Analyzing Leads

Determining which leads are going to pan out can be a delicate manner. Not everyone who fills out an online contact form is going to be totally serious about buying a home in the near future. Agents have to develop a means of separating legitimate leads from those that appear to be time-wasters.

Jones likes to ask questions of his leads to find out whether they are truly motivated to make a move or if they are looking to sell or buy further down the road.

“I ask qualifying questions, especially with a buyer,” Jones says. “Are you prequalified? Do you need to talk about the process? With the seller, I do a little bit of research on the property before I go on a listing. I find out about the background of the property and ask specific questions about their timeline and their motivation for selling. I tend to prequalify before I invest too much time.”

The face-to-face meeting is an important aspect of the approach Cox takes to her prospective clients.

“I like to have a face-to-face meeting with all of my prospective clients to determine if we would be a good fit for one another,” Cox says. “Generally speaking, most serious buyers or sellers welcome the opportunity to meet in person, and this has proven to be a really good indicator of whether a person truly wants assistance in taking the next steps in home buying or selling.”

Cox moves quickly to ensure that the relationship grows past that initial meeting. “I always do my best to provide something of value as quickly as possible when I meet a new prospective client,” she says. “Whether this is information, an invite for a personal meeting or a connection to a vendor in my network, I aim to provide them value from our initial interaction.

“My main focus is ensuring that each client I work with feels that I’ve given them my full attention, listened to their needs and that I’ve done everything that I can do to help them achieve their ideal buying or selling goals. I believe the best way to meet new prospective clients is by ensuring my current clients are happy with the work I’ve done for them.”