can reap more than just one business deal. I am going to read some more of your posts.
I just love it when someone takes the time to help others. And that is exactly what you have done. I applaud your thoughtfulness and sincerely hope that many more "Prospective Clients" reach you on that easy to reach line you have posted.
Wonderful post and thougths. I met a new real estate agent yesterday. At first it was hard to tell from the discussion whether she was new or experienced. Her questions and statements seemed sometimes to convey inexperience and experience.
She is less than 6 months in the business. Her questions sometimes conveyed experience because she is a listener.
And she has immediately recognized the need to build a team and relationships.
She is going to be an excellent agent.
I think I will pass along your thoughts in this post, after I study them myself.
Jon - interesting. I am sure I am not the only one with these ideas:)
Judy - I e-mail, only if asked. My policy on the blog: no unsolicited contact (no drip e-mail and such). If they asked for something, I answer. After that I e-mail if there is something of value I think they may need to know. If I don't hear back for a while, it ussually means it was a casual inquiry, and my help is not needed. Many agents find this approach not agressive enough:)
Svetlana -sure, there are many reasons why agents are hired, just as there are many successful channels for marketing. Blogging is not better or worth, as long as it works for you. For me it was better then FSBO:)
Bill -it's almost funny to get business just by being there to answer the call. On a second though, much in life is the old proverbial "right place at the right time":)
Sherry -it depends on what kind of inquiry you received. If someone left their e-mail, because that's the only way to use the search or something else on your system, IMO, it doesn't mean they want you to contact them. My policy : no unsolicited e-mails or calls. If I answer an inquiry and don't hear back, I periodically send another e-mail with something specific for that person. I do not use drip e-mail, because they are too general to address specific person's needs. This is by no way conventional wisdom in real estate. I just do it differently:)
Jeann - I am not sure how else to get anyones commitment in life and in work, except by making people feel good. In work it mostly translates to delivering what a client wants/expects. Thanks.
This is a great reminder that all leads are not instant. Many must incubate and come back again and again. We must earn their trust, before they decide they want us as their agent. Great job.
Faina - This is a great post. I am going to share it with our agents. We have been working a lot lately on the best methods for following up on website/blog leads.
More importantly, I am always joking around and find humor in everything but for some reason I rarely laugh out loud. However, your response below to one of the comments here made me laugh out loud tonight. Cracked me up.
Faina, Thanks for this excellent post. All your points are so important and I couldn't agree more. I especially like your tip to 'Educate as you go' - and take the extra time to do this.
this is great info here.i like the point about answering the phone. It is really hard for me to get some agents on the phone. it drives me crazy. Can only imagine the client.
Faina - I like your perspective on "prospective clients" versus leads. Good reading - thank you. You are very gracious - your comment to Johnathan - priceless! What great personal restraint and professionalism - especially given the option of "delete"
Faina Sechzer - Princeton, Montgomery, Hopewell, NJ Real Estate Expert
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Great post as a ABR I enjoy reading posts like your. Since I receive many contacts from the northern snowbirds wanting to come to Florida I strive to do my best in customer service. Keep me in mind if you have some sellers heading my way.