Comments on: Website Registration Strategy

By: Chino Hills Home

Chino Hills Home — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:48:56 +0000

I agree Lou, letting the user search freely builds trust and when it comes time to take action by the end user we have kept our registration form down to the minimal information required. This makes it very simple to request information on the users part and we capture the lead.

By: Avo

Avo — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:40:49 +0000

I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.

By: Susan

Susan — Mon, 25 May 2009 02:34:25 +0000

Timing on this is an interesting topic. Clearly, people are searching on the internet to remain a bit anonymous at the time, so why push it.

By: Lou Lynch

Lou Lynch — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:13:46 +0000

@Jolenta – Like I said before, each market is different in the type of real estate consumer and buyer behavior associated with those consumers. Requiring the phone number may work for you (and your market) but has the propensity to leave a significant amount of business on the table in other markets. My best advice is to test it both ways and see what works better.

With that said, one thing does stand true regardless of real estate markets: at the very beginning of the sales cycle, the majority of the registration leads want to remain anonymous. Forcing them to enter a phone number may make the user slightly uneasy, which will result in a bounce (user leaving the website) or a fake phone number. If you not getting fake phone numbers, chances are they are leaving. In addition, if a user enters a number without being required to do so, it is evidence of better buyer behavior (more qualified lead).

I had several agents close deals where a phone number wasn’t provided until several email interactions were made between agent and lead.

By: Madison homes for sale

Madison homes for sale — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:53:16 +0000

Lou, Thanks for covering this fascinating subject that is near and dear to my heart! Currently I require registration on my LEC2 (including phone number) as soon as the user has looked at three properties. I’m considering changing it, however, after reading your post. I think you make a good case for that. One thing I’m not convinced about, however, is not requiring a phone number. It’s just too easy for someone to hide behind an email address. Most of the people I call are extremely receptive and the only ones who aren’t usually sound a little embarrassed, like they weren’t really looking that seriously in the first place. Looking forward to reading more about this and experimenting with different strategies. -Jolenta

By: Lou Lynch

Lou Lynch — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:26:56 +0000

Yes, it is a fine line. I try to focus on the customer service aspect. In other words, I assume that each user that comes to my website expects to be serviced (not bothered). I capture the contact info so that I can attempt contact and properly determine the level of customer service they require. If the user prefers not to be contacted, I make a note in the database and will not contact them again until they contact me. The approach after the registration information is vital.

Keep coming back!

By: Hawaii Real Estate reporter

Hawaii Real Estate reporter — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:15:22 +0000

A subject that is close to my heart. Always looking for that perfect combo that draws the line between pushy and not, while still getting a decent roi for marketing spend. Nice blog! Will be added to my feedreader! Hawaii Real Estate reporter’s last blog post..Feb 2009 Video Discussion of Hawaii Real Estate

By: Ulster County Real Estate Pro

Ulster County Real Estate Pro — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:35:59 +0000

It wasn’t so much the ethics of it, rather a strategy that seemed a little more ethical.

In terms of ethics, requiring a registration is not unethical in the least (referencing the rew post).

By: Jennifer Mackay

Jennifer Mackay — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:29:28 +0000

Lou,

Were you going to write about the ethics of registration?

I thought I saw that in a post on REW.