You’ve got a “Warm” Internet lead… how do you hang on to them until they’re ready to act?
Some of those leads you get from your website (or from paid services) are people who will buy or sell in the future, but aren’t quite ready yet.
The way to hang on to them is to stay in touch and never let them forget you, but if you begin sending them sales letters saying they need to use you, pretty soon they’ll see your name and hit the delete button.
I’ll never forget one agent who wrote me every few days to tell me that as soon as I saw a house I wanted, I should get in touch and he’d write the offer for me. Seriously, he really did say that. After 6 months or so I fell off his list so I had one less email to delete.
So what can you do instead?
Send specific information.
What you can send depends on how much information you’ve gathered from that consumer. If you 
know they’ve got a house to sell in a specific area, you can begin sending information about new listings and sales that might affect the value of their home. Send it with a note that says something like: “I thought you’d be interested. This one is just three blocks from you.”
And of course, if you're having great success with homes in their neighborhood, you need to keep letting them know: "Just listed," "Under contract," and "Just sold" letters and post cards show that you're getting the job done.
For buyers: If you know they want to buy in a specific area, you can send links to new listings. If you’ve conversed with them and know some of the specifications they’ll want in a new home, you can include a note. It might say something like: “This one has that huge walk-in closet you were wishing for. Would you like to go see it?”
The note will serve two purposes – give them notice that this house might be “the one,” and show them that you’ve been paying attention to them and what they want.
Next, if you write monthly market reports, send them. If you have a newsletter, send it too.
What else can you do?
Send letters and/or emails that offer good advice.
Think of all the things a buyer or seller needs to know, but might not know. Then send that information in short messages that end with an invitation to call you if they have questions or are ready to buy or sell.
Write them yourself or take advantage of the pre-written letters I have available. When you visit Copy by Marte https://copybymarte.com/prospecting-letters/, you’ll find follow-up letter sets such as:
The Seller Advice Letters, with 18 letters covering topics ranging from pricing, to getting the house ready to sell, to getting out when the buyers come in.
The Why Home Sellers Need an Agent Letters, which outline the many services a listing agent provides.
The First Time Buyer Letters which outline things the first time buyer needs to do and consider.
The Web Visitor Buyer Letters, which offer similar advice, but are geared toward any buyers, not just first-timers.
The Why Home Buyers Need an Agent Letters, which outline the advantages of choosing one agent and sticking with them.
If those leads still aren’t ready to act by the time you’ve sent all your letters, don’t give up on them!
You’ve no doubt heard the stories of the gold miner who gave up when he was just two feet from hitting the Mother Lode. Don’t let that happen to you!
It costs very little to keep people on your email lists, so continue sending market reports and newsletters. You might also begin sending my Event-themed Letters – a set that gives you two full years of light-hearted monthly messages that entertain and keep you top-of-mind with those prospective clients.
These were originally written to help agents stay in touch with past clients without becoming an annoyance. However, they’ll work just as well to keep you in touch with future clients.
How long should you stay in touch with those leads?
Until they buy, sell, or tell you to leave them alone.
Image courtesy of fantasista @freedigitalphotos.net
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