After more than four decades in business, I have come to realize that one key truth about business has come to supersede all others: lead generation is at the foundation of success. As a business coach, I am absolutely dedicated to ensuring that my clients recognize this imperative and build habits that support lead generation as Job No. 1.
We are, after all, capable of so much more than we realize—and funding the great life that we dream of calls for a steady stream of leads, especially in the real estate industry. The alternative is a recipe for either an unmanageable feast-or-famine roller-coaster, or ultimately, business failure.
For real estate agents, lead generation is primarily about getting in front of buyers, sellers, and investors who are in a position to refer us. This tends to be second nature for successful and seasoned agents—that’s how they got where they are. Among agents who are new to the business, however, knowing when and how to power the lead-generation engine can be the source of many questions. Here are three hot-topic questions that are critical to answer for a steady, high-quality lead flow.
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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.” |
Question #1: When will I have time to drum up new business when my world is so busy as is?
Once we accept that lead generation is the most important business activity of the day, it’s clear that time needs to be blocked off and devoted to lead generation every morning. First things first.
Scheduling and committing to lead generation every morning is crucial, but don’t stop there. Plan ahead every month to ensure that a range of lead-generation activities are also incorporated into your calendar. Here are four examples of ways to do that:
- Are there speaking opportunities where you can help first-time homebuyers overcome hurdles?
- Are there professional networking opportunities where you can position yourself as the local real estate expert?
- Who could you invite to lunch or out for coffee to talk about what’s going on in their lives or in the lives of their sphere and to ask how you can help?
- With whom can you practice scripts to ensure that every encounter with you is value-added and broadens your sphere with new names to add to your database?
Question #2: What are the things I should be doing to get in front of potential leads?
Until you settle on solid strategies and scripts that work for you, lead generation can feel complicated at best and overwhelming at worst. Here are 10 easy-to-execute activities to consider to gain momentum with your new lead-gen habit.
- Phone all colleagues from your past jobs. Make sure they know you are in real estate and ask whether they or anyone they know is thinking about buying or selling a home in the near future.
- Call past clients within a week of their close to see how their move went. Point out that you loved working with them and remind them that they can continue to use you as a resource on real estate-related matters and that you welcome their referrals.
- Knock on doors in an area that you designate as your “farm.” Introduce yourself as someone who is very familiar with the area. Leave behind your card or flier.
- Submit a regular column or updates in your neighborhood newsletter on local real estate-related information.
- Spearhead neighborhood parties or events. Meet your neighbors. Get to know what’s going on in their lives, add them to your database, and follow up.
- Join your neighborhood HOA and at least one other organization devoted to a cause you care about.
- Host educational events for prospective first-time homebuyers to create an overview of the process and answer any questions they might have.
- Strike up conversations wherever you find yourself. Demonstrate interest in others’ lives. Connect and add names to your database.
- Establish a “board of directors” among local professionals. Meet regularly to offer business advice and support. Commit to referring business to each other whenever possible.
- Ensure that all professionals and tradespeople with whom you do business, including doctors, lawyers, accountants, salon owners, salespeople, and business owners, know that you are a knowledgeable real estate professional to whom they can comfortably refer business or call on for their own real estate needs—and make a point to refer business their way!
Question #3: Why am I getting in my own way with negative self-talk?
This is the most important question to answer of all.
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About Mike Horwitz Mike Horwitz’s approach to coaching is to uncover what matters most, and then craft a plan that shows how extraordinary new possibilities are actually within reach. With a 45-year career that includes accounting, commercial and residential real estate, university instructor, book author, trainer and coach, Mike’s trajectory is marked by a refusal to let limiting beliefs get in the way. |
It is absolutely critical to identify and rid yourself of limiting beliefs. Do you believe you are capable of great achievements? Here are six important actions that will help to cultivate habits of powerful, life-changing lead generation:
- Focus more on daily activities than the ultimate goal.
- Start believing new things about yourself.
- Prove it to yourself by your actions.
- Remind yourself that it’s the small, repeatable routines that bring big goals to life.
- Believe it’s possible.
- Tap into this wisdom:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit.”
— Will Durant
“Create Your Lead-Generation Habits,” an online course led by Mike Horwitz, is among the essential business-building topics that will be covered in Rialto Academy’s Your Agent University eLearning curriculum, to be announced soon.
To learn more about coaching specifically tailored to real estate professionals, click the button below to schedule a free coaching assessment.