Rookie Resource Spotlight: 3 Steps to Set Appointments
Appointments mark the beginning of your official relationship with a client. That’s why it’s crucial to be able to convert leads to buyer and seller consultations, where you will showcase your skills and services and get a client to formally sign on to work with you.
There are three simple steps you can follow to help you convert more leads and set more appointments that turn into signed agreements (and eventually, closings!).
Step 1: Connect
Connecting with clients is about two things: contacting them quickly and addressing their wants and needs.
1. Optimize Speed-to-Lead
Between 70 and 75 percent of buyers and sellers will sign with the first agent they interview. There is a huge advantage in being first! If you connect quickly (within the day, at least), the odds lean in your favor. Make sure you have a system where you can respond to any calls, texts, emails, or clicks as soon as possible–in a TCPA-compliant way, of course.
2. Uncover Wants and Needs
Once you connect with someone, it’s time to take your relationship to the next level. Be curious! Practice open-ended questions that extend conversations. The answers you get from this initial connection will help you customize your seller or buyer consultation later.
Step 2: Qualify
It is essential to qualify buyers and sellers to discover their goals, timelines, and motivation before you meet and commit your valuable time. A simple framework for a qualified lead is if they are ready, willing, and able.
Readiness is about personal motives for wanting to buy or sell. They are motivated to make strategic decisions now. Willingness is how urgent someone is to make decisions in the current market. They have a deep reason driving their need to move, and are willing to navigate different, potentially difficult, scenarios to get to their goal. Ability lies in financial capacity. Do they have funds for a down payment? Are they pre-approved for a loan?
When you’ve determined someone’s readiness, willingness, and ability, you can group them into A, B, and C Clients.
Rookie Real Estate Agent, pg. 152
A Clients are the closest to doing business with you. They are ready, willing, and able. B Clients lack one of the three key ingredients to do business in the near future. C Clients might be curious but have no immediate need to purchase or sell a home. B and C Clients can continue to be nurtured in your database. A Clients are ready for a consultation!
Step 3: Schedule
It’s best practice to assume someone wants to meet with you. If they have objections, you can handle them and continue to nurture them if they end up not being ready. But if you’ve connected with and qualified someone, suggest that it’s time for an official meeting.
Suggest something to do during the consultation, like go over comps or look at available homes online, and offer two or three options for appointment times. Explain why you are the right agent to work with. Personalize your pitch for an appointment by offering what they say they want, and then deliver on it when the time comes. This will lead to a smooth transition from an appointment to a signed agreement!
Did you like this newsletter? Did you know it’s available as a one-pager download (along with many more!) at KellerINK.com? These resources are free, and each of our books has their own special tools for you to use.