How To Get Buyer Leads And Close Transactions

Hi folks. This is going to be a long one so go grab a beverage and use the potty. I’ll wait.....lalala lalalala lalalala.....OK here goes.

First, it’s important to understand that there are only 3 incoming producing activities in Real Estate.

1. Listing properties for sale

2. Showing properties to buyers

3. Writing contracts

Everything else stems from these activities. With the main stem being.....closing and getting paid!

In order to do these activities you MUST have leads. Therefore lead generation is the most important part of our job and is something that should be worked on everyday with no exceptions. Having enough leads solves every issue we have. Having enough leads gives you the freedom to:

1. Pick and choose who to work with

2. Generate referral income

3. Hire agents

If you are a buyers agent responsible for getting your own leads then you need each of these tools and systems in place (in order of importance).

1. IDX with registration activated. This is relatively inexpensive with some even being free. A decent one can be had for less than $50 a month.

2. A good contact management system. CRM (customer relationship manager). Batchbook is a good one for less than $20 a month. .

3. Caigslist.com  Post properties on Craigslist directing potential buyers to register on your IDX. Set up a template and post 20-50 properties everyday. Once you have this set up you can do this is less than 30 minutes. You can use the same properties. Just make sure they are active listings with permission to advertise. Heck you can use mine. Don’t be fancy. Be consistent. Copy this template exactly. Craigslist is FREE!!

4. A website and blog. You need one that can be searched by the search engines. Wordpress.com is one you can set up and use for FREE. Although I suggest getting your own hosted site at Wordpress.org

5. Set up profiles and/or accounts on Trulia.com, Zillow.com, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, ActiveRain, ShortSaleSuperstars. Set up an effective profile on these sites  By the way, there are 100s of social media sites. You can add some of those later.

6. You can hold open houses on the weekend. Use your broker’s listings if you don’t have any. How to host an effective open house.

7. You can host a free home buyers seminar. This can even be done online. Just send out an email blast to your data base. You do have a data base don’t you? If not see #2. Invite them to attend a FREE Q @ A about buying or selling real estate. You can use Google Chat, Skype, GoToMeeting or many other platforms for this. Some are FREE!

Additional tips

If you are blogging for buyers then you need to be posting listings and market data. Write about available owner financed deals. Offer a FREE list of foreclosures and short sales in their area. Make them register to get these lists. Make sure you have researched your keywords for good SEO. If you don’t know what I just said then Google it!

Become active in your community or the one you want to sell in. Attend events. Visit personnel and human resource departments of the employers on the area. Offer to do a free seminar to their employees. Offer a small commission rebate to the employees.  Join an investment club. Constantly read and look for opportunities to meet people. There are many, many ways to get in front of people. Do some research.

Steps in the selling process

1. Get potential buyers and sellers to contact you.

2. CALL THEM. IMMEDIATELY!!!! If you are not calling your leads within minutes then you are just throwing them in the garbage can. I can’t stress enough how important this is. Even if you just call them back to set a time so you can talk later.

3. Make the appointment.

4. Call back to qualify. It’s very important that you make the appointment first. You should have a question list sitting next to your phone. When making the appointment you just want to get contact info and set a time. Then hang up. You are doing this so they will make a commitment right upfront. Then call them back and complete the rest of your qualifying questions. These too should be in writing on your questions form. If they don’t qualify cancel the appointment and hook them up with who they need to speak to to change their situation.

5. Face to face at the appointment is when you start building trust. The best way to build trust is to ask them questions about their needs and then listen to their answers. Once they have spoken, then and only then, you can answer their questions and show them your knowledge. Notice you are not selling. And if you are...stop! You can’t sell until AFTER you have built trust. Building trust is crucial to your success.

6. Finally, sell your services. We don’t sell property we sell ourselves and our services. Properties sell themselves if priced right (on the listing side) and if they fit their needs (on the buying side).

7. After they have been sold the next step is to have them sign either the listing agreement or the Buyers Broker Agreement. Easy peasy!!!

Additional resources for you

1. Buyer side tips

2. Listing side tips

3. Get motivated

4. Short Sale Training
   

I hope this will help you to finish the year with a bang!!! Any questions?

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