Narrowing the Focus

While there are several lead generation platforms, tools, methods and strategies available for agents, sometimes the results are better when using just one or two lead generation methods, rather than as many as possible. The steady integration of new technology into a cohesive, multi-faceted lead generation strategy came for Metz after a rocky first year in the industry, in which he attempted to use a single approach over an area that proved to be too broad. Metz, who has been in real estate for about five years, eventually figured out that focusing on an area he knows well and developing a niche would garner better results than trying to spread himself too thin.

“I think the first mistake a lot of agents make is they try too many different methods,” he says. “Instead of whittling it down to a couple communities and a couple different methods, they try to advertise everywhere in Chicago and on every site. I learned the hard way that it is not a good methodology to go with a shotgun approach where you’re going after billions of people. You’re much better off focusing on where you live or where you grew up, as long as it’s an area that you know very, very well and where you have a sphere of influence.”

Metz figured out that he would attract better results by picking four or five approaches and utilizing them in a handful of markets, rather than trying to reach people in 30 different markets. Staking a claim to a particular area or developing a client niche allows an agent to become an expert who can answer questions for his or her clients and provide helpful information to them. Serving a particular type of clientele can help an agent develop referrals within a particular community, while providing the benefit of working with a customer base that the agent enjoys.

“I realized that one of the most rewarding aspects of the industry was helping first-time homebuyers achieve their dream of homeownership,” Metz says. “I absolutely love working with those folks, so I developed that niche, and now they are probably about 80 percent of my clientele.”

However, make sure not to abandon a strategy before you see results. Many agents try an approach and then drop it if it doesn’t show immediate results, but when trying a new lead generation tool or platform, a good rule is to try it for at least a year before analyzing the results and deciding whether it is or is not effective.

“A lot of agents, especially new agents, get into the business and they think it’s going to be this really quick `I’m going to make this huge commission check,’ and they don’t think of real estate either as a career or work,” Bey-Little says. “They tend to hope for leads, but don’t stick with the methods that will get them. A mistake we make is we try it once, and we’re not consistent.”