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Push Button Prospecting
Use Automation to Convert Calls to Closings
-By Knolly Williams
Tired of all those junk leads? With the right follow up system, you can turn trash into treasure.
The truth is – most of the leads you receive will not pan out. But are you throwing the baby out with the bathwater? If you aren’t following up with those leads, then, quite possibly, you are.
I have several buyer agents on my team. Through our aggressive marketing campaigns, these agents obtain tons of leads. The leads come from sign calls, responses to print ads, etc. So how can they distinguish between a junk lead and a good one? I believe that, early on, it is almost impossible to distinguish whether or not someone is serious.
Even if you learn the best scripts and know the right questions to ask, many prospects simply will not tell you the whole truth during your initial conversation. They will often withhold information or simply fabricate answers to your questions. Why? Well, quite frankly, most folks have built a resistance to salespeople. People will do and say almost anything to get you off the phone. They have built up a resistance to being ‘sold.’ They simply want to know the price, how many bedrooms, etc. Once they get the info. they want – ‘click… goodbye!’ They don’t want to give you the chance to sell them.
Your ability to convert those leads into sales is critical to your success in the business. But how can you convert the potential buyer who won’t let you get a word in? Don’t take it personal. They have nothing against you, per se. They have been trained to believe that you are only in it for the commission, and they don’t want to get rooked. Harsh I know, but true, nonetheless.
Buyer prospects who call regarding a listing, for example, will generally fall into one of three categories: 1) they are not really going to buy anything, just window shopping, 2) they will buy, but they will buy through someone else, or 3) they will buy, and they will choose YOU as their agent. By automating your lead conversion, you will convert more prospects into closed transactions, with fewer headaches.
Here’s how:
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When the prospect calls you for information regarding a listing, ask him or her for an email address so you can send the information. Most people feel fairly comfortable providing their email addresses. Here’s how the conversation might sound: Prospect: “Hi. This is John. I’m calling about your house on Maple Run… How much is it?” You: “Hi, John. Thanks for calling! What’s your email address? My office can send you that information right away.” This approach works even better if you have an assistant. Answer any questions only after you receive the prospect’s name and email address. |
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Add the prospect to your database, and send the requested information to him or her. Then set the person up on an automatic drip email campaign. Drip email is the process of sending out emails at scheduled intervals. There are several systems out there that allow you to set up and customize these campaigns. For example, a good campaign might be one that sends out an email to the prospect every week for four consecutive weeks. MoreSolds.com offers automated email drip campaigns as a snap-in to its contact manager. |
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Those prospects who contact you after receiving your emails (interspersed with a few phone calls for added impact), are the ones who are most likely to buy. It’s that simple. With this automated prospecting approach, you can click it and forget it. |
If you are still trying to convert your leads on the initial contact, you are fighting a difficult and uphill battle. Besides that, many agents are too busy to regularly follow up on the leads they are getting. And, let’s face it – most of us suffer from fear of rejection, which paralyzes our potential.
Knolly Williams is a top-selling REALTOR ® and CEO of MoreSolds, LLC. MoreSolds is an online contact manager for real estate agents. MoreSolds allows agents to store contacts, manage listings and buyer transactions, track commissions payable, and features scheduling tools and more. Get your 30-day free subscription at www.MoreSolds.com.
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