Real-world salespeople are usually not the silver-tongued persuaders or back-slapping bullies you\u2019ll see on TV sitcoms. In truth, the sales profession is an excellent example of the rule that success comes from \u201c1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration\u201d: the most successful salespeople are the ones who get in front of the most qualified prospects, which takes high levels of consistent effort and organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a new real estate agent, for example, your first concern is learning how to get real estate leads. Over time, you\u2019ll learn that the quality of your leads is variable, and that better-quality leads generate better results. Today we\u2019ll look at how a highly successful New York City broker leverages Spokeo\u2019s tools to refine and empower his prospecting and lead generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have to prospect for leads, right?\u201d the agent explains. \u201cHere in New York, it\u2019s very difficult, it\u2019s highly competitive, so we always try to find the best approach to prospect into the city.\u201d A few avenues he\u2019s had success with include the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In NYC \u2014 like everywhere else \u2014 cold calling is a fundamental skill, but looking for leads in a secure building filled with condos is different from door-knocking in a suburban neighborhood. Knowing something about the residents before you call can provide a crucial competitive difference, because \u2014 as the realtor says \u2014 \u201cYou have a better ratio of converting them into an actual sales listing. So a lot of people try to do that, and there are a lot of systems out there that try to provide this information.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another option is monitoring existing listings that haven\u2019t sold, waiting for the seller\u2019s contract with the listing agent to expire.\u00a0 \u201cIf within that time frame they can\u2019t sell it, then any other agent could go ahead and try to get that business.\u00a0 These are low-hanging fruit,\u201d says the agent.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProbate is another way real estate agents try to prospect for business,\u201d he continues.\u00a0 When the owner of a property passes away, often the house must be sold in order for its value to be divided between the heirs.\u00a0 Finding the person responsible for selling the house as part of the estate\u2019s probate process opens the door to getting that listing, but he cautions that \u201cIt\u2019s a bit harder to get this information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTypically, the way you\u2019re supposed to do it is to go down to the courthouse and try to pick up that probate data. But there are companies out there doing this for you, and selling it to you for an outrageous amount of money. They give it to you every month, or every two weeks, and they tell you who is the main person of that probate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That brings us to the next option: purchased lists of leads. These vary widely in quality, from the frequently updated (but costly) lists of probate leads to generic but lower-cost lists, such as \u201cname of last known owner of this property.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Purchasing leads can be risky. In addition, that variability can be discouraging for realtors working from the list. \u201cA lot of people are feeding us data,\u201d the realtor says, \u201cso we need to verify and check the data we are receiving to try and filter it out. Everyone expects 100 percent [accurate] data, but it\u2019s hit or miss sometimes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no way to really validate the accuracy of the data. Therefore, the verification process starts simply, with testing and record-keeping. Before picking up the phone or sending an email, the realtor uses Spokeo to find out more about the person in order to enrich their correspondence, and ultimately, improve his contact\/conversion rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He turns to Spokeo to help maximize the return on his investment in lead generation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe just test them out by calling, and then figure out which [data sources] are the best, and which ones are not. We get pickup ratios; \u2018people pick up with this data [source] and didn\u2019t with this data [source].\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most basic ways the agent uses Spokeo is simply to evaluate the quality of a purchased list. \u201cSometimes the data\u2019s pretty similar, and sometimes it\u2019s maybe off by a little bit,\u201d he says. \u201cSearch engine websites such as Spokeo help us say, \u2018Okay, we\u2019re on the right track, this is the data.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also a source he returns to repeatedly when he and his team are cold calling. \u201cProperty address, name, and number, I use Spokeo for those three main things,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It makes perfect sense to do that kind of research, and arm yourself with the property owner\u2019s basic data, before you reach out. In any given neighborhood or building there are only so many potential sales to be made, and burning up a possible listing through lack of preparation is costly. Consumers are bombarded with carefully crafted sales messages every day, and generic approaches (\u201cDear Occupant: I recently drove past your home at 123 Subdivision Heights, and would love to list it for you\u2026\u201d) simply won\u2019t get the job done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The agent recognizes that he\u2019s only just begun to tap Spokeo\u2019s potential uses in real estate marketing, such as gathering intelligence on potential prospects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo be honest with you, I don\u2019t use all the attributes that Spokeo has,\u201d he confesses. \u201cI see that you guys provide so much other data, like, \u2018This person is probably 80 years old,\u2019 stuff like that. I\u2019ve always thought, \u2018If you\u2019re over 70 and have lived there for over 30 years, you\u2019re more likely to want to sell.\u2019 I\u2019m sure if I actually sat down [with it], I could come up with a pretty cool system.\u201d (Spoiler: We\u2019ve recently written about using Spokeo\u2019s search tools exactly that way<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Real estate is a pretty well-established industry, and Googling \u201chow to get real estate leads\u201d will bring you hundreds of thousands of pages to look at. Unfortunately for any aspiring realtor, everybody else can see those same pages (or buy lists of leads from the same sources). You\u2019ll need some sort of edge to differentiate yourself from the competition, and Spokeo can provide that edge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re always excited to learn how our users take advantage of our services, and real agents and brokers are no exception. Do you use our tools to stay safe when meeting potential clients<\/a>? To protect yourself and your clients against possible fraud<\/a> or identity theft? To find the perfect neighborhood<\/a> for your clients? If so, let us know<\/a>. We\u2019d love to hear from you. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Real-world salespeople are usually not the silver-tongued persuaders or back-slapping bullies you\u2019ll see on TV sitcoms. In truth, the sales profession is an excellent example of the rule that success…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":25291,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[626,630],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-businesses","category-product-usage"],"yoast_head":"\nThere\u2019s Always Room to Innovate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n