What feature do you find your clients use most to frequently to actually make contact with you from your website and why do you think it works?... Time to get some thoughts going to increase everyones conversion.

All the visitors in the world don't help if you don't capture them


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Rich
Advertising, Marketing & Virtual Tours

That is a good question Rich and I am betting there would be a wide variety of responses as Realtors will have differing thoughts on what a lead is and what the value of a contact is.

With our sites, the "bread and butter" is really the Home Search forms where prospects provide their wants and contact info and the Realtor follows up. With that type of contact at least there is some demonstration of interest that they will buy a home someday.

Some of our clients actually try different things to get LESS leads - not more. They want just the best leads and not the time wasters.

Other Realtors consider capturing just an email address as a contact and a lead - because it gives them someone to put on their list and hound till the day they die regardless of their motivation. And, they can then brag about all the "leads" they get from their website, go on the seminar circuit, etc.

Right you are Doug

Maybe we'll get some replies soon so we can get this train rolling

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Rich
Advertising, Marketing & Virtual Tours

My site is just one of several promotional avenues for me. It started out as my "Brochure". It purpose is to direct people to my site after my intial contact with them via person-person, phone or direct mail contacts. It has been a great promotional tool.

Some folks look at websites for generating leads. For me that is secondary, not a high priority as my leads are through other means. Howver, I would love for my visitors to "speak to me"! lol! I am all ears for any success stories.

Getting Internet leads reminds me of fishing

Other Realtors consider capturing just an email address as a contact and a lead - << Agree and that is too funny>>

because it gives them someone to put on their list and hound till the day they die regardless of their motivation. << This is more like a real world farm area that you would regularly mail. Nothing wrong with it but really not a lead. >>

And, they can then brag about all the "leads" they get from their website, go on the seminar circuit, etc. ---> Losers
Lead = contact info and some defining measeure of interest either property criteria or at least MLS #'s

Phone numbers are a must
whooo hoooo I am still good!


IMO
To get the best leads you must not require visitors to give any personal information before they access any info.
But I need to follow that up with you won't get as many leads. If your a good salesman you can turn some of the fence sitters.


But to answer the question must be My handsome picture ..lol Easy navagation, you need to make the surfer feel at home on your website, 800#'s and online forms that don't look a mile long ... The rest I am saving for the seminar circuit..




[This message has been edited by 2savvy (edited 05-07-2004).]

Good Post 2Savvy,

I agree that it must be your picture

I was experimenting with the forms on one of my sites and found something interesting although VERY preliminary. The shorter the form...the more inquiries it got however...the quality of the lead according to the client was somewhat lower. There in lies the conundrum (spelling :confused

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Rich
Advertising, Marketing & Virtual Tours

2 savvy is right: phone numbers are a "must".
However, the consistent follow-up and giving valuable informations to the prospect (MLS details, CMA's) will create a satisfied client and a commission.
What impress everybody is immediate follow-up: a phone call within few hours after they sign-in, is the best. Most likely you are the only one that are calling! Real event today.
I think that people that have an interest are giving the information if you are asking for. Just ask.

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George Milos
www.MetroPhoenixMLS.com

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rich@vtws:
[B]What feature do you find your clients use most to frequently to actually make contact with you from your website and why do you think it works?... Time to get some thoughts going to increase everyones conversion.

All the visitors in the world don't help if you don't capture them

I Agree it is time to really open this up!

It won't make much difference what you have on your web site, if you don't make it simple and easy for folks to contact you.

And, why would agents have a web site (page) on a corporate web site, give out that url to the world, and then when a visitor arrives at the site, the first link they see is "Find an Agent"... who's getting your business?



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Small Company but we're BIG in Brampton. Relocation Transfer packages for anywhere in North America Homes For Sale All Sizes All Prices

The naked truth.
(K.I.S.S.)

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George Milos
www.MetroPhoenixMLS.com

I get my largest number of contacts from my "Prefered Member Club" which allows access to MLS search and monthly recent sales reports. Nice mix of buyers & sellers that way.

I follow up with an automatic email drip campaign.

This leads to sign ups for email updates from buyers and CMAs for sellers.

I never require phone numbers & I tell visitors exactly what they can expect if they sign in as far as contact from me.

Understanding the mindset of an on-line lead is very important.

They need to be responded to immediately, even though most are just starting out the process.

They need to be nurtured and quietly/unobtrusively followed up with as most will work with the first agent that they contact.

These are not the folks that we were taught to go after. Many will not be buying in 0-3 months. Its more like 3-12 months.

So, you follow up with helpful emails right off the bat and then less frequently with a monthly newsletter or email inquiry to stay in front of them.

99% DO NOT want to be called. That is why they are using the internet and not an agent.

If you want to "fish" the internet, you need to understand that once your site is up and running, it could take up to a year to get it properly tweaked to get visitors to find you, proper "stickiness" to get them to return and just the right kind of customized info you'll need to get them to sign in and become a lead. Then you will need to wait another 3-6 months until they actually are ready for action.

Knoll,

Great post, very solid advice!



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Make it a great day!

Brian Rodgers, MBA
Brian Rodgers Seminars, Inc.
http://www.brseminars.com
1-800-339-8841

I agree with many things you say Knoll but not with

99% DO NOT want to be called. That is why they are using the internet and not an agent.

To say the reason that 99% of the people are using the internet is because they don't want to be called is obviously untrue. They are using the net for many reasons and the people that don't want to be called will enter 555-5555 or my personal favorite 867-5309.

If they are serious and want professional service they will give you real information.

You need to establish a personal relationship with people. I have yet to see an e-mail or website that does it better than picking up a phone and calling them. I think when people give you their phone number they are expecting a call from you.

If you need a reason to call them e-mail them so information right away and do a quick follow up on the e-mail then you can put them in the coffee machine and see what perks.

This is about quality not quantity.


I am willing to bet at the end of the year the person that calls will be more successful.

Understanding the mindset of an on-line lead is very important. --- I agree

Nothing wrong with a solid e-mail campaign like you said KNOLL but it's like your playing the game from behind.
when you go that route.

plus nothing funnier than getting the same e-mail from the same person sent from more than one site. So you know your being shopped. If that's the case I would like a quick personal introduction of why I am the best choice..

If they like you and trust you they will use you.
On another note Pretty scary to think people would choose someone for such a big transaction just from e-mailing them .. but they do

"If they are serious and want professional service they will give you real information."

I agree, 2Savvy. And 99% was an exaggeration, but I think it is true when they first get going on the internet that they don't want to be called.

Clarification - I didn't say you SHOULDN'T call them, I just said I don't REQUIRE a phone number, because most people don't want to be called. I do provide a place for them to enter a phone number if they want to and I give them a plethra of ways to contact me - and they do. I call it "quiet persuasion" and it is working so far.

The most common comments I get are, "We were so glad that you responded so quicky - other agents never answered our email." and "We really liked how you kept us in mind, but didn't pressure us." (I didn't, my email campaign did.) and finally, "The agent we started working with was emailing us but he just sort of disappeared. I guess we didn't buy a house quick enough."

Now, my website is finally in the middle of the second stage that I described in my last post, where I have dozens of prospects regularly using my site.

I had 28 people sign up for my "Prefered Member Club" (valid email address because they apply to get a link emailed to them to access the info, which they don't get with a bogus email address) and 11 people signed up for the Market Reports. Two people ordered Free Reports and 5 people wanted CMAs. That's just the last 6 days.

I expect to see a return on my investment (in them) soon. I'll let you know. But, to recieve so many comments like those above so soon into my website creation, I already I know I stand apart.

Also, I don't treat my site just as a lead generator. It is a tool for my clients. I try to give them everything available to help them through the transaction.

Buyers have access to the MLS, automatic email listings and a password protected page that puts everything found on MLS onto one page for them. That way they can easily reference it. They also can look up the Market Reports that show the active/pending/solds, average days on market, average sale price, etc for neighborhoods they are interested in. Then, once it goes to escrow, they get an password protected transaction calendar that had all of their due dates and automatically emails them an alert ahead of time. This, of course, is in addition to the community information, school info, etc that most sites offer.

Sellers get front page featured listings, Homefeedback.com, eCommercials, email market updates and the transaction calendar. They can also use the Market Reports to scout out activity in their area.

Like I said, the internet is a different beast. But I agree that I have yet to have an entire transaction happen over email (pretty close though).

However, the million plus in transactions that I can directly attribute to my site in the last 6 months - or referals from recent internet clients - all contacted ME when they were ready.

If that trend continues, I'll do 3 to 4 times that by the end of this year.

But, what I am doing with this is turning website emails into actual LEADS with this system.

In the end, an agent has to have the knowledge and confidence to turn that lead into a client.

So, once you actually get them on the phone, it's right back to the same practices just like a phone lead or open house lead.

Kristin

Real Estate Consultant
Milwaukee, WI
http:BestMilwaukeeHomes.com



[This message has been edited by knoll (edited 05-14-2004).]

[This message has been edited by knoll (edited 05-14-2004).]

Sounds like you got it down that probably works well for you.

Content
Content
Content
MLS Listings
More Content

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[url=http://
http://www.RealEstateWebGuy.com]Real Estate Web Design and
Marketing[/url]

the biggest lead generator for me has been a list of foreclosures i put on my web site, to view the list you have to provide, name, email, phone, price range, actually it is providing too many leads. problem is too many people (and other agents) are using the information i put together but not using me as their agent.

so i am about to lock the site down, and still generate leads with it but only give them very limited info on them, clients will only get full info.

kinda hate to do it as it will be more work for me to allow access to only certain people, but i'm tired of being taken advantage of, as i have always had a service mentality to help people and they will come back to you.