What is Better A Open IDX or Making Visitors register?

[Morristown]

What do people think,

Is it better to have a website that has a totally open IDX search which gives the visitors what they want including the address.

Or

Is it better to give them the IDX not give them the addresses but make them e-mail or call you.

Or

Give them the IDX but have them register to see multiple pictures, addresses, things such as that?

[Morristown]

Personally I think it is better to have it totally open, let them have what they want, give them every excuse in the world to come back to your site over and over again while they are searching, Make sure that on every page they visit your full contact info is right there along with your face and an encuragement to call you. Of course the site needs to look Corp, professional, and be totally usefull.

Only make them register if they want to save searches and have homes e-mailed to them when they are listed or price changed or whatever.

That is my thought.

Please tell me if I am thinking about this the wrong way.

Jim

[drewnick]

This has been discussed in depth.

[Ryan Ward]

Very discussed topic. If you aren't tired after reading all those posts, here's my view. On Saturday I had 15 registrations. I had 108 people use my IDX. Of those 15, 1 saved favorite homes. People with saved searches are decent leads. Those without saved, are not. So let's say I get 1 out of 15 saved searches. That means I could possibly get 7 saved searches if the rest of those people hadn't left my website because of registration. So now, instead of 15 poor leads to place on a drip, I can focus on seven decent leads.

Which one do you think is better.

I too could get pissed off and say "well, I worked my *ss off to achieve these rankings. I deserve a phone number and email address."

To me, it's not about pride. It's about getting quality leads and getting as many as I can.

Simple as that.

I say no registration.

[drewnick]

I wasn't trying to be crass - I just wanted to point out an interesting discussion. Quality leads are obviously better - but if you have the time...

[Ryan Ward]

It can be a tough call. I have a very nice drip email campaign set up so I could put thousands of people on it. In fact I have it set up for regular registrations and a seperate one for saved searches and another one for people who have favorite homes saved. It takes about 10 minutes/day to add them to the campaign - if that.

So as far as time goes, I think I could do it.

For me I don't think it is so much about time as it is the likelihood of conversion PLUS the fact that instead of 15/ day using my website, I have over 100. Over time, those should convert more "organically" for lack of a better word because of the exponential number of users you will obtain.

100 today.
20 from yesterday plus 100 today
22 from yesterday 100 today
....

[RESteve]

Your IDX implementation essentially becomes primary food for feeding your database. A good database is ideal for real estate. I say get as many leads as possible, no registrations, cultivate relationships through drip-email campaigns, and either a) convert to a buyer or seller b) move to a high touch, long term program to keep in touch throughout the year for referrals (given you built a relationship - people will only refer you business if they know you and would do business with you themselves, I'd think).

[Morristown]

Thank you for the feedback, I am still very much leaning to the no registration, since for me 1 or 2 good leeds is way better than 10 bad leeds any day of the week. The bad leeds are such a downer. treat you bad and ack as if it is their god given right to walk all over you spit on you then ack offended for example if you ask them to sign in at a open house after they have walked past and ignored the sign in sheet.

About a month ago I had a woman who I asked to sign in, after I had greated her at the door, shook her hand, asked her to sign in the kitchen. She ignored the sign-in wandered around for a while then ended up back in the kitchen, I tried to strike up a conversation but that went noplace, So I once again said, the home owners have requested that all visitors please sign in. Her responce, My information is none of your business. Jeez just pretend or something, what do you think a open house is.

Normally I would not have been that pushy about it but the home owner had come back into the house right behind that woman, but that woman gave me the attitude that it is just her right to walk through any open house she wants and not meet certain requirments. Many Many people shoping on the internet are like that, and until their attitude is better becouse they have become better prospects, I intend to stay out of their line of fire, better to start off on a possitive note.

[Lydia]

About a month ago I had a woman who I asked to sign in, after I had greated her at the door, shook her hand, asked her to sign in the kitchen. She ignored the sign-in wandered around for a while then ended up back in the kitchen, I tried to strike up a conversation but that went noplace, So I once again said, the home owners have requested that all visitors please sign in. Her responce, My information is none of your business. Jeez just pretend or something, what do you think a open house is.

Normally I would not have been that pushy about it but the home owner had come back into the house right behind that woman, but that woman gave me the attitude that it is just her right to walk through any open house she wants and not meet certain requirments.

I immediately tell, firmly and politely, those visitors to leave immediately. Open houses are not their house and if they can't bother to even identify themselves they are a security risk to the homeowner and myself. It is my responsibility to protect the house, the homeowner, and other visitors.

If they get mad, so what? I don't need that kind of client.

[drewnick]

I am so looking forward to open houses (which I've heard don't work anyway)...