Wow! Ben Bernanke knows how to give the market a jolt--give it (nearly) free money. I have been talking to a lot of my mortgage and real estate friends and clients and they confirm that there shops are hopping with inquiries, showings, and applications. Which brings most of us back to an old (oh, the glory days of the Refi Boom) problem--managing all of these leads.
Get organized right off the bat, take the extra few minutes to get those new inquiries into some form of tracking or contact management system. Follow-up is always crucial in an emotional market surge. Customers will fly at the first feeling that they are going to miss the window of opportunity. That is why lead management, which keeps you hyper-communicating is important in this period.
Here are a few things I suggest:
- Pick a system that makes it easy to import (past clients) and export (direct mail) leads
- Have a system that can integrate with lead sources and websites
- Select a system that focuses on the simplicity of what is important--making contact
- Look for integrated email marketing and follow-up campaigns
- Look for quick implementation (web-based) and simple contract (month-to-month)
Here are a couple of other articles I have written on lead management:
However you go about managing your leads, remember the most important thing during exuberant consumer bursts--follow-up, follow-up, follow-up. Hyper-communication wins the deals in markets like these.
What is you experience since the Bernanke announcement? What is working for your business? It would be nice to hear success stories again.
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