Lead Generation Archives - Proquest Technologies

Open Houses & Showings…Gone Forever?

Are Open Houses a thing of the past?

Showings gone forever?

No to both. That’s a bit on the dramatic side.

We are all having to deal with things in a way that we have never done before. We are all having to come up with creative solutions to maintain our lives, our jobs and frankly, our sanity as well.

The video we linked to below is not an endorsement of a specific brand, but it does offer you a solution.

Proquest Technologies is in its 25^th year. We have believed in the integration of other technologies along with our system to create a well-rounded real estate business. That holds true, even more so today.

Many states have opened up, but people still are looking for alternative ways to remain safe and still function.

We integrate with most CRM’s. We’ve done that for years.

We can also help you with virtual tours…virtual Open Houses…virtual anything you want. This is just an example of how to use a Matterport camera.

When you create a virtual tour, link to it through your Proquest system.

Create a "Recorded & Text Info - 24 Hours" extension…

Example...Ext. 200

Title...123 Main Street Open House

Recorded Message: “Are you looking for a beautiful home in an established neighborhood with tree-lined streets? Look no further. 123 Main is a beautiful home that…”

Make sure your extension recording is between 30-45 seconds. Then use your prompts to create live conversations…

Use “Say Yes” Prompt: “Would you like additional photos, current up-to-the-minute pricing, or a video tour of this home, if so, say yes.”

If you are available: Your system calls you and gets you on the line seconds before your prospect says, “yes”. This transitions into a live conversation 80-90% of the time.

If you are not available: Your system auto-texts your prospect info, captures your lead, and drops the lead into your CRM….for you to follow up later.

When can't answer your phone and have a live conversation with your lead, your prospect hears your "Send a Text Message" prompt that says, “A text message with a link to photos, current pricing, and a virtual tour is being sent. As a courtesy, our pricing assistant will contact you shortly, to ensure you received the proper information. Thank you for calling.”

Here's a sample text message your prospect will receive.

“Thank you for your interest in 123 Main Street. For photos, current pricing, and a virtual tour go to: www.sample-property-info.com”

This keeps you current and keeps your business open and ready to serve.

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...and find out how you can get our service free!

Here's to your continued success!

Gary

How to be a Shining Light and “The Trusted Source” in Your Community

Watch...then read below.

9/11

The Crash of 2007 and 2008

War

Whenever something happens statewide, country-wide, or worldwide, we all have one singular choice. That choice is how we react.

Remember 1999 when so many people were afraid that all the computer systems would shut down the world as we knew it because of Y2K?

Remember when the Mayan calendar predicted that the end of the world was upon us…I’m happy to say I remember it, but not the date…or the year.

We are now emerging from a worldwide event that begs the question…“How will you react?”

We've seen stores depleted of necessities. We've seen polarized views of how politicians and leadership react and make policy changes to accommodate this “new normal.”

We will see all kinds of new things becoming part of our regular lives…praising heroes and those on the front lines, valuing service workers, social distancing, the phrase “new normal”, memes on masks, the nation’s obsession with Tic Tok, talk shows being shown from home on Zoom meetings…the list goes on.

Here’s how this applies to you, the real estate professional. We are…YOU ARE Essential. Regardless of what the nation faces, buying and selling homes continues in every place.

How that’s done may change.

What the closing process looks like may change.

How mortgages are granted may change.

But people will always need a place to live and how you react to this pandemic will shine a light on what kind of professional you are.

How you react and adapt during this time of "reopening the economy" will also dictate how much business you do in the future.

When the market crashed in 2007 and 2008, many real estate agents fled the industry and pursued other careers. Those that stayed did well. Those that adapted to the REO/Short Sale and Foreclosure world also did well.

Here’s the application for you now…with your Proquest Technologies platform, you have a voice and the power to become a leader in your community.

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You can set up extensions for people that need to buy and sell a home. That will never change with this platform.

You can also set up extensions to provide information on where to go for much needed aid and assistance.

You can set up extensions for drop off locations for food, clothing, masks, etc.

Extensions for help for the elderly.

Extensions for restaurants reopening, that have been barely scraping by.

Extensions for shout outs…have people call in and give a shout out to the heroes they’ve connected with…post those extensions all over social media and let their voices be heard through your platform.

Extensions for Good News reports.

Extensions for affirmations, quotes, links to happy YouTube videos.

Extensions for National Disaster Preparedness.

Extensions for new quarantine recipes that were successes.

The potential goes on and on and on.

Will any of this lead to the bottom line profitability of your income? Maybe. Maybe not. But what it does is it makes you the voice, the face the connecting point in your community.

Will it cost you anything extra to do any of that…not a penny. You have 1,000 extensions at your fingertips. Use them.

I hope you watched the video and remembered the line, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” When your community sees how you respond to this situation, they will react accordingly. If they see you standing strong, that gives hope that they can as well.

This gives your community a glimpse as to the person you are. The character you have. And when this is over…which it will soon be over, you will be standing as a light and trusted source in your community.

Here's to your success!
Gary

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The Easy Way to List FSBOs and Expireds

Ever approach a FSBO or an Expired and they completely shut you down?

It’s because they’re sick of the typical sales approach.

Want a new and better way to have real success with FSBOs and Expireds?

It’s called CONTRIBUTION!

GIVE before trying to GET!

That’s one of the many things that makes the Proquest Technologies system great for working with For Sale By Owners (and Expireds) is that you’re able to approach them from a place of contribution and not from a place of…sign here on the dotted line so I can list your home…the “typical sales approach”.

You give them something of value…and you do the work for them.

You hand them our plug-n-play FSBO tool kit.

You set up an extension for them.

You take some great pictures of their home and help them create a flier that will show the highlights of their home, from the templates we provide you.

Give them a sign rider that is specific to their home.

Sit back and let the calls come in.

Here’s the benefit to them…

They have the power of a call capture program giving them leads sent directly to their email that they wouldn’t have had access to previously. Give them your word that you won’t reach out to those leads for at least 24 hours.

The benefit is they get access to reach out to these leads before you ever touch them. After that, you’re able to follow up with those leads because it’s possible that they were looking for something different than the FSBO.

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Now…how does this apply to Expired listings?

People are cautious…and they should be. What if you were able to present the FSBO program option to Expired listings…but with an added bonus for both of you?

Do the same thing to list their home. Provide the use of your Proquest Technologies system.

You will do the same foundational work…set up the extension, create the fliers, put them in the flier box.

Here’s the magic…

This time you are the one to process all the calls that come in through the system. If you have someone that’s interested, before you set the appointment, they have to go to a lender, preferably one that you have partnered with on the system.

Prior to the appointment, they have to show you a pre-approval letter before they can gain entry to the Expired home.

What does this mean?

Safety, Safety, Safety…forget location, location, location.

If you let random people through their home, you can’t fully verify that they have the ability to purchase a home to begin with. Pre-approval saves that. This greatly reduces the number of people going through their home.

The best part is this system provides you with a list of pre-approved buyers that have already jumped through some initial hoops saving you time on the front end.

Even better, according to NAR, 46% of all buyers have a home to SELL!

So, it’s a simple path to super high-quality buyers…AND SELLERS!

It’s a DOUBLE WIN for you!

In closing, think CONTRIBUTION…not “typical sales”.

When you call an Expired client with this amazing offer, you aren’t just listing their home, you’re providing them with an alternate solution that protects them, their home, their family’s safety and you as well.

How’s that for contribution?

Go forth and… GIVE before trying to GET!

Here's to your success,
Gary

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Stop Throwing Away Your Best Leads…

How to Exploit Your Most Powerful Marketing Tool... Attract The Best Buyers and Sellers First... and Do It All for Pennies Per Lead!

Did you know?…

According to NAR, people driving up in front of your listings are the best marketing leads in real estate. They want to buy…AND…last year 46% of those same people had a home to sell too!

…but the challenge is how do you reach out to them?

…how do you engage them?

…what can you do to get them to CALL YOU FIRST?

Right now, they drive up, pull up your listing on Zillow or Realtor.com, and just drive away and you’ve got NOTHING!

…a big fat ZERO!

How do you bust out of this cycle, of the big real estate sites stealing your leads, and you grab that buyer/seller’s attention and get them to open up a real live conversation with you?

It’s actually quite easy. In fact…

It's The #1 EASIEST Way To Get The Best Listings in Almost Any Area

…and here’s the utterly ridiculous part, many of your uniformed real estate colleagues will tell you it doesn’t work.

They’ll say, “Why in the world would someone call or text for info, when they can just look the house up on Zillow?”

Here’s why…

…because you’re going to make it easier to respond to you, by using the same emotional drivers they use to steal your leads right out from under your nose.

In fact, do you know the #1 reason prospects use Zillow, Trulia or Realtor.com?

According to page 59 of the latest NAR Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report 87% of the reason prospects use those big web sites is…

Based on the vast amounts of data NAR collects, the most compelling marketing content in real estate is…PHOTOS!!!

Photos are #1! They’re your most potent marketing resource and your hottest prospect trigger.

So how do you leverage photos to beat Zillow at their own game and at the same time generate the highest quality listing leads in your market?

It begins with 94% of all real estate searches start online. Both buyers and sellers start their search and research online.

However, the far more important question you need to ask is…

What Do They Do Next?

The reason this is such an important question is it’s at this precise moment, when prospects are taking their next step, that you’ve got a very powerful strategic advantage over Zillow, Trulia or Realtor.com…IF…

…you know exactly what to do and how to do it.

See it’s at this one single solitary point in time that you can quickly and easily cut all the big web sites completely out of the picture.

So what do prospects do next, after they’ve gone online?

For that answer let’s look at page 47 of that same NAR report…

So the #1 thing more than 3 out of 4 prospects do after searching online is they get in their cars and go drive by homes!

Isn’t That Amazing?

After going online the very next step is driving by the home!

More than 3 out 4 amazingly HOT prospects are jumping in their cars, and it’s right at this precise moment that you can smash Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com, like a blood-sucking mosquito, and deliver the fatal blow!

However it’s right here where…

Nearly 100% of Agents Completely BLOW IT!

It’s at this single solitary point in time that you’ve got your hand on the guillotine and can slice their lousy lead-stealing heads off…

In fact, it’s the ONLY time throughout this entire sequence of events, from initial online search, clear through to closed transaction, that you’ve got such a commanding position and can cut them off at the knees.

However, if you don’t know what to do, or how to do it, they’ll just continue stealing your leads right out from under your nose and selling them to one of your competitors.

The worst part is when agents have this phenomenal advantage, they just roll over and submit to Zillow, letting them win without putting up even the slightest bit of a fight for the prospect, as if they have no control.

Well that’s complete and utter baloney!

Because right in this moment, when these amazingly valuable prospects are in their cars, you can totally and completely kick their butts!

In fact, it’s actually quite simple…

Step #1 – Appeal to the Exact Same Wants and Desires They Use to Steal Your Leads!

If prospects want photos, detailed information and pricing… GIVE THEM PHOTOS, DETAILED INFO and PRICING!

However, rather than just giving away all your ammunition, use these key points of understanding to entice your prospects.

Use your prospect’s desires to trigger a response! You want to get their Attention, build Interest, amp up their Desire…and then prompt Action.

It’s the proven AIDA formula.

Then it’s onward to…

Step #2 – Make It Easier to Respond to YOU Than Zillow!

In this moment, when they’re in their car looking at homes, you’ve got to make it completely frictionless. You want to make it so easy to respond to you that they don’t even think about Zillow, Trulia or Realtor.com

And then…

Step #3 – For Pete’s Sakes Don’t Distract the Prospect!

When you’ve got their attention for a second…don’t screw it up!

All you want to do is get them on the phone, connect with them and have a good quality conversation, and then move that conversation to a face-to-face meeting as fast as humanly possible…

Make sense?

Plus here’s another amazingly valuable EXTRA BONUS with these ready-to-do-something-right-now “drive-by” prospects…

46% of Them Have a Home to Sell!!!

YES!

YOU READ THAT RIGHT!

Again, it’s all buried in the NAR Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report. That report is filled with some amazing insights!

On page 24 it says that 46% of buyers “owned their previous residence.”

In other words they “sold” it, which by direct inference means…46% of buyers have A HOME TO SELL!!!

Here’s a screenshot of that page…

So when we’re talking about the amazing quality of these “drive-by” prospects, please understand we’re NOT just talking about buyer leads here…46% of the time these are LISTING LEADS!

Now let me show you how you can capitalize on this amazing opportunity.

Here’s a brochure done our way…

Slow down and look real close at this brochure.

Pay particularly close attention to all the subtle little details.

Notice how we put photos (87%) front and center?

Then there’s the promise of detailed information (84%)?

And then the last incredibly important psychological hook, or emotional trigger we use to real them in, is current “up-to-the-minute” pricing.

Now really consider the psychology and precise language of this brochure

We’re very quietly taking advantage of a deeper understanding of your prospect’s behavior, and our timing is absolutely perfect. We’re engaging your prospect right at the perfect point in their actual sales cycle.

That’s why we call these “perfectly-timed live conversations.”

Again, we know they search online, proceed to drive by homes, and then with this brochure in their hands we’re able to effortlessly set the hook.

Make sense?

So the first reason our flyer will have you beating the pants off of Zillow is we’re appealing to your prospect’s strongest desires.

The second reason our flyer will have you taking back control is your carefully crafted marketing message will fly into your prospect’s radar at the absolute perfect time.

We’ve all heard that “timing is everything” right?

Well in this invisible tooth-and-nail battle for the prospect, you’re going to deliver the knock out blow to Big Z by having the absolute perfect “sales cycle timing” on your side.

Then the third reason our flyer will have you busting up The Big Three “Lead Cartel” is it employs one of the most powerful laws of influence and sales psychology, “The Law of Scarcity.”

This is what Dr. Robert Cialdini wrote about in his groundbreaking book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

In that book he lays out the six universal laws of persuasion. These laws are THE primary drivers in virtually every speech, marketing campaign, or any sales message that compels people to take action.

This is one of those subtle little moves, a key psychological trigger, that over 99.9% of your competitors won’t have the slightest clue. They won’t recognize it. They won’t perceive it. And they simply will not get it.

But what our flyer does, with the words “up-to-the-minute pricing,” is it subtly implies an exclusive channel to the latest “insider information.”

…i.e. “The Law of Scarcity!”

… 🙂 I know!

It’s kind of tricky, isn’t it?

It’s like we’re playing secret little Jedi mind tricks!

Well if you’re fighting with the likes of Zillow, who wants to steal every last dime they possibly can from you, and they’re extremely smart to boot, you better bring your A-game, right?

However, we’re not done yet!

I’ve got one more golden nugget for you… 😉

This process, this “simple little brochure” that’s been through tens-of-thousands of tests, split tests, and comparisons, works like your own personal marketing Stealth Bomber because absolutely no one in your market sees it coming…no one!

Your competitors think it’s old-school. So you will have a wide open playing field to exploit this for months and years to come.

The best part is prospects respond to you over all the other “apps” out there because it’s smoother, simpler and easier for them to get what they want.

And with the way we channel their response, the biggest benefit is you get to TALK with nearly every prospect RIGHT UP FRONT!

Plus, you’ve got the added benefit that these are THE BEST LISTING LEADS in real estate!

In over 24 years of working with real estate agents, I’ve never seen a more potent opportunity for you to harvest both buyer and seller leads with your curbside marketing done like this!

And candidly, if you don’t market like this, Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com will just continue to win by default, end of story.

However, right now, today you can change all of that!

Want to know how?

Together we can kick Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com’s butts…get signed up now and together let’s help you take back control!

All the best,
signature
Gary Elwood
President/CEO
Proquest Technologies, Inc.

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Here are Two Crazy Simple Listing Strategies That Cost Almost Nothing!

After 24 years of helping agents generate over 28 million real estate leads it’s extremely rare that a new strategy gets me excited.

Today most things in real estate are simply a sales pitch appealing to agents’ weaknesses, promising amazing production with little to no work or sales skill.

So, if you’re cynical and distrusting, I get it.

I am too!

However, today’s post comes from a private conversation I had with an agent whose team has closed over 500 units a year for 11 consecutive years and two of the strategies that came out are positively BRILLIANT!

The best part is you can use these to double, triple or even quadruple your listing inventory in the second half of 2020…for literally pennies per listing lead.

The first strategy involves leveraging every buyer side transaction you close…to get more listings.

It’s Super Easy!

You put this in your buyer agency agreement and explain it to every client that once you help them find, negotiate, and close on the home of their dreams, you’d like to put a sold sign in their yard for three weeks after closing.

So on the day of closing you go pull the listing agent’s sign out, give it back to them, and put your sign up with a SOLD rider on the top, and a brochure box and rider combo at the curb.

Then you follow that up with Just Sold cards to the neighborhood offering a seller-targeted free report like, “11 Tips to Pass You Next Home Inspection” or “How to Avoid 7 Costly Mistakes When Selling Your Home” that gets them to call or text your Power 10X Voice-Activated System to get that report.

What this does is gives you three weeks of...

Pure Listing Lead Generation GOLD!

Now every neighbor driving by will have your name emblazoned in their mind as the agent who’s selling homes in their neighborhood.

The other, even more important, thing is you keep your flier box full with fliers aimed at sellers in the neighborhood!

The beauty is when a neighbor picks up one of your fliers your Power 10X System will automatically text them a link to your pre-listing video, or you can cross reference the phone number with county records and mail them your pre-listing packet or book.

…or you could take it a step further and use it as a reason to drop by their home and personally deliver your pre-listing package to them.

Isn’t That Awesome?

You’re getting 21 days of pure seller-side marketing GOLD…just by getting permission on the front end with your buyers and putting it in your buyer agency agreement.

Then come closing day…you’re off and running…picking off every other seller lead in and around your client’s new neighborhood.

So, fliers in a flier box, that look like a buyer lead generation tool…NOPE!

You’re getting some of the best quality listing leads anywhere.

Plus, you’re branding yourself, like a red-hot branding iron tattooing your name across the minds of virtually every seller in and around your client’s new neighborhood.

This incredible strategy is literally pennies to deploy, and with a little smart upfront work you can be gearing up to dominate the listing side in the neighborhoods where you’re selling homes!

Which Brings Me to Strategy #2...

This one is even more powerful than the first strategy.

It’s newest best listing source anywhere!

It’s your BUYER LEADS!!!

It may seem counter intuitive, because you view them as “buyer leads”, but the fact is last year, according to the NAR, 46% of buyers had a home to sell.

Stop and really think about that for a moment.

Nearly half of all buyer leads, from whatever source, have a home to sell.

Now here’s the magic…take every buyer lead you generate and immediately begin a seller-side texting campaign.

This takes every buyer lead you generate and makes them massively valuable…IF…you actually do something about it.

Here’s an Incredibly Powerful Example…

With every drive-by lead you generate with our system, you can automatically initiate a seller-side texting campaign.

You can text them a link to your pre-listing video…

You can text them pre-planned text message aimed at seller-side questions…

You can cross-reference the phone number we capture for you with public records, and if they’re a homeowner, VOILA!

Now you’ve got a seller lead you can call, text, or stop by and deliver your pre-listing video, book, or resources.

So…

Step 1 – Get SOLD signs out in front of your client’s newly purchased homes and buy three weeks of pure seller-side marketing GOLD! And use the flier boxes to generate seller leads!

Then…

Step 2 – generate more and more “buyer leads” so you can cross-reference them with public records to identify seller opportunities. You’ll find there are typically about 40-50% of your buyer leads are homeowners…meaning they’re going to need to SELL!

Once you’ve identified them, launch into your pre-listing text, call, and door-knocking campaign to deliver your pre-listing materials.

You do these two things well and you’ll easily double, triple or even quadruple your listing side business in the last half of 2020.

Lastly...

For even more strategies that can double, triple or even quadruple your listings ==>> check out our free 14-day free trial to learn other equally powerful buyer and seller lead generation strategies!

…and here’s to your continued real estate success!

Gary

How to Attract Better Leads…and Almost Instantly Triple Your Conversion Rates!

Which would you prefer?

Lead source #1 - you convert 1-2 listings or sales from every 100 leads.

Lead source #2 - you convert 3-5 listings or sales from every 100 leads.

Lead source #3 - you convert 10-15 listings or sales from every 100 leads.

…seriously it’s not a trick question.

What’s so counter intuitive about this question is the source with the highest conversion rate is also your least expensive lead source.

Sounds even better, right?

Well, even though the source yielding the most transactions per 100 leads, at the lowest cost, would seem like the clear winner…

Ironically most agents focus on source #1

I know. It sounds completely backwards, doesn’t it?

Why would agents pay more for inferior results?

Candidly, it’s because lead sources #2 and #3 require a little more work.

Now it’s ironic, because we’re only talking about an extra 1-2 hours a week to produce dramatically better results.

However, agents just continue to buy into the “no-work, done-for-you” solutions to lead generation because they just sound so appealing.

You buy or generate leads online, plug them into a follow up system, and voila!

You get instant listings and sales on the other end!

It sounds awesome, right?

The problem is you buy or generate 100 leads at a very high cost, and most of the time you rarely ever talk to those leads.

You call, text, or email them endlessly…only to have them close a transaction with some other agent the vast majority of the time.

Now let’s contrast that against lead sources #2 and #3…

These two sources have the highest conversion rates and are the lowest cost per lead. However, like I mentioned they do require a consistent 1-2 hours a week to implement and maintain.

Also, both sources require a modest understanding of marketing and a basic entry level of sale skills.

What are these two lead sources?

Source #2 is a Call Capture system and Source #3 is our new Power 10X Voice Activated System with "Easy Connect" Technology. Our new "Easy Connect" Technology has you TALKING with 80-90% of your leads instantly!

It’s this ability to connect instantly with 80-90% of your leads that has you converting 10-15 clients out of every 100 leads you generate.

So, rather than talking into voicemail over 90% of the time, like online leads, you’re actually talking with buyers and sellers as they inquire.

This is extremely powerful and the reason for our sky-high conversion rates.

If you talk to prospects immediately, right when they inquire, your chances of converting them to a client go up by over 800%!

Online leads have you getting voicemail over 90% of the time, when you follow up. Our process has you talking with prospects 80-90% of the time.

Which one sounds better to you?

Talk to 80-90% of your leads…while they’re interested?

Or leave voicemail 90% of the time…and never hear from them?

Seems like common sense, right?

However, our approach does take a little more time and effort…

…but in the end, it’ll yield a lot higher conversion, at a much lower cost, producing far more bottom line profits for you!

Like to know how our agents do it?

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Here's to your real estate success!

- Gary

NAR Data Proves Why Real Estate Lead Generation Stalls and How to Easily Fix It!

If you’re not generating enough leads…

…good enough quality leads

…or you’re not converting enough of your leads

The answer may be easier than you think.

It starts by knowing exactly where buyers and sellers find their agent, which ironically begins by avoiding the deadliest mindset in real estate.

It’s a toxic thought process that leads to never-ending frustration.

…a mentality that leads to constant bouncing from one lead generation idea to the next, and never getting consistent results.

It’s a habit pattern that no agent is totally immune to because…

It’s The Dream!

We all believe, at some level, that someone else must have figured it all out, and if we can just borrow their “magic formula” life and business will be great!

The “dream” is the perfect real estate transaction producing sales funnel, the completely automated listing and sales machine.

It’s like an Amazon store, and every day you just check in to see how many people bought or listed a house with you, right?

It’s The Perfect Picture.

You could go on nice vacations 3-4 times a year.

…live in the nicest home.

…even have a second home in the mountains or on a lake.

…drive the nicest cars

…send your kids to the finest schools

…and frankly it would be a living paradise, right?

It’s “the grass is always greener over there” syndrome.

Unfortunately, it’s never actually greener…

Agents relentlessly pursue the newest, latest-greatest magic pills, all while lasting success is sitting directly in front of them, just waiting to be harvested.

The challenge with success is, it takes consistent hard work, an unwavering discipline not to get pulled off task, and an unrelenting focus on fundamentals.

Those are the Real Keys to Success!

Yet, agents constantly chase the next new “shiny object” in hopes of discovering the dream!

Well, sorry to pop anyone’s bubble…

…but the automatic transaction producer DOES NOT exist.

…and the newest super-revved up website or Facebook strategy…nope!

Those things are just more of the “greener grass” hook that keeps draining agents’ pockets, and ultimately drives agents deeper into debt, frustration, and ultimately completely out of this business.

Look at the numbers put out by the NAR and you’ll see what I mean.

For example, let’s take a look at a source of business 93% of agents believe is important to their success going forward.

When asked if this source of business was part of their business plan this year, 93% said “yes” or “I will be making it a part of my plans.” So…

This is a REALLY HUGE Deal, Right?

Nearly the entire agent population believes this is VERY important.

What is it?

It’s social media, specifically Facebook, and Facebook marketing.

It’s the newest, latest RAGE in real estate marketing!

Now my question is: If social media is so important, how much business is it producing, and does it justify all this attention? See…

I’m Obsessed with Numbers!

I don’t care about opinions, everyone and their cousin Joe has one.

I’m interested in what the data, the numbers, and what the hardcore facts are telling us, because that’s what I like to base my business decisions on.

When it comes to social media and its ability to drive business through your doors, I want the smoke to clear, all the hype on the shelf, and let’s just take a good hard look at the numbers.

So, for answers I turned to the National Association of Realtor’s 2019 Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report.

Based on that report, let’s see what it says about social media and its effect of driving business through your doors.

On page 68 of that report it shows you exactly where buyers found their agent, and on page 123 it shows you exactly where sellers found their agent.

See, one thing that will change everything for you, almost overnight, is knowing exactly where all your business is coming from…

…not guessing!

…not sort of knowing!

…but KNOWING EXACTLY where all your business comes from!

If you know exactly where all your business is coming from, you can focus your time, energy and money on improving those sources of business, right?

It’s Basic Common Sense

So what are those sources of business?

What is it that’s really driving business through your doors?

…and specifically, how much business is social media producing?

Well the 2019 trends report gives it all to you in black and white, and answers that critical question, “Where do buyers and sellers find their agent?”

On page 68 it says roughly…

…1% of buyers

And on page 123 it says…

…1% of sellers

…find their agent through social media.

Now stop.

Pause for a few seconds.

And really think about that.

…1% of buyers

…and 1% of sellers

…find their agent through all sources of social media COMBINED!

That Means…

…99% of buyers

…and 99% of sellers

…DON’T find their agent through social media!

I know.

It’s hard to believe, right?

With social media being all the rage, agents are spending BILLIONS of dollars, and countless hours every single day trying to figure it out…

Yet 99% of buyers and 99% of sellers…

…DON’T find their agent through social media!

And again, it’s all right there in black and white on pages 68 and 123…

Now am I saying you ignore online marketing and social media?

No, you’ve got to be online, visible and easily accessible…

But That’s About It!

Where your online visibility is crucial, is after you’ve had your first conversation with a prospective client, because it’s their natural default to go online and check you out.

Once you’ve had a good conversation, they’re thinking, “Gee, Bob or Sally really seems like a great agent. I think I’ll go online and check them out.”

Well, if they can’t find you…

…that’s a problem!

Or if you’re web site looks like you’re partying and it’s 1999…

…that’s definitely a problem!

But The Real Question Is…

How much of a website, social media and online profile do you need to solidify that feeling they already have about you?

The answer is…not that much.

All it takes is a good LinkedIn profile with a dozen or so client recommendations, your Zillow profile with 15-20 five-star reviews, and then a very average Facebook fan page and your own personal website.

That’s about all you need…and all those things can be set up for a few hundred bucks and you’re good.

Beyond That…

…if you’re trying to fish from the social media lead generation lake

…you just might be fishing in the wrong lake!

…unless of course, you’ve got really really deep pockets!

Which that’s a completely different story for a different day.

Today I want to focus on those sources of business you can easily afford, that actually drive clients through your doors!

…like those on pages 68 and 123 of the Generational Trends Report.

If you focus on your most important sources of business first, the “greener grass” mindset will never get the best of you, like it does for so many agents.

Then, when you want to leverage your key sources of business and produce 3-4-5X the response, get signed up for our 14-day free trial.

We’ll show you how to drive new business through your doors predictably, consistently, and all for pennies per lead!

The decision to take our service for a test drive is a complete no-brainer.

It’s completely free-of-charge and you gain instant access to all our marketing resources, action plans, ads, scripts, follow up pieces – everything!

You’re free to download all our materials, and even if you don’t stay with us, you’re free to keep our materials and use them for as long as you like.

Then you get access to our new cloud-based Power 10X Real Estate Success System with Easy Connect Technology, and all the tools you’ll need to have interested new buyers and sellers CALLING YOU!

Better yet, those buyers and sellers will be calling you, before any of your competitors have even the slightest clue how you’re doing it.

So get signed up for our 14-day free trial, and take advantage of all those free resources, that again are yours to keep regardless. And…

Here’s to your continued real estate success!

All the best,
Gary

Where Do Real Estate Buyers and Sellers Find Their Agent in 2019?

As you may know, I've been re-reading "Think and Grow Rich" and chapter 2 is about having a burning desire backed by faith.

It’s invigorating!

However…

I have a confession to make.

I’ve been drifting for the last year or two.

Have you ever felt that way?

…like your business was lacking something new and exciting, but you just kept pressing on? I call it “embracing the grind”, because I know in “the grind” is an exciting new breakthrough just waiting to burst onto the scene.

However, after 23 years in lead generation…

You question things like…

“Are we relevant? Is technology going to displace us?” or “Is real estate really a relationship business that starts with a conversation?”

AANNNDDD…

“Is my view of the first conversation with a buyer or seller outdated?”

After all, we live in an Internet, text messaging, social media age that has transformed many industries, literally overnight.

Taxis, GPS systems, hotel room rental (Airbnb) all MASSIVELY DISRUPTED and transformed in the flash-of-an-eye…right?

So, let’s take a real hard look at real estate…

…and see if technology is impacting us in a similar way. Is it “transforming” your day to day real estate practice.

To break down that question, let’s dig into the NAR Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report. NAR began publishing it in 2013. Since then, I’ve kept a library of all six years, so I can go back and look at trends.

I’m a data geek...take advantage of my research!

So how much has technology changed your sources of business?

Where is your business coming from today vs. six years ago?

After all, we’re constantly hearing how Facebook is “changing the game” and the Internet is revolutionizing real estate.

If that’s true, then the underlying numbers should support that, right?

So, the key question is…

“Where do buyers and sellers find their agent today?”

We need to know where buyers and sellers find their agent, and then be in those places whenever a real estate discussion occurs.

Make sense?

So, if buyers and sellers are shifting in mass to the internet or social media, like everyone selling social media stuff says, then those numbers should be growing…right?

And if those numbers are growing…the business coming from other sources must be shrinking…right?

Those HUGE flows of business now racing through social media or being generated from YouTube and Google must be coming from somewhere.

Well let’s look at the NAR numbers.

From 2013-2018, “How much business came from the Internet, Social Media, and Referral and Repeat sources?”

Drum roll please…

BUYERS From The Internet…

2013 – 11%
2014 – 9%
2015 – 10%
2016 – 10%
2017 – 9%
2018 – 9%

Here’s the 2018 graphic…

BUYERS From Social Media…

2013 – (wasn’t tracked)
2014 – (wasn’t tracked)
2015 – *% (less than 1%)
2016 – *% (less than 1%)
2017 – *% (less than 1%)
2018 – 1% (finally broke 1%?)

Here’s the 2018 graphic…

BUYERS From Referral and Repeat Sources…

2013 – 59%
2014 – 62%
2015 – 60%
2016 – 61%
2017 – 61%
2018 – 60%

Here’s the 2018 graphic…

SELLERS From The Internet…

2013 – 3%
2014 – 4%
2015 – 4%
2016 – 4%
2017 – 4%
2018 – 5%

Here’s the 2018 graphic…

SELLERS From Social Media…

2013 – (wasn’t tracked)
2014 – (wasn’t tracked)
2015 – *% (less than 1%)
2016 – *% (less than 1%)
2017 – *% (less than 1%)
2018 – *% (still hasn’t broke 1%?)

Here’s the 2018 graphic…

SELLERS From Referral and Repeat Sources…

2013 – 69%
2014 – 71%
2015 – 67%
2016 – 73%
2017 – 70%
2018 – 69%

Here’s the 2018 graphic…

When you look at the cold hard facts, the big scary Internet monster and the social media silver bullet, they're like the wizard behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz...they lose their power to scare anybody.

The Internet was going to end real estate agents, and social media has been a “game changer”…yet…23 years after the launch of Realtor.com, and 12 years after the founding of ZILLOW-monster, the last six years have been as steady as ever, no sign of massive disruption anywhere, as far as I can see.

Could it come?

Sure, it could.

However, the trend line heavily favors repeat and referral sources and you learning how to leverage all your hidden assets – your listings, client closings, and learning how to outgun the big three lead-stealers on your local turf!

You can do it…I promise you that you can.

In fact, to help with that watch our quick 7-minute video that can help you with all three of those things. It's the easiest way to get the best listings and most qualified buyers in almost any area...

Watch 7-Min Video Here »

How “Lead Generation” Could Be Costing You Repeat and Referral Business

Most good agents have at least 50% of their business coming from repeats and referrals.

If you’re in this category, I’m going to suggest an idea that may very well shake up your sense of security when it comes to your sphere.

See the “lead generation” tools you may be using could be unknowingly undermining your efforts. You’re capturing data and plugging people into automated systems.

Here’s a little secret…prospects get it. They already understand it. And what’s worse is, so does your sphere.

The challenge you run into with your sphere is when they visit your web site and “opt in” to your drip campaign…they become “data.” And the automated systems you plug them into lack warmth and feel impersonal.

So what’s that feeling going to do to the value of your relationship?

Sure, everybody does it.

But from the eyes of someone in your sphere, they expect to be treated differently. Even though everyone else does it, they know you and expect more from you.

An automated email to your sphere doesn’t deepen the relationship. It feels cold and lifeless. And from their eyes your relationship with them should mean more than that.

Those relationships closer to you require a much higher level of touch and on occasion a real live meaningful conversation.

For example, let’s talk about someone in your sphere who’s a distant contact. Contrast your email drip campaign with, that same person, calling into a “recorded message.”

They listen and, at the end the recording, it asks them if they would like current pricing. They say, “Yes” and a couple seconds later you’re on the phone having a real live conversation with them.

No they weren’t expecting it, but it comes as a pleasant surprise. After a few minutes of discussion you discover their daughter just gave birth to their first grandchild. You congratulate them and a couple days later you send them a nice handwritten card.

Now how’s that for relationship building?

Again, contrast that against your automated email campaign that does nothing to deepen the relationship.

Please understand that person knows 2-3 other real estate agents. Is the cold impersonal feeling of being “data” in your email drip campaign going to keep them committed to you?

Sure, some of those people will still do business with you and refer others. But over time, step back and really think about the effects of this cold, impersonal “technology-insulated” world we’re building around ourselves.

You’ve taken it to a deeper, more personal level.

A conversation, like the one I described, with a handwritten note will bank you a listing, because they’re downsizing, a buyer side transaction to help them move, and a few years down the road another listing because they’ve decided to move into an assisted living community.

Isn’t that amazing?

It’s the power of having meaningful, perfectly-timed conversations combined with solid repeat and referral systems…vs. data capture…

Honestly confront the reality of today’s consumer and the fact that they can see through all the automation tools and there is no real connection unless you have a meaningful conversation.

It’s a harsh reality, but it’s the truth.

I’m not one of those “touchy-feely” kind of guys, but facts are facts. Real estate is all about relationships and you need to fight hard to initiate, build and deepen your relationship base…or the network you thought was solid may soon be at risk.

Always remember…leads are NOT conversations!

As real estate professionals we’ve got to get back to basics. Real estate is fundamentally always going to be a relationship driven business and relationships start by talking to people…having perfectly-timed conversations and bonding with people.

Now here’s my challenge to you, over the next couple days find an hour or two to deeply contemplate the effects of lead generation vs. having perfectly-timed conversations.

Why “Lead Generation” May Be Damaging Your Reputation

Have you been to a government building lately? Where you had to grab a number, wait in line, and have your number called?

Your number gets called, you walk up, and the employee behind the counter is nearly expressionless. They look at you as if you’re not really there and ask, “May I help you?”

It’s a lifeless interaction that makes you feel kind of like the number on that little slip of paper you just handed over.

Well, I’m going to suggest that your lead generation efforts could be having the same effect on people you would like to do business with.

Agents are implementing highly-sophisticated lead generation strategies that capture tons and tons of “data.” Agents are generating names, email addresses and phone numbers right and left. One agent bragged to me recently that she was “generating over 300 leads a month.”

My response was, “Really? So how much business are you closing from those leads?”

It’s funny, ironic and sad.

I thought we had gotten disconnected. The phone went stone cold dead. I almost hung up to call her back when she quietly said, “I’ve only closed 3 buyers in the last four months from these leads.”

WHAT?

Three buyers?!?

Those three buyers cost her over $12,000 to generate and by the time she was done with broker splits, she had almost nothing to show for it.

See the massive problem our agent didn’t seem to grasp is that she wasn’t having real live conversations with her leads. She turned lead generation into nothing more than “data capture.” She captured a lead, plugged them into an email drip campaign, and somehow expected that system to do the work for her.

It’s kind of like having a drive-through restaurant and not going to the window and saying, “May I help you please?” Customers are in need of help, no one is attempting to engage them in a meaningful dialog, and they drive off frustrated.

Imagine if that were you. If you drove through, saw people inside, yet no one came to the window to see if they could be of service.

Would you ever go back?

Well, consider what’s happening when your leads begin to feel like data, and you’re not engaging them in a meaningful conversation. In fact, the ill effects of that model could be reaching far deeper than you may realize.

In my next post I’m going to shed some light on how this impersonal trend in real estate lead generation could even be costing you repeat and referral business too.

So keep your eye out and we’ll talk soon.

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