7 Signs You Should Call a Real Estate Prospect

Americans check their smartphones an astonishing 8 billion times per day. Between push notifications, texts and calendar reminders, cellphones make the short pilgrimage from pocket to palm about every five minutes.

Real estate agents who want to literally get in front of prospects should try doing something novel with this mobile technology: making a call. For most of us, hearing a friendly voice on the other end of the line is still the preferred way to receive assistance.

Here are seven signs you should call a real estate prospect and follow up with the forgotten art of the phone call.

1. They’ve called you first.

Miss a call from a prospective client and you’re already at a disadvantage. More than 53 percent of customers become irritated if they can’t speak to a real person right away.

And while returning that initial call may sound like a no-brainer when you’re talking about a lead, what happens when it’s an existing client? Established clientele often come under contract with an expectation of your availability. Keeping them happy and informed during the purchase or sale of their home often leads to increased referrals. Unfortunately, dissatisfied clients talk too. In fact, 95 percent are likely to share a bad experience with others.

Regardless of who’s on the line, make it a priority to return your calls at the first available moment, or set a clear expectation of when you can.

Learn to nurture clients on all channels — Download our Marketing Survival Kit.

2. They’ve opened four of five of the last email newsletters you sent.

When your client scrolls through the ol’ inbox each morning, they do a quick scan, then unconsciously categorize and flag emails based on importance. Of the average 121 emails received each day, clients statistically open only 22 percent of them.

If tracking data on your email newsletters reveals a consistent open rate, chances are your email campaign is working and you have a hot lead on your hands. Drill down to see which links that prospect is clicking, and pick up the phone with a topic of conversation in mind.

3. They’ve replied to a couple of your email newsletters about topics indirectly related to your business.

Sometimes a client takes the guesswork out of it and makes their interests obvious. These are great conversation starters, but make the call while you’re fresh on the client’s mind. This timely segue has the potential to open up other conversations that could eventually lead to a deal.

4. They visit the pricing page or FAQ page of your website.

Once a prospect begins poking around looking for your Realtor fees, you know they’re likely in the final stages of deciding whether or not to become a client. They may only need one final push to seal the deal. Fortunately, you can increase your conversion rates by 30 to 50 percent with a simple phone call.

See that a potential client is hovering on your FAQ page? Since 75 percent of consumers think a phone call is the most effective means of getting a quick response, give them a call to see how you can help.

You can spot these opportunities with a variety of free lead-capture forms from inbound marketing and sales platforms like HubSpot.

5. They fill out a contact or information request form.

This is a green light to make that call, but you’d better do it quickly. According to one MIT study, you’re 100 times more likely to reach a lead by calling within 5 minutes versus waiting a half hour.

Luckily, since more than half of a listing’s page views happen through mobile devices, you have a great chance of getting them on the first try.

6. They interact with you on social media, whether that’s liking your posts or retweeting your tweets.

It’s been well documented that failure to respond to clients on social media can increase a business’s churn rate by as much as 15 percent. However, listening to social media conversations and watching for client engagement will also tell you when you’ve struck a chord. These interactions give you fodder for an exploratory call. They also provide valuable insights that can help you personalize your content and improve future campaigns.

7. Someone referred them to you or mentioned that they might be in need of your services.

More than any other marketing channel leads with a personal recommendation are likely to turn into paying clients.

It’s no surprise that referrals from friends or family account for 42 percent of a real estate agent’s new business. Capitalize on these by following up with leads via phone and sending a personalized thank you note to the referrer.

Wrap-up

Want to grow your real estate business? Meet your buyers and sellers where they are: on their cell phones! More often than not, you can effectively convert prospects and referrals by following up with an old-fashioned phone call. Learn more about how to advance your content marketing tactics. We’re here to help.

Updated 10/2/17; Originally Published 3/1/17