ARE WE KIDDING OURSELVES ABOUT UNDERSTANDING INTERNET SHOPPERS?

When we Web 2.0ers dream in color, here is what we see: Mr. IRES (Internet real estate shopper) throws magic key words into Goggle. Because of our fabulous SEO savvy, he is led to our blog. Eureka!

He is madly in love with everything he reads and can't wait talk to us about buying real estate.

Dream on, all ye blogging pioneers. We aren't there yet.

How do I know? I am experiencing an amazing look inside the head of Mr. IRES. I am working on leads from a well known national online loan company. I am not competing with other lenders, and these leads have proven to be completely legitimate.

Most are NOT involved with a Realtor yet, so you could safely say I am speaking with them AT THE SOURCE of their profound realization that they want to buy real estate.

A GOLDEN, GOLDEN opportunity for me, with a marketing degree, a lifetime of being involved in real estate (which means attempting to relate with objectivity to the average real estate buyer is nearly impossible) and as someone who, well, frankly isn't that much of an Internet shopper.

THAT HUGE GULF BETWEEN WHAT THEY EXPECT, AND WHAT THEY GET

One of the biggest curiosities is why Mr. IRES willingly inputs all of his personal information, including social security info, income, address etc., hits the submit button, and somehow thinks, in vending machine fashion, an approval will be spit out.

Look, I put my buck in, just gimme the damn Coke. Why are you calling me?

I am reminded of some comments that surfaced on a post I wrote about texting. In it, a Generation Xer stated that he was highly annoyed if his friends actually called. He only wanted to communicate via TEXTING.

Huh? Is actual conversation becoming extinct?

I say NO, BUT.....And it is a big fat BUT. 

WHY THEY ARE ANNOYED WHEN WE CALL

Our culture is moving away from buying ANYTHING with human interaction. As a result, real live human conversations about buying ANYTHIING seem to fall into the category of "A SALES PITCH".

SALES PITCH. Quick, run the other direction!

Mr. IRES already buys his car insurance online. He banks online. He buys his clothes from an online catalog, and his office supplies from a web site. Every time he makes a phone call he knows he can get the information he needs by pressing the right button.

In fact, he would be bloody shocked if a live person actually came on the line.

Now do you understand why a live voice, responding to an inquiry that he himself initiated, is lumped into the category of TELEMARKETER MAKING A SALES PITCH? Strange, but true.

SHOULD WE TRY A DIFFERRENT APPROACH?

I am good enough on the phone that I can usually BREAK THE ICE. But I am wondering if it might be better to respond with an e-mail first. Not with that tired old letter that begins..."Thank you for your application". With something DYNAMIC that leads them to my blogging website so Mr. Ires can get to know me FIRST on his terms, not mine.

This is difficult because from day one, all of my marketing training, and all of my real estate training has been based on this Golden Rule: "Time is of the essence."

Do I sacrifice TIME in an attempt to bridge the gap of his perception (gimme the Coke) to Web 2.0 (here is a free sample to enjoy..please take your time)?

I am beginning to think he really didn't want the Coke, anyway. He wanted the free sample, but had no other choice but to put his dollar in to start the process.

Mr. IRES and I agree on one thing. He IS thirsty. What is it they say? You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink?

Mr. IRES may be thirsty, but he isn't ready to drink just because he THINKS he wants a Coke.

Note: This is the second installment in a series, "Inside the Mind of an Internet Shopper", which will chronicle my journey and observations from working directly with Internet shoppers who have applied for a mortgage to buy California real estate.

Written by Janet Guilbault, California Mortgage Expert based out of the San Francisco Bay Area