Warming up cold leads is tough, especially ones that come via internet outposts that seem to be the online equivalent of Siberia. While many of these leads are irrevocably frozen, others can be thawed. As more ways of getting online leads become available, it’s critical that agents know how to turn up the heat.
Most of the agents we talk to are great at working with their buyers. Personalities are known, communication preferences are established, and all parties are operating in their comfort zones. But when the agent must build a relationship with an online generated, and mostly anonymous lead, we see a lot less success.
Below are a few failed pick-up lines that haven’t helped agents engage potential customers or move their relationships forward:
“When I can show this property to you?”
“Do you want to go see this listing?”
“Can I call you to chat?”
These one-liners are okay when you’re already IN a relationship, but not when you’re trying to build one from scratch. In the initial getting-to-know-you phase, agents must share their relevant knowledge and expertise – in the form of market data and specific observations and opinions about listings – to woo and engage would-be buyers.
The first on-site visit or phone call must be earned and agents are going to have to work for it, not ask for it. Agents are courting would-be buyers in the digital stratosphere. It can be lonely out there, but it doesn’t have to be.
Warming up a lead takes tons of work in the form of follow-up, perseverance, patience, smarts, and a little bit of luck. One brilliant observation or comment often isn’t enough – it will take multiple attempts and time. There is also the very real threat of rejection, and a lot of it.
If agents don’t put themselves, and their best feet forward, rest assured there’s another agent waiting in the wings, ready to swoop in with the kind of romance and attention buyers want, and deserve.
Photo Credit: Diamond Sky Images, Getty Images, Polls Boutique
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