If a click truly were a lead, then some Realtors I know would have 200 to 300 leads a week. No, a click on an agent's page is nothing more than a "suspect." And that suspect doesn't turn into a "prospect" until the buyer fills out an interactive form requesting information and/or help in finding a home. Look, buyers online can see virtually any home they want. But if they want solid information about neighborhoods and other real estate-related data, they need a Realtor's expertise. That's why buyers not only click on agents' websites, they're willing to fill out online forms and send emails seeking help. When the Realtor receives an email with the blanks filled in, s/he has a partially qualified prospect in hand. At least that's how it works for my clients and their websites. My company, Best Image Marketing (www.bestimage.com), puts several interactive forms on each of our agents' websites. There's a form for buyers, another for sellers. There's one for people looking to relocate, and still another where folks can subscribe to the agent's online "hot homes email" newsletter to be informed immediately of the latest listings. The Internet, like any other direct response marketing vehicle, is nothing more than a numbers game. The more traffic to a Realtor's site, the more leads and the more closed transactions. Here are some actual numbers from Realtors within our system to prove the point. Each of these Realtors' sites can be found at www.NUMBER1EXPERTS.com(TM). * "I average about 800 'hits' per week and about 10 direct requests for information per week (with my Best Image website) over the past 1-1/2 years," says Kevin Purtell, The Premier Group, Oshkosh, WI. "In that same 1-1/2 years with Realtor.com, I have had a total of TWO inquiries. I cannot give you an exact number (of closed transactions) because...tracking isn't very good on my end. All I can say is that it has been substantial." * "I've had to learn how to respond to emails, and that took some getting used to," writes Nancy Woodward, Coldwell Banker Apex Realtors, Mesquite, TX. "I had plenty of hits and interest, but it took time to get used to answering the inquiries on the same day and within a couple of hours. Now I get 6 to 8 leads per week, and have learned how to close them. I now close an average of 3 leads per month just from the website." * We have had a Best Image website for about two years," say Kathy and Michael Rain, Coldwell Banker, Montara, CA. "We get 30 to 40 inquiries per month, and of those we probably get 6 viable leads per month. Last year, we closed $1.5 million worth of business from our site, and this year more than $1 million so far (with several months to go)." * "We have been with Best Image for almost a full year, and we average about 20 inquiries per month (ranging from specific requests for information to requests to be put on an email list)," writes Rachel Hess, The Rullo Team, Re/Max Excels, Geneva, IL. "From those inquiries, we have converted at least 2 each month into sales." I could provide numerous other examples of Realtors within our system who get not just clicks but serious inquiries from buyers (and sellers too!) which they convert into closed business. And that's why the Internet is fast becoming the most powerful marketing medium for Realtors. As long as they understand that the real key to success online (just as it is offline) is to promote themselves and their expertise, not just their homes, the leads will come. And Internet success will follow.