Real Estate Leads: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly with SetSchedule CCO Daniel Parzivand

Posted On Thursday, 08 July 2021 22:33

unnamedSkilled in negotiation, sales management, and lead generation (to name a few strengths) Daniel Parzivand has spent the last several years becoming a true customer experience guru. His growth with SetSchedule started all the way back in 2014 when he joined the company as a Regional Sales Coordinator intern. After 7 years of hard work and dedication, he has earned his way to the position of Chief Client Officer. As an integral piece of the SetSchedule puzzle, his ability to nurture and guide customers to success has proven invaluable to the company’s impressive growth.

For those not familiar with SetSchedule, allow us to introduce you to one of the leading tech-based real estate companies out there. Using SAAS, consumer cloud communication products, AI, and autonomous business flow applications, SetSchedule offers a way for those in the industry to eliminate the struggle behind building profit-generating connections.

We reached out to Daniel to see if he would share some of his knowledge with us, and help us figure out the best ways to succeed in the real estate internet lead generation world.

Lead generation can be such a big and confusing concept for new real estate agents. If you could simplify the process in a few short sentences, how would you present the concept to someone who is just learning about it?

In short, lead generation is all about the nurturing process. Nurturing is the process through which you establish contact and build relationships with prospects. It’s about the number of touch points we have in a 30 day nurturing cycle. You can break down the nurturing cycle in 3 different stages. Days one to 7, days 8 to 30, and days 31 - 90.

Your initial stage, days 1 - 7, sets the tone for the rest of the nurturing cycle. You want to be fairly aggressive with the number of touch points you have and you’ll want to use a variety of ways to engage. I generally recommend having nine to twelve different touch points in your first seven days consisting of texts, emails, and phone calls. Days eight through thirty, you want to be consistent with having 2-3 touch points a week and days 31 - 90, I generally recommend having at least 1-2 touch points per week. 

Expanding on the concept of lead generation a bit more. The idea can vary from realtor to realtor. While some consider a lead a client who actually ends up working with them, others will look at it as anyone who they can add to their contacts. What does lead generation mean to you?

Lead generation needs to be thought of as getting the opportunity to interact with a Potential Prospect. So, I think of it as having the opportunity to show a prospect the value I can provide should they work with me.Though agents have skills and expertise that home shoppers can utilize, these skills are meaningless if the agent is unable to engage with a homeshoper. Simply having an opportunity to connect and communicate with someone who owns or wants to own a property is considered lead generation in my eyes. If I call a phone number and the person I’m attempting to get a hold of answers the call, that’s a good lead! That’s because it’s an opportunity for me to demonstrate my value in the hopes they will work with me long term.

The concept of how to best nurture customers obviously can change from industry to industry. While some strategies are acceptable within one industry, you might never do the same thing in another. What would you say is different when it comes to real estate specifically?

One of the most important differences is the sales cycle. For most industries, the sales cycle is generally weeks to, at most, months. In the real estate industry, the lead cycle can be anywhere from months to even years. This means we’re expected to be able to nurture and stay in consistent communication with a potential prospect for much longer than other industries. This is both good and bad, depending on your mindset. In my eyes, I prefer this timeline as it gives me more time to nurture and build a real  relationship with my prospect that can last for multiple transactions.

There are so many places a realtor might find their next lead online. From Facebook to word of mouth, through third-party companies specializing in it, and even ads on blogs (the online version of old school bus stop advertising). Based on your experience, what are the top ones out there today?

I always tell agents to stick to the basics! Old school cold calling and door knocking are some of the best ways to connect with local community members. Text messaging has become the most successful way of engaging a home shopper. Establishing yourself as the top community realtor can be difficult as there is so much competition out there. Finding leads in the industry is easy. Heck, by using SetSchedule, you can find hundreds of opportunities throughout the year. But it’s not enough to just find the opportunities -your competition is doing the same exact thing! You need to ask yourself “What isn’t my competition doing?” Create meaningful and lasting relationships by dropping off gifts during birthdays and graduations, by calling and checking in with your clients...you get where I’m going with this. We’re in the business of creating long term relationships.

Someone who’s just starting out in the industry won’t have the same ability as someone who’s had years of experience and has made a name for themselves. Based on this, what lead generation strategy would you recommend for a beginner, an intermediate, and an expert?

Great question! When it comes to those that are newer in the real estate industry, you want to get in front of as many home shoppers as you can. You’re going to need to spend a lot of time understanding the right way to phrase things and work your sound bites. To do this, you need to be willing to put in the time, NOT the money. Grind. By combining the ‘old school’ tactics with the new quick to respond social media, less experienced agents can easily connect with prospects. Try to combine door knocking with instagram. Mailers with facebook. Follow up your social media marketing with face to face marketing as well. The more prospects you get in front of, the better. Spend less money and focus on sweat equity.

For intermediates, start spending money on getting your face out there. Busses, benches, online advertising, and lead generation. But continue to follow up with face to face marketing as well. It’s important.

For those that don’t know the industry in depth, other real estate agents are the competition and should not be trusted. But, there is a skill in joining forces with others in the same boat as you. What are your thoughts on this?

It depends on the agent and their experience. Co-listing is always a good way to bring more marketing to your name. As a newer agent, I generally recommend having a more experienced agent tag along with you when meeting a prospect for the first time. That brings a lot of credibility to your name and comfort to your prospects. Understanding your weaknesses and partnering with someone that is strong in that area is a plus!

Covid was a hard hitter for lots of industries, real estate being one of them. How did the pandemic affect lead generation in the industry, and how do you think it has changed the game today?

Covid has shifted real estate to a more cloud-based industry. It has forced the agents that are still in the game to have to find ways to leverage technology more so than ever. From virtual open houses, to no-contact closings, to virtual face to face video conference calls. New and innovative tech platforms have been established to bring agents and prospects closer together through online based communication platforms. I highly encourage all agents to find new technology they can leverage to get in front of more prospects.

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