If you’re not tracking your leads’ most common questions and motivators, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
Sending them an email saying, “Hey, nice to meet you. How can I help?” doesn’t do much to engage with the person. General introductions leave it in their court to respond. And when it comes to real estate, leads can be months out from actually getting serious.
Getting them to engage with you – from the onset -- means triggering their emotions. As Dale Carnegie said: When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creations of emotion.
Hence, cataloging the most common questions and motivators of your leads. If you understand what they want from an emotional side, you suddenly hold massive persuasive power that even Aristotle would bow down to. It’s what politicians crave and use to sway us in voting (or abuse, depending on your outlook).
So, let’s discuss some techniques to drive lead engagement via email.
Use Concrete Language
Information alone isn’t enough to convince or teach. The way you deliver information matters.
Imagine being sent a market report filled with statistics and housing data. If you weren’t a real estate agent, how would you interpret the information? Most likely, you wouldn’t even know where to start. It’s a bunch of numbers.
Now, introduce concrete language. Look around you. There are things you can touch. There are things you can stub your toe against. Consider this quote from Robin Williams in the movie Dead Poets Society:
“Avoid using the word very because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired; he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad; use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys – to woo women – and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do.”
By doing some of the mental work in how you communicate, people don’t have to spend extra brainpower unpacking fuzzy graphs and figuring exactly what it all means.
Need help writing engaging emails? Check out these videos.
Let’s take a look at these 2 emails – and you decide which one is more engaging:
Hey John,
The average price point in Charleston, SC is $375,000. Right now, we have an inventory of 3 months and a volatile absorption rate. The homes you’ve looked at have been on the market for 5 days, so I’d suggest to act now, if you’re ready to buy.
Cheers,
Agent Boring
versus...
Hey John,
I noticed from your account activity, you’ve been looking at homes in Charleston, SC for around $300k. Is that correct?
Before you start seeing houses, I wanted to share some market insights. Right now, conditions are keeping the average price point a little high. But as I’m looking into the data, I’m noticing how Charleston is in the middle of a “real estate bubble” – meaning, the bubble is due to burst in a couple months and prices will drop.
This is a huge opportunity if you’re looking to grab a great home for a great price. Obviously, there will be other buyers who will see this as well and will probably compete against you. That’s why I want to propose a solution: Let’s get all the paperwork set up, and get you pre-approved. That way, we can act faster than the other buyers.
What do you say? Want to schedule a time to talk? I’m free this Saturday at 10 am.
Cheers,
Agent Awesome
Do you see the difference in the emails? One handed over the data and left it to you for interpretation. The other, the agent did all the leg-work. Which one do you think will engage the reader more? I bet you chose the 2nd version.
Being concrete and translating information paves the way for easier judgment calls and decisions. With concrete wording, it becomes easier for people to believe in you. And when people listen, they act – especially if you’re telling them to do so.
The Word to Engage with: Because
People always want a reason for anything they do. Most of the times, they come up with their own. Other times, they need a push (sometimes even a shove). So, the one word you need to employ is … because. Tell your leads why they should act. And like I mentioned before, don’t just spit facts and data. Translate the information into the why.
Consider the effectiveness of these 2 statements:
I need your help. Can you call all of my leads?
versus...
Can you lend me a hand calling my leads? My son is sick today and I need to take him to the doctor. I’m afraid if no one reaches out to them, they’ll head to a competitor.
Which one would you more likely help? By explaining why I need help, you start to understand my point-of-view. You have a vivid picture of what’s going on in my life and what will happen if the word doesn’t get done. That’s why version 2 is more effective at engaging real estate leads.
Turning Technique into Action
Now, with a few techniques under your belt and with a general strategy of “understanding your leads,” you can start building effective emails that drive readers to action. Think about the two most common questions leads always ask:
How much home can I afford?
How is the market doing today?
Get ahead of your leads and show them you’re an expert. As you introduce yourself, tell them why it’s important to get pre-approved, so they can judge how much they can afford. Paint a picture of how the market is doing and what you advise (in terms of action).
As you start to do business with your clients, keep a note on their top questions and reasons for buying/selling real estate. Over time, you’ll have a good list where you can see the top (or most recurring) items. From there, you can build out email drip campaigns to address these concerns, and you can automate it – allowing you to stay focused on providing excellent customer service.
If you have any questions, be sure to tweet them us at @BoomTownROI and be sure to subscribe to our blog at BoomTownROI.com/blog/.
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