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Would you like to list your house with me?

Assuming you have read my previous post about Quality vs. Quantity, the production of quality leads represent only the first step in a process that should convert these leads into productive customers. You must now be in a position to meet the needs of these prospective customers and persuade them to take action. In sales, this is sometimes referred to as 'asking for the business'. You can make the phone ring a thousand times, but if you do not ask for the business all the money and time you have invested will be wasted.

The process of asking is a bit more complex than simply asking someone such as - 'would you like to list your house with me?'

Asking itself is a process that links marketing to sales:

First, you must evaluate the response that your marketing has produced. What is the profile of the person on the other end of the line? Are they a renter homeowner, previous customer, or a strong personal referral?
What are the needs of the prospect? What are they trying to accomplish and how can you help them?
Based upon the answers to these questions, what specifically would you like this prospect to do?

In other words, the key to asking is discovering who is responding, learning their needs by listening and then deciding what specific activity you would like to take place. Perhaps you would like to set up a meeting. Perhaps you would like the prospect to see a certain house. Perhaps you would like the prospect to visit with a mortgage lender.

You need to design your marketing with these activities in mind.

For example, if your goal is to get your purchase prospects pre-qualified by a lender, then you need set expectations in the marketing message. Do not advertise the message: "buy a home in 24 hours or less" if you want them to take additional steps first.

The asking process must help you design your marketing message. Make sure you know what you want, what your customers need, and what value you are delivering to make sure these needs are met.

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Posted by John Cannata - Mortgage Loan Consultant - Frisco Texas - Reliant Mortgage Ltd on 12/01/2008 05:39 PM

Comments (7)

advice, marketing tips, realtor marketing tips

Originally posted at: Frisco Texas Mortgages, Real Estate, Events, and more: Would you like to list your house with me?

Post is included in group: Club Chaos
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7 Comments on Would you like to list your house with me?

DEC

Featured @ Club Chaos

Hi John;

Great post and super information. I do appreciate.

john, You'd be surprised how many of my clients are going to a loan specialist before they come to me. That is really refreshing for me because we are ready to hit the road right a way. I believe it's my marketing which states thats our first step...

John, I do a lot of internet marketing and when I set people up for a search I have started adding:

"With today's ever changing mortgage environment it is more important than ever that you get preapproved. Don't wait until you are ready to buy a home. Get preapproved at least 6 months before you actually plan on buying a home. If a problem arises then you have time to take corrective action. I have a great lender if you would like her information please let me know".

That has really helped me to get that process rolling before the car door ever opens.

I would prefer the client come in with a lender already but if not, I recommend them to someone I trust. I hate surprises after you have gone house hunting. You've wasted everyone's time.

Pre qualifying a client applies to many more businesses than just the lenders and you make more great points here John. I always ask a series of questions before I know for sure how to handle a call and it not only saves me time but also the client in finding out what their needs are and if I can actually help them.

DEC

Thank you for the feature within the group, CTS!

Anthony - You are very welcome. Glad to see you enjoyed it.

Paul - Always good to hear from you. Its good to hear they are going to a LO first. That typically does not happen. Maybe consumers are learning that you should get approved before taking a look. We have not experienced that here too much.

Hi Marchel - That is a good idea. Many people still think it is easy to just get a loan. I recently received a call from someone that had a BK about 2 years ago. They expected the best and said I should get paid a little. In his words "after all, you are just going to spend about 30 minutes on this whole deal". I kindly suggested he move on to someone else. Not because I need to make a lot on the deal, but because that type of attitude will just have issues later on down the line. As I have stated in other posts, I moved on to more of a quality lead.

Latonia - Might I suggest that you have them contact YOUR person anyway? Even if someone is 'pre-qualified' that could mean something different to someone who just wants to make the deal. Its possibly they are not truly qualified at all. Its always better to get the word from someone you trust and you know can get the job done correctly. Work as a team to ensure the customer gets the BEST service possible which will turn around to years of referrals and repeat business. Just a suggestion that I feel very strongly about.

Good point Karen. This does apply to much more then lenders. I have tried to make many posts apply to things outside of my field so that others can see the benefits. Obviously I favor the Real Estate Industry :-) Anyway, anything that can save you time is always worth doing. Work smarter, not harder.

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