Why are Web Leads so hard to close??

One of my newest broker/clients called me the other day and asked me why his salespeople didn’t care whether or not they got “their share” of the leads from his newly performing website… “We never got Internet leads before, now we are getting them almost every day… but my salespeople tell me that they are not that enthused about working them…”

I asked, “Are you just giving any correspondence ( I hesitate to call them leads..” that comes in from the website to your Realtors, to work?”

He responded, “Yes, I am not going to work them myself!” and here we unmasked the problem…

Emails that come to you via your website are USUALLY not leads…

Should I say it again?… I am not saying you will NEVER get a lead from your website, but unless it is a request for a showing, or a request for a car ride (attended the 4RealzED seminar? … you should) it is probably not worth investing your precious “closing time” on…

Emails that come to you via your website are requests for COMMUNITY..

Typically emails that come to your website are from searchers that are engaging your community.  They saw a post about a neighborhood they are interested it, they saw a property they would like more information about.  They read something that they need clarification on.  They are interested in staying informed via your community market analysis. (You do have community market analysis, right?

These are individuals that have taken the first QUANTUM leap towards becoming a prospect/client.  They have decided to trust you.  So how do you repay them for their freshly discovered loyalty?  You turn them over to a super busy hard charging Real estate agent who is going to qualify them from sentence three and blow them off around sentence four…  not good.

You have GOT to have a community option for readers who are willing to self identify.  They are crying out to become your desciples, your evangelists, your groupies? (Okay, I am reaching….)  Let them.  A newletter, a blog, a forum, a VALUABLE monthly email blast… (read: market conditions with valuable, personal, ORIGINAL, well thought out market observations)  You have got to welcome Internet correpondence as you would welcome a valuable stranger into your home…  tred lighly, offer your freindship, dont ask for anything in return.  GIVE THEM WHAT THEY CAME FOR….

and from this community?  You will grow leads…  and leads…  and leads….