Internet Real-Estate Leads Raise the Bar for Higher Service and Expectations

 

by David Lott
Editor/Publisher
GolfCourseHome®Network

 

The recent news in the New York Times that Google has signed off on
its purchase of a 5 percent stake in AOL for $1 billion—which will
provide $300 million worth of advertising credits to AOL to promote
its web sites on Google's search service—underlines the sharply
rising value of leads acquired over the internet.

 

How does your business view and respond to internet leads?

 

Are internet leads a top priority? Or do they accumulate in someone’s
email in-box and are looked at by the end of the week?

 

Do automatic responders put the ball back in the lead’s court
and you wait for further communication?

 

When a request comes in saying that the person and his wife will
be in town for the weekend and want to come by to view property,
is that request answered immediately?

 

Who handles the leads when your lead coordinator is out of the

office for three days?

 

And how do you, the developer, the marketing director, the sales
manager and the sales associate weigh leads that come via the internet?
What priority are they assigned?

 

Your Most Valuable Source of New Business 

I believe that after phone calls and walk-ins, internet leads are
your most valuable source of new business. Why?

 

The central reason is shortened time and increased expectations.

 

When a consumer sends a real estate inquiry over the internet for more
information, the level of expectation for a response is far higher than
if the person filled out a magazine bingo card or clipped a coupon out
of a newspaper.

 

The expected time for a response shrinks from two to four weeks to
mere hours to seven days for mailed packages.

 

How does your community or real estate office compare?

 

Do your salespeople feel comfortable with leads that come over the internet?

 

How long does it take for a lead to travel from someone’s in-box to a
salesperson to follow-up action?

 

A Dramatically Shrinking World

As Thomas Friedman says in his new book, “The World Is Flat,” the
internet has created a convergence that is breath-taking. Time and
borders have shrunk dramatically. All internet leads, no matter the
state or country, have become local and alive with potential.

 

A recent example involves a gentleman living in the United Kingdom,
using GolfCourseHome, which is based in Connecticut, who inquired
about property located at Paradise Village, Mexico. He bought the
property site unseen! Would your salespeople have put a person from
the UK on the bottom of the pile in favor of someone who lived closer?

 

We frequently do surveys of leads to our communities and this reply
is not uncommon—“We did not receive requested information, so
we bought somewhere else.” Slow-to-follow leads often means lost business.

 

A Look Ahead to 2006 and Beyond

As we move into the new year we will be focusing more on community
follow-up, with more surveys and more head’s-up’s about people
who have already indicated they want to visit your property.

 

We understand that the GolfCourseHome®Network is an integral part
of your marketing program and that when all facets of the system are
functioning efficiently, there is more business for everyone and we all win.

 

Have thoughts on this subject? Email us your comments by clicking here.

 

 

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