I often get asked about the best real estate agent training systems in terms of lead generation. The truth is there is no universal lead generation strategy that ALL Realtors could implement and share similar results except for the one I’m going to tell you about in this post.
I have concluded that the personality types and work ethic of individual Realtors is what ultimately dictates the success or failures of various real estate marketing systems.
For example: One Realtor might be great at prospecting expired leads through cold calling. If I were to implement the same strategy, I would suck at it because cold calling is not one of my strengths. I hate cold calling, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. It just doesn’t work well for me.
What works for one Realtor might not necessarily work for another. The best real estate agent training in terms of lead generation, will vary from Realtor to Realtor based on their unique abilities.
BUT…
There is 1 real estate agent training system that I believe ALL Realtors can implement and share similar results because it’s based on mathematics. So, if you’re a Realtor looking for a consistent lead generation tool to build a career on, you should get a lot out of this post. If you are a mortgage company, brokerage, or even title company who is looking for a universal marketing system that can add value and increase your agent’s production, then READ THIS IN FULL.
Let’s examine different real estate agent lead generation systems first and learn why the success stories vary from Realtor to Realtor.
Buying Online Leads?
This is a great source of business for some agents, but very poor for others. After studying this for a few years it comes down to an agent’s relationship building skills.
Realtors can either convert online leads into clients or not. It really comes down to their ability to take a conversation offline. If you sign up for a Zillow zip code, the leads are there. I’ve seen some agents have massive success with buying online leads and other agents have no success with the same service.
Read this article below to see why:
Why Do Some Agent Convert Better Than Others?
I would suggest a real estate agent training system geared towards relationship building and creating a unique value proposition for this type of marketing.
Yes this works well, but it’s not for all agents.
Prospecting FSBO’s & Expireds?
Cold calling and prospecting is purely a numbers game. It’s something that I do not have a ton of experience with because I’m not a cold call type of guy. After my first year in the business I quit cold calling (although I did get business doing it, I just got burnt out and not right for me personally).
FSBO and Expireds prospecting are not for every agent. Some agents are comfortable doing it, but a large margin of agents are not. I have concluded that it’s based on a Realtor’s ability to develop trust and create value for these prospects quickly.
I would also suggest a real estate agent training system geared towards relationship building and creating a unique value proposition for this type of marketing.
Social Media & Technology
Not all Realtors have fully embraced today’s digital world. The average age of Realtors across the United States is roughly 56 years old and many agents have not adapted to the social media revolution. The key to making social media work for you is to be great at building a relationship online, then taking it offline.
Again, a good real estate training system to help Realtors gain more traction online or through social media is one that focuses on building relationships and earning trust. That’s how you create clients online today!
I would also suggest a real estate agent training system geared towards relationship building and creating a unique value proposition for this type of marketing.
Yes this works well, but it’s not for all agents.
Direct Mail For Lead Generation?
Yes this is a great source of potential business, but not every agent will adapt it because of the cost, lack of process, or education on what to do.
There are many ways to use direct mail for lead generation, but it’s something that not all agents can get behind.
Read this article to see a few of those:
4 Ways To Use Direct Mail In Real Estate Marketing
I think you get the point. There is a trend here. There is no single real estate agent training system that ALL real estate agents can implement and share similar results…is there?
I beg to differ.
All of the examples I wrote about above can get your phone to ring. Getting your phone to ring is the easy part, but it’s what you say when you answer it that makes the difference in client conversions. The key to making any of those lead generation systems work is simply on an Realtor’s individual relationship building skills.
Coincidentally as I’m sitting at a bar in Orlando at a marketing conference writing this post I saw a slide today that summed it up perfectly.
If you understand the above quote here, then you will have success implementing any of the above real estate training systems for lead generation in your business, but if you are a non-conversational individual you are not totally out of luck because here’s the one form of marketing that any Realtor can perform.
What’s the one true asset that all real estate agents have?
A network or a database.
Referral/Relationship Marketing Is Something Every Realtor Can Do
WHY?
61% of ALL agent business comes from referrals or repeat clients. This is generated from an agent’s sphere of influence. You can interview any top producer in your area and the vast majority of them have one thing in common, a large referral based business.
Real Estate will always remain a people business because consumers buy from people they TRUST. People happen to TRUST people they know, which is why a referral/relationship marketing system should be mandatory for ALL Realtors (I’m biased because this is what I do so forgive me for the shameless plug, but it’s the truth).
There is so much clutter in the world today about the next new lead generation tool that is going to crush it, but in reality the majority of business is right in front of us. Real estate agents get referrals from their database, not strangers. We get repeat business from satisfied past clients who remember us!
The most important marketing system for a Realtor to have is one in referral or relationship marketing because it’s really a mathematical formula.
You don’t market your database for their direct business, you do it for their referrals. Receiving their direct business is a by product of marketing your database, but that’s not the primary reason to do it in the first place.
Buyers and sellers want to work with a Realtor they know, like and trust. Who wants to make one of the largest financial decisions with a complete stranger? Do you think it’s wiser to put your marketing dollars in front of people you don’t know or in front of those that already know you?
Every one of us has a network, it’s just that many times we don’t see our relationships as the most profitable aspect of our business.
Relationships are the most profitable asset a Realtor can develop
The one thing that CANNOT be outsourced or “done for you” is creating a human connection with your database. There is no gadget, device, or technology that can replace YOU! It’s your authenticity that people buy, not the brand you are associated with (less than 2% of consumers chose their agents because of the brand they were with)!
That’s why a referral marketing system is a universal real estate agent training system that every agent can implement because it’s a mathematical equation.
If 15% of the people you know this year are moving how many of them can you get to use you?
if 100% of your database knows someone who is moving this year, how do you encourage them to share you name?
It’s through referral/relationship marketing!
When Realtors become great at building relationships, they also become great at conversion for online, direct mail, “old school” prospecting systems, and social media marketing systems.
Focus on building relationships first and the rest will come. This is not rocket science. Build your database and then keep your brand in front of it using multiple channels. it’s really that easy.
Sound complicated?
Curious on what to do?
You might like to check out all the content in these articles and I think you’ll see why. Access our entire library of FREE referral/relationship marketing training to see if this is something you think you might be able to do.