Your Prospects Are Rounded Up – Now What?

Now that you have those names and email addresses, the money is flowing right? Hardly. You've merely converted some suspects into prospects. And a prospect isn't going to hand you money. You don't get paid unless these names and email addresses end up next to you at the closing table.

The one thing the Internet has done with amazing efficiency is to allow the real estate buyer or seller to spend as much time as they want in research and shopping without ever once talking to a real estate professional. The buyer process in finding a home has moved from a few weeks, most in the presence of a real estate agent, to many months online. Sellers also have a number of comprehensive resources online to gather information about the selling process and find out what homes in their neighborhood are selling for.

Even if they like and continue to use your website and IDX search function, you're still just a website that works for them. You're no more valuable than any other real estate website, and you're still competing with the Zillows and Trulias of the world. The most important function in your lead generation plan is now in play. You must follow up and build a relationship to get them to your closing table.

Drip email, or scheduled emails is the most effective way to start a discussion, but you need to do it right so that you don't alienate the prospect. First, develop an email campaign that's tightly woven around information of value to the niche. Don't send "make your kitchen smell good" emails to first time home buyers. Don't send residentially oriented emails to investors or commercial prospects. If you captured your prospects with focused reports, the forms would have grouped your prospects for you.

Don't send too many emails. Three to six spaced appropriately time wise for the sale or listing process in your market is enough. Once you've sent three to six automated and pre-written emails, you don't stop sending. You just start sending the same emails to all prospects, and they're not pre-written nor automated. Once you've finished a drip email process to prospect, they go into a long term list.

Once they're in the long term list, you prepare a market analysis or "State of the Market" report that goes out monthly or quarterly, depending on the speed of your market. Every prospect group likes statistics. Create the market report using stats from the MLS for recently sold properties. Add your commentary, with your opinion as to the market. Tell a story about a recent transaction of interest.

You're keeping the content of these emails of interest to all prospects, and even your previous clients. The purpose is to keep you "top-of-mind" as the local real estate expert. They need to think of you when they're ready to buy, sell or refer you to someone.

Let's recap. Once you get a new prospect's contact information, place them into the appropriate interest group to receive a short series of emails of specific interest to that group. Once that series of automated drip emails is finished, move them to the general statistical interest list and create custom emails on a monthly or quarterly basis.

NEVER remove a prospect unless they request removal. It will surprise you how some previous clients will stay on your list for years. Don't be pushy, just be helpful and keep them informed. You'll find that this approach will keep the maximum number of prospects on your list. They will convert to commissions at some point.

To view the original article, visit the WebsiteBox blog.