When it comes to converting internet leads, phone calls, drip email and auto-responders are a good start but long-term follow up gets the job done. Even if your salesperson is responding to the lead in record time, the majority of leads just aren’t ready to talk. The best way to convert the highest number of internet web leads is to hire a lead coordinator.
Salespeople Can’t Shouldn’t be Lead Coordinators
From studies I have seen and experience within my own office, most leads take 60-90 days after they register to be ready to communicate actively with a salesperson. Despite their best efforts, the majority of salespeople will make one or two attempts at follow up. Good salespeople will give it three or four tries but it is very rare that traditional sales people will continue following up after one or two weeks . . . and why should they? Commission based sales people can’t afford to spend their time following up on leads for extended amounts of time. Let’s face it, real estate agents do their best work in the car with ready buyers (not at a computer) and as a manager or owner, being out in the field is where you want them to be. The bad news is that if the salesperson is giving up after the first two weeks, and the majority of leads won’t communicate until week 8, we as real estate companies are leaving a good amount of business on the table. (See my post on When are Web Leads Ready?). The solution is to hire an Internet Lead Coordinator.
So what is a Lead Coordinator?
A lead coordinator that focuses solely on lead conversion can develop a system where leads are contacted using a follow-up plan that is designed to be both immediate and long-term. It is important to remember that even though most leads (7 out of 10) convert in at the beginning of month 3, there are some leads that are ready immediately. It would be the lead coordinator’s job to analyze and determine exactly how ready they are and to assign them out accordingly. In addition to these tasks, the lead coordinator is often charged with following up with salespeople after assignment to determine if a once ready lead has slipped back into the non-ready position and needs to be put back into the normal long-term follow-up plan.
Some Lead Coordinators Duties
- Monitor incoming leads both mail and phone (sometimes it helps to use a separate number on the website)
- Manage the lead database, taking notes at every interaction with leads and salespeople.
- Analyze user history e.g. saved searches, favorites, etc.
- Do initial follow-up (do not rely on automated replies) remember to both call and email ALL leads.
- Do an overall lead evaluation (how ready is the lead) based on user history and initial follow up.
- Assign lead to an agent or long-term follow up system depending on readiness.
- Systematically follow up with leads and salespeople regarding lead statuses.
Lastly
The type of follow-up, phone scripts and actual processes will depend mostly on the companies local market and policies.
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