Have you ever heard the saying, "List to Exist"? One of the very important lessons I have learned as an agent is that getting listing/seller leads is crucial to my success. Something to consider... When you lead generate and market to attract buyers, you typically get 1 sale. But when you go after listings/seller leads, you typically get 2 sales. Why 2 sales? Because the seller, a lot of the times, also buys once their home is sold. Or... You may get the 2nd (or even 3rd) sale from a sign call, internet lead, or open house lead as a result of having the listing. Pretty cool right? SO HOW DO YOU ATTRACT MORE LISTING LEADS?
1. UTILIZE YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
The first thing to do is reach out to your sphere of influence via email and offer your contacts a free CMA. The key here is to have an excellent script. For instance, you may like to say something like:
"Hey [first name], Did you know that the N. American housing market increased by $1.9 trillion last year? As your Real Estate consultant, my mission is to always make sure you know the value of your home. If you would like a free CMA to find out your property value, click the button below or give us a shout."Yes! I would Like to know more about my home! The button included in the message should send your contacts to a landing page where they can submit their data without needing to call you. This makes it easier for prospects to reach out to you — therefore increasing your conversion rate. You’ll also find out who, in your sphere of influence, may be thinking about moving in the next 12 months. This strategy is even better if you send a follow up email to make sure your leads received the information.
2. MARKET TO YOUR VIPS
VIPs are people in your sphere of influence who have either done business with you before or have sent you a referral. I dedicate more time and funds to this category than any other, as it yields significant results. Whenever you need to increase your listing leads, focus on this category. You can market to your VIPs in a few different ways:
1) VIP EVENTS It’s a good idea to hold VIP events quarterly, or at least as often as possible. This will give you face-to-face time with the most important people to your business: those who already love what you do and send you referrals.
2) GIVE GIFTS I also like to give my VIPs gifts on a quarterly basis. This allows me to show my appreciation to them throughout the year.
3) START A FACEBOOK GROUP Invite all your VIPs to a private Facebook group. They’ll all be able to provide value to each other, especially those who have businesses of their own and could benefit from referrals. A Facebook group is also a great place to keep VIPs informed about upcoming events and to share photos after the event takes place.
3. DON'T NEGLECT "FOR SALE BY OWNERS"
The “for sale by owners” category has not always been my favorite. However, thanks to some newer technologies, it has become a whole lot easier and cheaper to market such prospects in your desired area. Plus, it’s valuable: only 13 percent sell within their desired timeline and just 18 percent receive the price they want. For these reasons, it’s important not to neglect this category. Plenty of companies will send a list of newly-expired or “for sale by owners” listings straight to your inbox. Better still, you can gain this information for free by searching on Zillow. This will also allow you to define your exact geographical area and price range. Plus, the seller phone numbers tend to be much more accurate than those on purchased lists.
4. HOW TO REACH OUT
When you reach out to “for sale by owners” prospects, be sure to follow up at least 12 times. That may seem like a lot, but you need to bear in mind that most “for sale by owners” leads don’t make a decision or move until after seven to 10 weeks. Another thing you should do is use video text rather than phone calls. This is because 80 percent of people would prefer to have a text conversation with businesses — and only two in 10 people even answer their phones. Furthermore, using video texts sets your apart from the competition. I’m not saying that all 12 touchpoints should be through video text — just a couple times is enough — but the first time you reach out should definitely be through video. This allows you to make an introduction where prospects can see your voice and hear your tone of voice. Many people are resistant to make video texts, often because they don’t like how they look or sound on video. However, I can assure you that you’ll see it’s the right decision when the leads start rolling in.
5. CONNECTING WITH NEW VENDORS
My method is quite old school: wear your name badge or branded gear when you’re out and about. When you’re running errands between appointments, strike up conversations, especially with other people in branded gear. For instance, you could say, “Oh, I see you’re in the roofing business. Could you benefit from more referrals?” The people you talk to will be blown away that you’re offering to help them in their business. Follow up with additional questions, such as “Who’s your ideal client?” and “What geographical area do you serve?” A great option is to send these new connections to a dedicated landing page. You can text them a link to the page and they can fill out the form on their phones. If you don’t have a landing page, an alternative is to simply take down their contact information in the moment. HOW TO USE THE INFORMATION Add the data you collect to a vendor sheet. When you’re helping your clients during real estate transactions, refer them to these vendors. But you also need to go a step further: add the vendors to your sphere-of-influence list and market to them on a regular basis. Then, they’ll be able to help you out, too — and it’ll be a win–win situation for everybody involved.
6. DEVELOP SOCIAL PROOF
You need to gain social proof on all your social media channels, but most of all on Facebook because consumers use the app between eight and 14 times a day. As prospects are already hanging out there, it’s a great place to gain social proof. This will help you appear as an expert in your area and keep you top of mind for listing referrals. Gaining social proof could be as simple as posting testimonials from clients you’ve worked with. Alternatively, you could run a Facebook ad to market yourself as an expert in your area to your sphere of influence.
Whatever you do, work on presenting yourself as a successful agent — and people will send you referrals. Let me know in the comments WHICH OF THESE IDEAS IS YOUR FAVORITE?
Strength and courage,
Wade
