Scripts For Following Up With Real Estate Website Leads?

Here’s a quick snapshot of an email we got from a League member yesterday:

First, we have to mention that Brad did an awesome job adapting our “Monkey Squeeze” concept to fit his needs. Instead of using Mailchimp to create a capture form, he created a free Google Sites website and used a free trial of 123ContactForm for his lead capture in order to get a little more design flexibility and get around Mailchimp’s double opt in requirements. Good stuff Brad!

Second, to answer the question about scripts to use with internet leads, here’s our take:

A Protocol For Handling Internet Based Real Estate Leads

1. Get in the right mindset, which is this: –> The “Lead” is very unlikely to do business with you right now. In fact, it could be years or even more likely eons before they even return one of your phone calls! Assuming this realistic mindset will help guide you toward not coming accross as too much of a salesperson, and … you’ll have less pain from the inevitable rejection you’ll get when your calls or offers to help are not answered.  Remember, this is an internet lead… easy come, easy go, easy INCUBATE!

(we’ll elaborate on this last crazy word in a bit)

2. Contact The Frakking Lead! Or Don’t! Confession. Even though I know for shizzle that calling back an internet lead within 5 or 10 minutes of it’s arrival is a surefire way to boost GCI, this approach is not for everyone (especially myself.) If you’ve got people who love you, whipping out your fancy phone every time a lead arrives is going to eventually cause damage to your relationships. Your naggy wife will abstain to make a point. Your kids will act out to steal your attention back.

So, when the lead arrives, make sure you respond… Automatically! Use an email autoresponder to offer the prospect something of value. This something of value could be a list of handpicked properties from your mls, a free report you’ve prepared, or even a one on one consultation with you over the phone. If you need help thinking up an appropriate auto-response let us know by leaving a comment below, and we’ll help with some suggestions.

The biggest thing is this, by not worrying about making the initial phone call, this automated response will help separate the hotter leads from the colder ones, and save you a lot of frustration.

For the folks who take advantage of your auto-response, be sure to deliver on your promise quickly… this delivering as promised will help take the relationship to the next level and increase the prospects willingness to believe in and trust you moving forward.

For the folks who don’t take advantage of your auto-response….

Send them another in a few days.

Then another.

Then another.

Then another.

And another.

Then some more.

Just make sure it’s good stuff…

Not cheesy.

Like really good stuff.

A “Hot Buy Of The Week.”

Or a recorded interview with a mortgage guy.

Or a picture of something neat in your local market.

And if they don’t respond to these responses?

Send them more stuff.

Good stuff.

More and more of it.

Until they tell you to stop.

By hitting unsubscribe.

Or calling you to let you know that enough is enough and they’re ready to get really serious about doing some immediate business with you!

Setting All This Up… The Hardest Part?

So, how to deliver juicy stimulating valuable content to your prospects in such a passive way? The easiest way to accomplish this is to set up a blog, add stuff to it every week, and link it up to an automated RSS blog broadcast. (Much more on this in the coming days.)

Or, an even easier shortcut… you could just set folks up to receive updates straight from your mls. Even if you don’t know your search criteria, everyone’s interested in getting an email with details about the latest very high end properties in the area?

Conclusion – “Sucks To Scripts!” – Internet Leads Need To Be Incubated

Bottom line is this – As more and more prospects start their home buying and selling efforts on the internet, your income will be directly proportional to the number of folks you are consistently incubating.

Spending less time rushing to the phone to try to get an immediate short term sale, and more time creating and delivering juicy valuable content is the ultimate protocol for following up with Real Estate Leads. How do we know? Go ahead and click this guy to find out…