Agents: Why Are You Letting Leads Slip Away?

Written by Posted On Tuesday, 20 May 2014 10:45

A new study, conducted by our team in partnership with WAV Group, reveals that many brokers are still struggling with lead management, and losing far too many prospects in the process.

Posing as consumers, researchers inquired about listings on broker websites, Zillow.com, Realtor.com, and Trulia.com. Reaching out to 384 brokers in 11 states, we found:

  • 48% of inquiries went unanswered
  • Average response time was 15 hours
  • Call-back attempts averaged 1.5
  • Email contacts averaged 2.07

The Burden of DIY Lead Gen

In speaking to countless independent brokers, common themes run through their lead generation experiences: It's expensive, hit or miss, extremely time consuming, and often confusing thanks to a digital landscape that never stops shifting.

"The survey may sound surprising, but I can relate," says David Vane of Weichert, REALTORS®-- New Colony. "As an independent, you're overseeing multiple websites, worrying about rankings, and collaborating with SEO experts, and clients can fall through the cracks."

"Staying in contact is important, but having a polished e-mail campaign full of information, tips, and tools that buyers and sellers can really use adds value that makes a difference," says Michael McKenna of Weichert, REALTORS®-- New Colony.

Investing in Leads

The Weichert Lead Network was launched more than a decade ago to streamline the lead generation process for our franchisees by quickly qualifying prospects and providing a "warm hand-off" to their agents in the field.

Our state-of-the-art call center is staffed seven days a week with experienced associates who can engage with a customer immediately.

"In less than three minutes, inquiries in our region are put through to one of my agents," says Clem Fucci of Weichert, REALTORS®Orange Connecticut. "This allows them to focus on the client instead of struggling with technology, which is a win-win."

Equally important to lead generation is driving traffic to Weichert.com through SEO and pay-per-click investments. Our goal is to be seen by every consumer on the Internet who is interested in buying or selling a home.

This multimillion-dollar annual investment has made Weichert.com one of the most highly visited real estate websites in the nation. Thanks to custom-built tracking, we can also follow investments to the marketing source and learn from our successes, while paid search allows us to buy hundreds of thousands of monthly clicks for a very low cost.

"We're routinely in the top 25 out of a billion real-estate websites," says Brandon Long of Weichert, Realtors of Bentonville Arkansas. "The sheer number of visitors means many more buyers and sellers, without having to work so hard at making those connections."

Finding and nurturing leads will always be essential to building great relationships with clients. Now, more than ever, technology can target the search and deliver top prospects right to our door — if we let it.

Find out what better lead generation can do for your business by visiting http://weichertfranchise.com.

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Weichert

Everyone in the Weichert® organization is proud of our history, because it shows that putting customers first is still the best recipe for business success.

What’s more, every record we break and milestone we reach reflects the success of franchisees who found the perfect fit with Weichert and are now sharing in these achievements.

We look forward to the future milestones we will reach, and having you on our team to enjoy them.

 

THE FOUNDATION OF LEADERSHIP

 

1969 - Weichert, Realtors® is born with Jim Weichert leading a single office in Chatham, NJ. 

1977 - Weichert Insurance Agency, Inc. is introduced.

1980 - Weichert Financial Services is launched in order to provide customers with a more comprehensive range of real estate services.

1983 - Our first expansion outside of New Jersey begins with the opening of multiple real estate brokerages in Pennsylvania.

1985 - Weichert School of Real Estate opens.

 

STRENGTHENING THE STRUCTURE

 

1986 - Weichert Workforce Mobility, Inc. is created, providing relocation services to Fortune 500 companies.

1988 - Weichert company-owned offices spread to Connecticut, New York, and Delaware.

1991 - Our bright yellow brand makes its way to Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

1999 - Weichert University begins offering courses to new and experienced sales associates, soon becoming an industry leader in training.

2000 - Weichert Corporate Housing is introduced to supply companies with interim housing and furnished apartments.

 

EXPANSION AND INNOVATION

 

2001 - Mortgage, insurance, and title services, as well as Weichert Home Connections, are grouped together as Weichert Gold® Services, a unique, one-stop experience for our customers.

2002 - Weichert Lead Network advances its web presence and online advertising, adding a state-of-the-art call center to respond to buyers and sellers within minutes.

2002 - Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. begins offering franchise opportunities to independent broker-owners along the East Coast.

2005 - Weichert open houses attract more than a million visits annually.

2006 - Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. expands to Texas and the Midwest.

2007 - Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. debuts on the West Coast.

 

BUILDING ON A HISTORY OF SUCCESS

Today, Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. can be found in more than 250 markets across 37 states.

Weichert Financial Services is one of the nation’s top mortgage lenders.

Weichert Workforce Mobility, Inc. is among the world’s leading relocation companies, servicing 175 countries, with regional centers in Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States.

Weichert offices serve nearly 200,000 customers per year in key markets throughout the United States.

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