Treat real estate lead generation like dating to attract your next clients.
There is no doubt about it. If you’re married or in a committed relationship, take a moment to think back about how you were different before you met your other half. This mental exercise will help with your organic real estate lead generation, closing, and customer referrals
1) You have to look constantly for your next lead – When you are single, sometimes a great person finds you without you putting yourself out there, or looking. The same holds true for real estate. Once in a while you’ll get a great customer that’s a total slam dunk. They didn’t require any effort to find or close. In both examples, these effortless matches occur few and far between. Most of the time when you’re dating, you have to stay active whether it’s online or going out and meeting new people. If you’re laying on the couch watching The Discovery Channel every night, your dream girl/guy isn’t just going to show up on your doorstep. As an agent, if you spend the majority of your time in Starbucks, surfing the web and gossiping with your fellow Realtors, the clients just won’t come. Consistent lead generating activities are necessary to succeed.
2) You have to build rapport before someone wants to date you – All day long, Realtors® are chasing down prospects. That’s why when us as agents get hounded by salespeople trying to get OUR business, we get so easily annoyed. We know exactly what’s happening. Chasing customers around all day with just one motive can rub people the wrong way. Just like in dating, you might meet someone at a nightclub who “just wants one thing”(sometimes it’s sex, sometimes money, and sometimes free drinks) your first instinct is to run. However, if the person at the nightclub seems to be genuine, takes the time to build rapport, and doesn’t immediately try to “close the deal”, then you will likely show greater interest. That being said if you take the time to build meaningful relationships with prospects in your community, your chances of long-term lead generation increase.
3) You can’t let rejection slow you down – Every Realtor knows that they’re going to get turned down multiple times by multiple prospects in the course of their career, and the same applies to dating. Rejection hurts, whether it’s somebody hanging up the phone on you when making a cold-call, or not responding to your messages after a date. But you need to have thick skin if you’re going to make it in the sales world, and you won’t get very far in dating if the first person that turns you down makes you resign to staying single.
4) You have to have a good reputation – One of the toughest parts of working in real estate comes when a prospect isn’t clear on whether they want you to handle their transaction. It’s sort of like being in sales purgatory, where the prospect won’t tell you “no,” but isn’t willing to give any firm commitments of answers either.
Why does this happen? Between the time a lead comes to you and first contact, the vetting process has already begun. Prospects are researching you! Having a great reputation, raving vocal fans, and a presence online is important. You have to be active in community forums, and social media groups. The same thing can happen in dating, where the other person has a bad reputation. The girls or guys may gossip “stay away from that one” Whether it’s in dating or real estate, it’s an unpleasant feeling.
5) You have to close the deal – Just like in real estate, if you can’t close the deal when you’re out in the dating world, you’ll never get anywhere. Whether it’s starting a conversation, getting someone’s phone number, asking them out on a date, or going in for the kiss, everything involves taking the initiative and going in for the close.
Too many Realtors® focus on the mechanisms of lead generation that they forget to sharpen the skills that actually get them paid. Once you have a lead source, there has to be a plan in place to contact, build rapport, nurture, and close the deal. The same can be said for every nice guy and girl out there who will have a great conversation with someone without any follow-through. Close the deal, or stay single. Close the deal, or stay poor
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