Internet Leads. The Art of Lead Generation. How you can cultivate, manage and close more internet leads.

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1 Internet Leads The Art of Lead Generation How you can cultivate, manage and close more internet leads.

2 Internet Leads Turning Browsers into Buyers How you can cultivate, manage and close more Internet leads. Today s consumers are mobile and on the move, and they re using the Internet as part of their real estate process more than ever. The latest study from the National Association of REALTORS tells us that almost 90% use the web as an integral part of their search, and that more than out of every 3 buyers actually purchases a home they found online. These stats are important. They tell a story of a changing landscape a seismic shift from newspaper ads and postcards to rich data and up-to-date listings; today s connected consumers are online, mobile and social. For real estate professionals, a well-rounded marketing plan, along with a system designed to help you close online leads, is critical to having a long-term, sustainable career. This guide will help you create a solid plan for conversion by showing you how to fill your lead pipeline, how to understand which leads to follow up with first, and how to get a system that helps manage multiple hot leads and incubate longer-term warm leads.. Fill Your Lead Pipeline Before you can get to closing, you ve got to have a client to close. So the first step to any successful marketing plan is lead generation. Today, a lot of lead generation is online, so you ve got to have a web presence that gets you exposed to consumers where they re talking and searching. A. Tune-up the contact information on your listings The first step to creating a well-rounded marketing plan is getting your listings exposed to serious buyers. Consumers use the web for everything, and they start searching for homes up to 8 months before actually making a move. Showcasing your inventory on real estate s most viewed site, REALTOR.com, lets you get a head start on connecting with these folks by giving them a direct contact point to you. Additionally, you ll be able to utilize your prominent positioning on REALTOR.com during listing presentations, giving you a strong competitive edge over your competition. To learn more about showcasing your inventory to connect with more buyers, visit: marketing.realtor.com/showcaselistings comscore Media Metrix, September 20

3 B. Craigslist REALTOR.com isn t the only place you should be marketing; Craigslist is another. There are plenty of buyers looking for deals on Craigslist, so getting your listings on the site will help get you exposed to them. The key to effectively marketing to the Craigslist buyer is by calling attention to what makes your listings the best deal for them. Doing that will allow you to effectively market your home to this unique subset of consumers, and give you the best chance to turn those Craiglist browsers into your Craigslist buyers. Need help with Craigslist? No problem. We ve got a free Craigslist Ad Creator for you that ll get your listings up on Craigslist in seconds. topproducer.com/craigslist C. Connection SM for Co-Brokerage Getting leads from the local markets you work in is critical. But if you spend your time working un-responsive leads you won t have time for productive selling and closing. That s where Connection SM for Co-Brokerage can really give you a boost. This program lets you select the zip codes and markets you want, and invites consumers who have a specific interest in a listing to contact you on real estate s most viewed site 2, REALTOR.com. The Connection SM program doesn t just give you access to the industry s most deeply engaged consumers (as evidenced by the number of repeat visits and the amount of pages viewed on REALTOR.com ) 2, it gives you access to SERIOUS consumers specifically looking to be contacted by a real estate professional. Even better, they want to know more about a property they re already interested in. The buyers you link with through the Connection SM program are different than other Internet buyers. They re not finding listings online and taking them to an agent they re already working with; Connection SM buyers are actually actively seeking an agent to contact them! D. Facebook 800 million people 3 spend over almost 67 BILLION minutes 2 on Facebook every month. Wow. If that s not enough to get you active on the social network, we don t know what is. But the key to an effective Facebook marketing and lead-gen strategy is having one that is appropriate. You don t want to spam people with comments about your listings and open houses every 30 minutes, you ll want to participate in a conversation, not dominate one to the point of excess. That s where the REALTOR.com Social Connection Facebook App can really help. It s free, and depending on which solutions you use, you can showcase your inventory, offer market reports, newsletters and updates while letting people contact you directly from your Facebook Business Page. It s the smart way to do real estate social, exclusively available to ALL agents from REALTOR.com. Visit: marketing.realtor.com/social to get the Social Connection Facebook app. Space is limited, please call to verify availability. 2 comscore Media Metrix, Key Measures Report, September Source: Facebook.

4 2. Understand the Internet/Online Lead One of the biggest misunderstandings many agents have about Internet leads is based around lead quality. Many agents think that Internet leads are of poor quality, but nothing could be further from the truth. In their own survey, the National Association of REALTORS tells us that more than out of 3 buyers purchase a home they found online, so the disconnect isn t the online consumer, it s the way we handle them. But don t fret, because we have a couple of insights for you that may help you understand how to work with this new breed of consumer. A. If consumers give you a phone number, CALL THEM In sales, getting a phone number from a potential client is like hitting the lottery. But if you don t call them back FAST, you ll never get to turn in the winning ticket. The key to effective follow-up is making sure that when a lead comes in with a phone number, you call them back to them within an hour. And if you can do it even faster, even better research says that you re 00X more likely to connect with a lead if you call back within 5 MINUTES. Fast follow-up lets those consumers know you re as committed to them as they are to the process, so you ll make a great first impression and separate yourself from the agents you re competing with. B. Don t forget the Free-Form Field Phone numbers aren t the only indicator of great online lead quality, there s also the free-form field. This is the text box that lets consumers ask something specific about a property or their personal situation. If you receive a lead with this information in it, move it to the top of your pipeline, because those consumers are serious. They ve taken the time to share details about their personal situation, asked a question and intimated further interest they re engaged and ready for a dialogue so reach out and make a connection. C. They can be longer-term Many times, consumers contacting you may be long-term prospects. That doesn t mean they re not going to purchase/ sell, it just means that they re not going to do it tomorrow. That s why you need a best-in-class real estate CRM application to help you incubate those leads effectively, so when they re ready to make a move, you ll be the agent they call. Plus, incubating leads for the long term lets you build a steady flow of leads in your lead pipeline, allowing you to normalize your income and avoid the financial ups and downs faced by many commissioned salespeople. Source: Kellogg School of Management Lead Response Management Study, 2009

5 3. Get a System that Helps You Follow up and Close, Easily. According to the National Sales Executives Association, OVER 95% of deals close between the 2nd and 2th contact, so staying in touch is critical to your success and that s what Top Producer CRM does better than anyone else. Top Producer CRM keeps your sales pipeline running smoothly with automated, PERSONALIZED follow-up on a regular schedule, and you don t need a PhD to use it. Plus, leads generated from REALTOR.com, other major national sites, Facebook, Market Snapshot and a host of other avenues flow seamlessly into Top Producer CRM,so you don t have to waste time on mundane data entry. CRM A. It s cloud-based, so your business is as mobile as you are The new Top Producer CRM is a cloud-based solution, so you ll be able to access your business anytime, anywhere, from any mobile device in SECONDS. You ll be able to manage your business while you re on-thego in just minutes, so you ll be able to put the life back in your work-life balance. B. HTML 5 super-charges your CRM HTML5 is the gold standard for web-based apps, and Top Producer CRM is built on that framework. What this means for you is super-fast access to your clients and business from your smartphone or tablet, and an interface that s intuitive and elegant. No downloads. No installs. Just open and go. C. Say hello to Contextual Coaching Drip marketing s gone the way of the dodo, and your consumers already know all about daylight savings time. To effectively connect with today s new breed of customers, you ve got to give them something more than Aunt Emma s Can t Miss Cobbler. And the Contextual Coaching from Top Producer CRM gives it to you. You ll stay one step ahead of your prospects with timely follow-up, lively communication and genuine conversation from one human being to another. It s revolutionary, and it s the intelligent way to follow up and close. D. Seamless sync with Outlook and Gmail Kiss the hassles of duplicate data entry goodbye, because Top Producer CRM lets you sync your contact and calendars seamlessly with Outlook and Gmail. Synchronization s fast, and when you re done, you ll be able to manage all your contacts and schedule tasks right from Top Producer. Coming soon. Today s consumers have expectations that are vastly different than they were even 5 or 0 years ago, and many of the methods used for lead-gen and follow-up today are quickly becoming archaic. By using the tips and tools outlined in this guide, you ll make sure that you stay one step ahead of your prospects and sphere, and help ensure that your business is positioned well for the long-term. 20 Move Sales, Inc. All rights reserved. RDC_Internet_Leads_Guide_0402