Leads are the lifeblood of any successful real estate career, but taking advantage of these opportunities is contingent on having a system to manage them. While most real estate professionals have established their own system of obtaining leads, it's how you take action on these leads that will truly allow your business to grow.

Bob Corcoran, founder and CEO of Corcoran Consulting and Coaching, revealed some tried and true techniques for capitalizing on leads once they are received during Homes.com's Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar, "10 Best Practices for Converting Online Leads." Just to give you a little background on Corcoran, he is recognized throughout the industry for specializing in performance coaching and the implementation of sound business systems into a broker or agent's current strategy.

According to Corcoran, "The Internet has really taken hold, and it's not a lead generation issue, but a lead management issue." Furthermore, he promises that if you follow his advice then you'll most likely double your business in the next 12 months. Here are the first five of ten steps to get you on your way to making the most of every lead.

1. Follow Up Immediately

Ninety-five percent of leads that are contacted by phone within the first five minutes of being received will have a 95 percent success rate. On the other hand, if you decide to finish your lunch and call them back ten minutes later, the percentage has already dropped to 80 percent!