Real Estate Leads 101: Bad Agent, Don't Do That!

So you know different ways to follow up with your real estate leads, you even know when to do it and how often. What you may not know are a few things that you should NEVER do with your real estate leads, no matter what.

You don't ever want to TRASH your real estate leads. No matter what information may seem fake, it is up to you to follow up and track down the lead in order to help them out. If you want business, you will take the time to thoroughly follow up with your real estate leads.

Don't give up after a short amount of time. So in the past month you've called the lead 10 times, e-mailed them 20 and sent out 2 different information packets. You've gotten no response yet. Please understand that YET is the keyword here. Just because your real estate leads don't respond after a month, doesn't mean it is a bad lead, it simply means the lead isn't ready to deal with an agent. You need to show them that you will be there for as long as it takes and you will help them with anything they need. Continue to follow up, call, mail, email and if you haven't, you should DEFINITELY stop by the property and try and introduce yourself. The best way to get a feel for a person is to meet them face to face.

Do not EVER be rude to your real estate leads, no matter how ignorant they are to you. Some people are just nasty, period. That doesn't mean you have to be nasty back, if anything, you should be even NICER, because you will always catch more flies with honey than salt. If your real estate lead was looking for information just because, don't yell at them for wasting your time. Treat them as if they have a million dollar home you're trying to get the listing for – you never want to burn a bridge when it comes to real estate leads. Today's pain the butt may wind up being tomorrow's $10,000 commission.

Don't be too immovable or rigid in your dealings with your real estate leads. If a lead wants to negotiate your commission, then negotiate. Because it is almost guaranteed that if you're not willing to work with them, they can easily find someone else who will. For example, I knew an agent who turned away a lead because the homeowner wanted them to sell their home for a 1% commission to match what a Help-U-Sell office offered to sell for the lead. The agent turned the lead down flat because 1% wasn't worth her time. Later, I found out the home that was in question could sell for close to a million dollars! Even at a 1% commission that's almost $10,000. And who knows what kind of referrals the agent could have gotten from the homeowner for being so flexible. But the agent was more worried about what she considered “worth her time” and wasn't concerned about servicing her real estate leads.

Finally, don't ever treat your real estate leads like money bags. People can see through a greedy agent in a heartbeat. If you're only there for the money, your lead will see this and will move right on to the next agent. Real estate isn't just a sales position, it is a customer service position as well. Because it's such a popular field, there's always another agent there to take your real estate leads right out from under you if they catch you slipping and your real estate leads have PLENTY of options if they decide you're not the one for them. The important thing is to keep in mind that they are people who need your expertise to see them through a complex and confusing process, but you aren't the only one who can help them. You want to treat your real estate leads with the same respect and attentiveness you would give to someone who just listed a multi million dollar home with you, because when it comes down to it, you are there to work for THEM.