Your marketing strategy has finally worked! Organic and paid leads are finally coming in. But now what? What is the next step to ensure that a new lead will go down the sales funnel and turn into a sale?
In this episode of the Keeping it Real podcast we sat down with Greg Harrelson to talk about what you should do as an agent. Keep these tips in mind so you’ll know how to take action and convert those leads into paying clients!
Before everything, let’s discuss your key performance indicators or KPIs. Most agents refer to the contact-to-close ratio, which frequently shows low numbers. That’s why we want to introduce a better KPI to help shift your focus: capture to contact.
This way, you can focus on increasing your number of conversations versus closings. You’ll be in touch with more people you can convert instead of contacting a few leads and converting even fewer.
Now that you have leads, it’s time to contact them using a method called double dialing or calling them twice. This changes their way of thinking and prompts them to answer you on the second call. However, if that doesn’t work, you can activate a workflow on the Real Geeks customer relations management (CRM) platform. That way, you’ll have as many touch points with the lead as you need to close the sale.
Make sure you’re in control of the platform or autoresponder and not the other way around. Your leads will be more willing to engage with you if there’s a recognizable human element to these communication efforts.
As a real estate agent, you’ll want to abandon the phrasing “dead lead.” They might be inactive, or maybe they’ve simply “ghosted” you, but they’re probably still looking to buy a property — just not with you. You need to activate a workflow that will reengage them or contact them manually so they can have a one-on-one conversation with you.
You may encounter leads that are not ready to buy or leads that are just thinking of buying. Many agents abandon these leads in pursuit of those more likely to convert immediately. However, it’s essential to keep the three phases of a buyer in mind: dreaming, exploring, and buying.
If somehow a buyer calls you and is ready to buy, remember that they’ve probably talked to other agents who abandoned them early in the game, thinking that the buyer was still in the dreaming or exploratory phase. So be patient, nurture those leads, and take advantage of technology like the Real Geeks CRM to ensure that you manage them efficiently.
For a contact-to-closing ratio, 16% – 18% is good enough for the average real estate agent, but it’s low compared to the potential of a capture-to-contact ratio. For that, you can focus on getting at least 30% before aspiring for 60% – 70%. That’s an almost 300% increase in contacts, with no additional expenses!
Ready to learn more about our real estate CRM? Contact us today and tell us how we can help! You can also watch this podcast episode on YouTube for a more in-depth discussion of the concepts above.
When COVID-19 hit in 2020, a lot changed — and is still changing — especially in how people use office spaces. The pandemic has forced many companies to adopt or enhance their work from home (WFH) policies. As a result, there’s been a decrease in the amount of time people spend in the office.
For some, this has been a difficult transition. Some workers — specifically the older generation — thrive in an office environment and find it hard to focus when working from home. Others experience the complete opposite; they work better in quiet environments, away from the hustle and bustle of an office.
Regardless of which side you fall into, there’s no denying that working from home has impacted how people use office spaces.
In the past, companies were worried about how their employees would take to WFH. However, they are now more accepting of the idea. This has led many companies to downsize their office spaces or give them up altogether.
Companies are now more comfortable with single-story offices. Office spaces where people can easily go in and out have become more popular. CEOs prefer spaces with no elevators or common areas to ensure social distancing.
While companies know that many employees — especially the younger generation — prefer to work from home, they are still trying to find a balance. This is why high-end offices that have the “live, work, play” mindset have also taken a hit. Many companies are now choosing more suburban locations, assuring employees they can still have an excellent work-life balance.
Since the pandemic, buying property and leasing an office has become more complicated. In the past, companies made these decisions quickly. Now, they are taking much longer as companies want to ensure they’re making the best decision for their employees — and their budget.
Several factors come into play when making these decisions. For example, will the company allow WFH? If so, how often? What type of office space do they need? How many people will be working in the office?
All of these questions must be answered before a decision can be made. And even then, there’s no guarantee that the decision won’t change. After all, we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and things can change anytime.
There are also many cases where companies have signed leases, only to have them fall through. This is usually because the company has decided to change its business models, or they’ve realized that getting employees back into the office is more challenging than they thought.
This led to shorter-term deals, which have become more common in the office market. Two, three, or five-year deals have pushed ten-year deals to the side. It’s also led to more landlords being flexible with their tenants, offering more termination options.
It is not easy to predict the future, but it is safe to say that the pandemic has changed the office space landscape and will continue to do so. WFH has become the new norm, and companies are still trying to figure out what type of office space they need and how many employees they can get back into the office.
What is certain is that office spaces will have to be able to adapt to the ever-changing landscape. You will need to be able to accommodate WFH and social distancing and provide a good work-life balance for employees.
Join us for this episode of Keeping It Real where we discuss the importance of having a great schedule with Abe Safa.
Abe is a top real estate agent, real estate coach, and business owner based in Myrtle Beach.
As a real estate agent your day is filled with an array of activities. Staying focused and getting everything that you need to done can be tough.
Abe will walk you through how he structures his daily schedule in order to produce at a high level.
If your routine isn’t helping you to get the results you're after you are going to want to listen up as we discuss how to set a schedule to make the most out of your day.