We have spent the last decade in our industry focused on lead generation and managed to develop so many different ways to generate leads to the level that our next 10 years in the real estate industry needs to be spent on the lead conversion. The latest secret weapon for any solo agent or real estate team that is not able to manage all of their leads, follow them up and qualify is the addition of the I.S.A. The I.S.A. is the use of an Inside Sales Agent that will now allow anyone the freedom of attending to appointments and have the sorting, follow up and qualifying done on their behalf. ISAs are generally responsible for prospecting for new leads, servicing inbound leads from sign calls and other internet sources, and converting these leads to appointments for the agent. Utilizing ISAs have found the income they produce to be at least five times the cost of employing ISAs, which amounts to a 5 to 1 return on your investment.
All inside sales agents are not created equal, and it’s important to know the differences if you are looking for guidance from the ISA models that other agents are actively implementing.
3 Types of ISAs or Inside Sales Agents
1) Outbound
2) Inbound
3) Both Outbound/Inbound.
Outbound ISAs generate new leads by prospecting for FSBOs, expired listings, just listed/sold, COI, past clients, geographic farms and etc.
Inbound ISAs respond to incoming leads from internet sources and sign calls while repeatedly maintaining contact with leads over time to ultimately foster them into qualified appointments.
Performing both roles at once can be challenging since they are very distinct roles that require two different types of behavior. An Outbound ISA should be more aggressive and driven to make cold calls, where an Inbound ISA should be more of a customer service orientated individual that loves people and building relationships.
Successful inside sales agents are trained and held accountable on an ongoing basis. Weekly and daily scripts, objection handling, and role-play practices should be conducted. Outbound ISA’s should track activities to determine conversion ratios for contacts-to-appointments and other key metrics for motivation and skill development. For Inbound ISAs, response time and all lead follow-up attempts must be tracked with notes on each conversation input into the team’s customer relationship manager for future use. Finally, the results of all activities tracked should be displayed and compared to pre-determined goals at regular team meetings for accountability and to overcome difficulties with related team performance.
The following is a sample job description for an Inside Sales Agent (ISA) that converts both inbound and outbound leads to appointments for real estate agents.
General Job Description
◦Prospect for new clients on a daily basis from various lead sources
◦Respond to inbound leads from all internet lead sources, sign calls, and etc.
◦Schedule appointments for Listing and Buyer Specialists
◦Input/manage client & lead databases
◦Conduct lead follow up & nurture leads until appointments are set
Job Specific Skills & Traits
◦Communicates effectively with peers, superiors, customers, and vendors in written and verbal form.
◦Practices, memorizes, and internalizes scripts.
◦Ability to block out distractions and listen intently to the conversation that is occurring.
◦Creates a sense of comfort and familiarity through their ability to build rapport.
◦Excellent organizational and time management skills.
◦Organized, systematic, and detail-oriented.
◦Results oriented and high achiever.
◦Basic understanding of computers and navigating the Internet.
◦Excellent organizational and time management skills.
◦Career development and training focused.
◦Confident telephone voice
Key Activities & Duties
◦Set weekly goals
◦Track all key business activities.
◦Measure conversion ratios and meet performance benchmarks.
◦Set up an “Ideal Week” that blocks time for activities designed to reach goals.
◦Attend training and establish daily role-play partners.
◦Willing to be held accountable for goals & results.
◦Call past clients and your sphere of influence to ask for referrals.
◦Manage contact database system.
◦Manage 50+ new leads each week & work existing leads to convert into buying/listing appointments.
◦Practice, memorize and internalize scripts at least 1-2 hours /week.
◦Prospect for new clients on a daily basis 1-2 hrs/day.
◦Do 5-10 hours of lead follow-up per week.
◦Make 50 to 100 contacts per week calling on:
◦Expired Listings
◦FSBOs
◦Center of Influence
◦Past Clients
◦Just Listed & Just Solds
◦Open Houses
Many of the agents I have worked with feel the addition of an I.S.A. to their business model has been as important as hiring their administrative assistants and love the fact they are allowing themselves to not be held prisoner to the leads but being able to go out and do what they do best which is belly to belly and face to face. I trust you see value in this week’s content and hope the addition of an I.S.A. propels you and your business to another level. I know it will!!
Strength and courage,
Wade
checkout www.agentsboost.com for more!
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