When you work in real estate, priority one tends to be generating more leads. Real estate agents need real estate leads – it's a very simple concept. The trouble tends to be that most realtors need more leads, but they don't have a lot of money to spend on getting them. This is where the expertise of an international brand like Century 21 comes in, and because I'm such a nice guy I thought I'd share some of that knowledge today.
That's not to say that lead generation is anything other than a challenging and pretty much never ending process. We real estate agents know that as long as we're in this game called real estate sales, we're going to need leads. And lots of them. The good news is that if you think creatively about it, you can find leads everywhere. I know a real estate agent who received a wrong number call on his mobile, and when he said he wasn't who the caller was trying to reach, he added "but I can help you buy or sell a house." And he got business from it.
Schools are also a great place to start networking, although probably only use this avenue if you have children or you may encounter some unwanted issues. But if you are dropping kids off or picking them up, keep in mind that relationships fostered here have the potential to span years, even decades which makes these people prospective customers of the repeat kind. What better lead could you ask for? So even if young Billy has been pulling your Sarah's hair, be nice about it! Wearing something that identifies you as a real estate agent in these types of situations is a good idea as it encourages people to talk to you about real estate, rather than you shoving a business card at them when they didn't actually ask for one. Century 21's gold jacket is brilliant for this, and you'd be surprised how many times our agents get stopped on the street or in a café by people who want to chat real estate.
Even though it may be exhausting to think of it this way, generating real estate leads can be a 24/7 activity. We realtors tend to love our jobs and we know it's not a 9 to 5 occupation, but if you remind yourself that almost every interaction is a chance to secure a lead, you'll realize how often you can build your business.
And a busy, successful real estate agent tends to be the kind that new clients want to work with!