Real Estate Leads 101: Back To The Basics Pt. 1
Author: Ashley Lichtybr
Source: articledashboard.combr
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Sometimes even the best real estate agents and brokers need a reminder of the basics when turning real estate leads into clients. Though the basics seem like simple skills on the surface, they are the building blocks of a strong business.
Rory Wilfong, co-founder of GetMyHomesValue and real estate trainer often comes across agents who lack these simple building blocks. I am often surprised how many agents dont have an effective plan for acquiring real estate leads, following up with their real estate leads and then nurturing their real estate leads to become future clients. Too many agents are simply stumbling over real estate leads and crossing their fingers in hopes that the lead will pick them for representation with their future real estate transactions.
With the dramatic increase of licensed real estate agents in the past few years, it is more important that ever that real estate agents are memorable to their real estate leads. According to the National Association of Realtors, their membership increased from 766,560 in 2000 to 1,265,367 last year. And that is just Realtors. You do not have to register with NAR in order to be a real estate agent, only to get the designation of Realtor. These numbers are enough to prove that if and agent wants to get anywhere with their real estate leads, they better stand out in the crowd. The best way to do this? Effective and creative follow-up! It goes back to learning applying the relatively simple skills involved in sales, marketing and customer service and adding your own creative flair to get your real estate leads to notice you.
Lets get back to the basics and thing about what really defines the term real estate leads. According to Wilfong, the definition of a lead is a consumer that is interested in possibly using your services either now or in the future. Its as simple as that. There are different types of real estate leads of course, buyers, sellers, for sale by owners, refinancing, etc. Real estate leads can come from various sources, direct mailing, contact through your website, from an open house.
Another way to think of your real estate leads are as clients. Start your follow up with the mindset that the lead WILL be your client. Real estate leads are clients until they become contractually obligated to another agent or sales person providing the same service as you are.
Many agents rate their real estate leads as cold, warm or hot, depending how far into the real estate process they are. It is important to keep in mind that at one point, even a hot lead was kind of cold, even if you didnt know about it! Cold real estate leads lead to hot real estate leads. Of course, many agents cast off hundreds of real estate leads a year because they consider them bogus. As Wilfong states, Like many agents, in the past I encountered my fair share of Mickey Mouse leads and I often use this as an example of agents. What would you do if you received a lead from Mickey Mouse?
In Wilfongs experience, many agents say they cast many real estate leads with odd names off as bogus.. He believes that driving to a home to present your information to Micky Mouse himself is a GREAT way to break the ice with the people actually living in the house. The lead will remember your humor, more than likely tell his friends about the incident, which of course leads to more real estate leads for an agent! Even a call to Mickey Mouse, if handled humorously, can get a positive response and build instant rapport.
If nothing else, real estate leads will almost always give a current address along with the fake name they may leave, simply because that is the property they need information on. You cant be afraid to do a little detective work and dig a little deeper if you want to be constantly converting your real estate leads into contracted clients./pbr
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How Call Capture is Generating High Quality Real Estate Leads
Author: Brandi Cummingsbr
Source: ezinearticles.combr
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Its no surprise in this market that the real estate industry is relatively concerned with gathering high quality leads. If an agent doesnt have good leads, after all, he or she wont make sales - there wont be any prospects to sell to. Therefore, its especially important for agents to consider all possible avenues when looking for real estate leads, and all possible technologies that can bring them the business that they need. One such technology is call capture systems. Call capture systems are able to generate new leads from a rather obvious yet often ignored place - an agents own incoming phone calls.
Call capture systems work as their name implies. They capture information from each new call to a phone line by gathering data from the call and from the actual caller. Different extensions can be used to organize a call capture system. In real estate, theyre very often tailored to deliver virtual audio tours of properties to potential clients or to offer free reports available to consumers. Their contact information is then saved for an agents follow-up. The systems have gained a lot of popularity with some agents, as they represent a non-invasive way to get information about potential clients that call.
All sources of real estate leads must be evaluated to determine whether theyre worthwhile. Since call capture systems are organized by extension, agents can also use the system to track the response to specific ads by placing different extensions in different advertisements. These ad-tracking features show an agent which ads are effective. From this gathered data, the agency can design an advertising plan thats effective in generating high quality leads. Money that was wasted in bad ad campaigns is fed into more effective campaigns, leading to a better return on investment. As a result, an agent will see a dramatic increase in the number of quality real estate leads they receive.
One of the more amazing features of a modern call capture service is the technologys ability to get all information relating to specific phone calls. Some systems, those that use toll free numbers, can even bypass blocking capabilities or unlisted numbers that call into them. Even when numbers are blocked, caller id information is captured. The overwhelming majority of calls accepted by a capture system provide an agent with a viable lead - a number that he can call, a name, and even an address.
Of course, once a prospect is contacted, a real estate agents job isnt done. Its important to remember good follow up, and to make sure consistent contact is kept up with a lead. Call capture systems are again useful in this respect. A call forwarding extension is a feature of many systems. This allows a prospective buyer or seller to get straight through to a real estate agent at any time of day. This is because the calls are re-routed to the agents cell phone. This constant contact improves a clients trust in a real estate agent, and avoids missed calls that might result in lost sales opportunities.
Forwarding can be used in a variety of creative ways to aid sales. For instance, at the end of an audio presentation, a call capture system might urge the interested client to press a certain button to find out the price of a house. When the client presses the button, the call is forwarded to the agent. This allows the agent to speak to the interested customer at the moment that his interest is most pressing. Those who do not take this option are still given relevant, specific information about the property. The agent is then notified by the call capture system that the lead came in and can follow up with them using the information the system has captured.
The number of viable leads generated by a real estate agent is vital to keeping a steady stream of new business. Call capture systems can be very helpful in this respect when employed correctly. Creativity and organization are key. As with all new technologies, theres a slight learning curve to call capture systems. However, they begin generating leads almost immediately. With the right sales approach and a steady source of quality real estate leads, every agent can build a successful and lucrative career.
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pHigh quality leads are the backbone of any successful real estate business. a target=_new href=http://www.realtyone800.com rel=nofollowClick to learn/a more about how call capture works to generate red hot, real time leads or for a 15 Day Free Trial of a leading call capture system visit a target=_new href=http://www.realtyone800.com rel=nofollowhttp://www.RealtyOne800.com/a/pbr
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Real Estate Agents 101: So You Wanna Be An Agent, Do You?
Author: Ashley Lichty
Source: articledashboard.com
People will always need places to live. As such the real estate market has been around in some form or another for a long time, and is likely to be around for much longer. Because most people will buy or sell at least one home in their lifetime, potential real estate leads are EVERYWHERE, just waiting to be snatched up by an agent.
That's a good thing to know if you're interested in becoming a real estate agent. If you think real estate is a money tree and converting real estate leads in clients is a piece of cake, don't even BOTHER getting your license. The first thing to realize when thinking about a job in real estate is that it takes a LOT of hard work to be successful at converting real estate leads to clients. Of course that is counter balanced by the fact that there is almost unlimited earning potential in the field if you've got real estate leads and you know how to work them.
The first step to becoming a real estate agent is doing your homework. Research the field, talk to other agents, get an idea of what you'll be getting yourself into, because the classes you take to get licensed are simply to get LICENSED. They rarely tell you how to actually BE an agent.
Once you've made the decision to go for it, start NOW. It can take 2-3 months to finish classes and get your license, but don't wait until you're licensed to start building your real estate leads database. Sit down and think about every person you know by face or name, get as much contact information as possible on them, and enter them into a database. There. You've just collected a bunch of real estate leads already!
As you're working your way to getting your license, there are a few other things you can do to prepare, so that you can start earning money with your real estate leads as soon as possible after getting licensed. If you're going to be following up with all those real estate leads you compiled, you'll need a cell phone and a car. Look into cell phone plans with unlimited minutes, because you'll use them. Look for a reliable 4 door car that does great on gas mileage, because you'll definitely be needing that as well. Don't worry about getting a Beamer your first year - there will be plenty of time for extravagant spending once you're a success. For now, you just want to be able to contact and visit your real estate leads for as little money as possible.
It is also important to think about what kind of real estate company to go with even before you're licensed. It's best to find a comfortable mix of a company that will cover some of your expenses for a portion of your commissions, but doesn't limit you on your marketing abilities. Some companies will provide you with tons of support and your own real estate leads. Others won't. It's up to you to find a good mix that helps you out but doesn't constrict you too much. When you go into real estate, you're starting your own business. Always think of it that way.
Remember that list of real estate leads you compiled of everyone you know? While taking your real estate classes, it's time to let those real estate leads know what you're up to. Start giving them a head's up that soon you'll be a licensed real estate agent and though you can't sell real estate at this MOMENT, you will be able to do by whatever date you get your license. It's never to early to start building that sphere of influence and filling it with real estate leads.
One of the best things you can do, if it is a possibility, is talk to a successful real estate agent. The only way to truly learn to be a great agent is to learn from the best! Build a rapport with a real estate agent and than offer to do their dirty work. That's right - even if just for a day or two, ask them if you can help follow up with their real estate leads, just to get an idea of what the business is all about. Not many people would turn down free labor, and it gives you an idea of exactly what you SHOULD be doing to be successful with your real estate leads once you're licensed.
Real Estate Leads 101: Take The Pledge
Author: Ashley Lichty
Source: articledashboard.com
Congratulations, you're a accountant absolute acreage agent! You've completed 2-8 weeks of classwork with some testing and a final assay that went over appealing abundant aggregate you will never charge or use again. If you were smart, you were accession absolute acreage leads even as you were demography your courses just by acquisition a account of every individual being you apperceive by name or face.
If you weren't actual smart, you artlessly focused on your courses and acquirements and ample the absolute acreage leads would appear later. You again searched for a absolute acreage arrangement to accompany and they a lot of acceptable said "Well, you're breathing, we'll yield a adventitious with you!" They showed you a cubicle, phone, coffee pot, bath and told you to acquire at it! No absolute acreage leads yet.
Now you're abrading your head, watching a adept abettor next to you agreeable beause he's accident at Checkers on his computer while a accumulation of agents are blind out for hours account the cardboard and STILL accusatory about the Sixers trading Iverson to the Nuggets. You haven't heard a chat about acreage or absolute acreage leads yet. At this point, you cannot advice but wonder, "Are these guys on bacon and is this all I acquire to do to accomplish money in absolute estate? The acknowledgment is a loud, aural NO!
Rory Wilfong, a acknowledged abettor himself and co-founder of GetMyHomesValue says, "I don't affliction if you've been a accountant absolute acreage abettor for 2 canicule or 50 years, you apparently never took the Absolute Acreage Agents Agreement for absolute acreage leads. If you apprehend to be acknowledged with your absolute acreage leads and with acreage in general, you acquire to yield and reside by the pledge."
The Pledge:
I, (State your name), as a accountant absolute acreage abettor apprehend the accent of accepting absolute acreage leads, alive leads and afterward up appropriately with my absolute acreage leads. I aswell apprehend that aggregate I do from this point advanced is for the sole purpose of advance generation. Some absolute acreage leads may acquire some inaccurate advice and I acquire to be complete abundant to attending accomplished that and not anon affirm them "bogus" and through a little analysis or advice from others, I can get the advice I charge to proceed. My activity of absolute acreage leads acquire to never run dry because if it does, I will not acquire the adeptness to about-face those absolute acreage leads into audience and yield those audience into settlement. As such, I will not be able to accomplish money and I will activate to accusation others for my failures.
I acquire the actuality that a lot of absolute acreage leads from all of my advance bearing efforts are not traveling to aftermath actual after-effects about aberrant my aftereffect arrangement is and my activity of absolute acreage leads will yield on a advanced ambit of adjustment time, anywhere from next month, 6 months, next year, 2 years or even 5 years from now. I aswell acquire to always acquaintance a advance until I in fact get an arrangement to advice them with their absolute acreage needs. This acquaintance action will absorb several buzz calls, several knocks on the lead's aperture and several mailings in adjustment to accomplish my ambition of accepting the appointment.
I will plan with an Accountability Partner/Coach so I do not become LAZY with my absolute acreage leads. I will apprentice to affected my abhorrence of bounce and animadversion on doors so I will never become SCARED of my absolute acreage leads. I will brainwash myself consistently through assorted agency for betters sales, chump account and business techniques so I will never become STUPID with my absolute acreage leads. I will bankrupt every accomplishment (within my means) to accomplish myself memorable to as abounding humans as accessible for if they acquire a absolute acreage needs. My absolute acreage career is a business and I charge to amusement it as such and put all the actual business apparatus in abode to access my affairs of success. I apprehend that absolute acreage leads are the buoy of my business and after them I will fail... and abortion is NOT an option!
It's recommended you apprehend this agreement to plan your absolute acreage leads every morning afore you alpha your day. Remember, abortion is not an option!